rmp459

Im currently a 3rd year student at a private university in connecticut with a 3.97 GPA. I've been an athlete all my life and am in great physical shape. I have 20/20 vision or better and have been around airports most my life. My father is a corporate pilot w/ an instructors license for everything and has spent his last 25-30 years flying Challengers/Lears and being an ATC.

I am currently paying for school with loans and I do not have the money to get my privates or any certificates. I have some experience in smaller planes, meaning 5-10 in a Cessna 172, 6 or 7 hours in a Baron 58, and a few in a Piper Navajo... Im reasonably comfortable in all three and have flown a few legs of small trips for my dad... It's my dream to become a pilot; however, I don't have the means to get their financially.

I originally wanted to be a navy pilot, but when the time came in high school, my parents wouldn't hear of it and I kept them happy. I have always want to be a military pilot, specifically fighters. Everybody I know has heard me talk of my desire to fly in the military. Here I am 3 to 4 years later and the armed forces seems like a great way to pay off my loans and get the best flight training around. I know I want to fly and I am at the point where I'm not willing to let this pass me up without trying.

On the other hand I dont want to sign a sheet of paper at the local recruiters and sign away the next couple years of my life being stuck doing something I don't want to be doing. How can I ensure myself a chance for a flight spot considering my age (20) and what should I be doing right now to get things going?

Thanks in advance...

SaltyDog

rmp459,
All services are great, fly fighter requires a focus on USAF, ANG, USN, and USMC.
Best bet for fighters would be the ANG that fly F-16/F-15's. Another neat mission/aircraft is the A-10 which they have in Conn. The ANG will send you to flight school with the USAF, you already know what you fly unlike your USAF classmates (except fellow Guard folks). Check out this website: http://www.ang.af.mil/units.asp for more gouge on units.
The Guard will want to protect there investment, commitment is key. Are you willing to enlist and compete for the pilot slot? The recruiter at the Guard units you consider will have the answers, ask around. Lots of experts here to provide Guard advice.
Active duty with USAF/Navy/Marines: Very similiar regarding selection to fighters. 1. Service needs, 2. your abilities, 3. your desires.
Service needs can vary widely and difficult to predict accurately when you start flight school. 2. Your abilities are graded both objectively (pass/fail events; Written exams, etc) and subjectively(flying elements, but all work to be standardized). Additionally, you are competing with your classmates for whatever aircraft/pipelines are available at the selection gates. (service dependent). This is why the Guard has the advantage. Each option has pro's/cons. Biggest con for Guard is it may take a few years to get the coveted pilot slot. Biggest con for active service is crapshoot for fighters once in the pipeline.
Be ready for the negatives, lots of folks focus on the negatives. May not mean to, but desire to give a complete picture, some will gloss over the realities and be pie in sky. Whatever service you end up joining, you will be with some amazing people who are a blast to be around. We are all proud of our particular service, and often "hate" our respective service <g>. Each in itself has pro's and cons.
I was average intelligence with my 3 brain cells, but the advantage was being to stupid to quit. That's what got me finally picked up as a Squid. (Went Marine OCS, helicopters were in the future, USMC had to many aviation contract officer candidates, so went USAF, got a UPT slot, hit by car - lost UPT slot, conditionally released and picked up Navy, very lucky, was in Navy jet cockpits for 21 years, all had tailhooks, but alas never a "fighter" pilot. But taught 2 and 3 plane basic fighter fundamentals ('air combat manuevers -ACM" in A-4's and T-45's for years) Remember,
"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge

1Seat 1Engine

DO NOT contact a random USAF recruiting office. They typically do not handle pilot recruitment.

Contact the ANG or AFRes units that you would be interested in joining. They have their own recruiting offices that can handle your questions, but I would call the squadron and ask for the operations officer and lay out your desires for him. Usually he has a good grip on squadron long term manning.

If you don't get positive responses from them, I would contact an AFROTC or Navy ROTC unit at your school or at a nearby school. Ask to speak to the commandant of cadets about an AFROTC pilot slot.

Having done both active duty and reserve, I would recommend ANG or Reserve. You'll get a lot of negatives about Active Duty on this board because the guys who liked and stayed on active duty never lurk or post here. Personally I liked active duty but it takes a different animal than the ANG.

hjs1971

Agreed with the two above gentlemen but the CONN ANG is losing their A-10's (might all be gone already) and going to C-21's while they await the JCA...It's probably too late to apply for a 2 year ROTC slot (if they still have them) but you've got 10 years to try for an ANG/AFRES UPT slot...HOWEVER-ONLY ENLISTED PEOPLE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS (I am 99% sure of that)!!! So unless you enlist, you still have to pay back your loans-welcome to my world! If the loan payback is the most important thing-enlist as a crew chief or flying enlisted type (boom operator, flight engineer, loadmaster), do your 2-6 years enlisted while keeping in very close contact with the pilots (specifically DO's and squadron commanders) and let them know you ulitmately desire a UPT slot. If you just want to fly and don't mind paying off your loans yourself, go straight to the DO and let them know you want a UPT slot...btw, most units like to see a guy at least have their private liscence, not required but nice to have. Good luck!

Clue32

You might want to poke around your local Navy recruiter and ask about direct commissioning programs. I have a friend who had the Navy pay for his engineering grad school and then commissioned him. My senior year in college I got an ad for a Naval Aviator program where they'd reimburse my undergrad expenses, send me to OCS and then flight school. I would have applied two years earlier had I known about it, but the army already had me by the tail.

Hopefully a Naval Aviator will chime in and shed some light on the different programs out there. If you do go talk to a local recruiter Do not let them talk you into enlisting first then competing for a flight slot.

If worse comes to worse there is always the Army Warrant Officer program.

UPTme

bunk22

I would recommend trying for an ANG slot before the Navy or Marine Corps. This individual wants fighters and must remember that in the Navy or Marines....needs of the service come first. Meaning you might be number one in your class but not tailhook slot means no jets. In addition, the Navy know selects tailhook and then a student goes to Meridian or Kingsville and will then select again, jets or E2/C2 turboprop. In addition, he will probably hear the term officer first, pilot second quite a bit. If someone gets helo's and not happy (45-50% of all Navy pilots are helo pilots while about 75% of MC pilots are helo pilots) then punches, took the slot of someone who's main goal was to earn those wings.

Nugget#69

Why is everyone pushing the Guard so much. They have one very large drawback. They typically want you to spend 2-3 years enlisted before they will give you a pilot slot. There is no way I would agree to that. I can't speak for the other services but the AF will give you a guarantee'd pilot slot before you sign to commit your life to the AF. The catch is this; it's only a pilot slot guarantee. No guarantee you will make it through the program or will get a fighter. Things change constantly, but most will agree fighter slots come down at about a 25-30% rate. That's after the standard 10-30% washout rate.

Bottom line, go talk to all the services recruiting offices about going to OCS/OTS and make sure they guarantee a pilot slot before you sign. Yes they will guarantee the pilot slot in writing, so watch out for fast talking recruiters.

Buzz

I am a T-38 IP at Columbus AFB, MS, and we have AF Reserve and ANG dudes come through all the time. These are guys hired off the street, fresh out of college with a bachelors or master's degree. I have a student right now who is 29 years old, earned a bachelor's degree in Michigan, moved to Oregon for 6 years, applied to the A-10 ANG unit in Battle Creek Michigan, got hired and just graduated from UPT last week friday.

This sort of thing happens ALL THE TIME. Pick up the phone and call every Reserve or Guard unit you are interested in and ask for the Operations Officer or Commander and tell him/her what you are looking for (as stated in an earlier post, it really is that easy). I wish I had known about the ANG or reserve before my AD hitch, live and learn.

Good Luck!

1Seat 1Engine

Ditto to what Buzz said. Some units may require enlisted time but there are dudes hired right off the street all the time.