Kipperskipper

Hello,

As a young man i have experienced how valuable wisdom from people who i hold in very high regards plays out regardless of my own intuition. It is because of this i am reaching out to you folk, who have had to make the same very decisions i am confronted by in hopes i can learn from an experience .

Thank you for attention up to this point . I appreciate your time so i will be brief.

I am a high school grad as of 6/8/17 and have a few options towards my entrance into a pilot slot in military.

To my understanding an academy is the most likely way to get that pilot slot , so i would be applying to them in all scenarios.

1) Usaf enlisted. full time
-I could enter as an aircraft mec
-could use gi to pay for bachelors in aviation
-most fluid of my options allowing for aviation tec or flight slot
-get payed
- fastest way to retirement

-longest path to academy admission,pilot slot, or an officer 6-7 yr
-cannot ship off to bmt for another 6 month

2) usaf reservist 4 days mon
-could use gi for select reserve to help pay for bachelors in aviation
-college ROTC towards pilot slot.
-fastest way to be commissioned as o
-better job
-years of service still count
-more competitive academy admission

-does not count towards military retirement
-possible debt
-less benefits than nat guard
-cannot ship off to bmt for another 6 month

3) army nat guard reservist 4 days a month
-full ride in bachelors thats not aviation related
-10k cash from scholarship (getting paid to go to school)
-college ROTC towards pilot slot.
-more competitive academy admission
-years of service still count

-complicated transfer to usaf after ots
-no guarantee of transfer if i got an academy appointment
-crappy job: plumber, road paver, or carpenter
-more likely chance of deployment(9 month tour) than usaf res.

Based on that, what do you gentlemen believe the best course of action is?

is there a path i am missing or something i may not be considering?

Again, thanks for your time.Your opinion or past experience is important to me.

very respectfully,

Kipper

C130driver

First: get your bachelors, doesn't matter in what, anything that is of interest to you.

Find a guard/reserve unit to send you to OTS/pilot training. They'll pay for you to get some amazing flight experience. You'll build hours quick and once you get to 750 you can fly for a regional and do the guard/reserves part time.

Then, when you have enough hours (between 3000-5000) you will be competitive for a major.

That's my opinion; if you're worried about paying for college then enlist in the guard/reserves, get them to pay for your degree then shoot for the OTS/pilot training slot.

Do not, do not go active duty right now. My time at the academy was solid but you're looking at a 12 year hard commitment as an active duty pilot, and I'm sure you've read all the message boards here about guys wanting to bail active duty ASAP. Plus there's a good chance you'll get RPAs.

Kipperskipper

Good point, not many ppl last that 20. What you are saying is alog the lines of what i was advised in another thread

"
Originally Posted by BeatNavy View Post
What do you want to fly? If you want to fly helos, join the army warrant officer corps straighten off the street. My stick buddy in army flight school was 18 and right off the street. That process is not without its wickets, but can be done. If you want to go to an academy, that isn't a bad way to go. Even though it was miserable, I would do it again. But it isn't always the best for flying. My ideal career path would have been to start getting some ratings in high school, enlist in the guard in a fighter unit and go to college simultaneously, try to flight instruct on the side and build some hours,, finish my degree at some point, get picked up by a regional, get a UPT slot from a fighter unit, then get a seniority number at a major, then go on mil leave for a while and do the airline/fighter thing. All that can be done by age 30. Or another cool path would be to join the army at 18 or 19, fly apaches for 8 years while working on a degree and fixed wing time on the side, get out at 26/27 years old, join a guard fighter unit, then do the airline thing after that."

It looks likes the ANG might be a path worth considering.

Scraggly Heron

I agree with C130driver--do not go active duty. Unless you've exhausted every other option to go to pilot training, it's not worth the pain or the risk to your flying career.

sourdough44

I like the idea of enlisting NOW in the Guard or Reserves. After you get back from initial training you can get started in college.

If you have a viable aviation unit near, so much the better. If they have a delay on the start of basic, get going on some local aviation training. That could be as simple and low cost as a private pilot ground school.

Flyguy4723

Listen to these guys and go ANG. You get to pick your plane.

Quarryman

First of all, I commend you on the research you've done and how you have articulated your concerns. This shows preparation and seriousness towards your career. Make no mistake, this profession is a costly one and the price of admission keeps rising. C130driver gives very good and wise counsel here. However, I'd add that a degree in a marketable skill outside if aviation would be best. What happens if / when you get medically disqualified or laid off due to an economic downturn? You want something to rely upon. Accounting, STEM fields and the like are solid bets compared to any major with the word "studies" in it.