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Have you considered flying for the military?

Old 06-07-2008, 08:36 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Aviatormar View Post
Ok, so how does one go about getting into a program? Right now I"m 23 (24 in January), I fly for a regional and just finishing up my last few credits online to get my degree (dumb move, leaving college with 12 credits and 1 semester to go, to fly and have fun on the west coast, idiot idiot idiot!!!). Is there any hope for a reserve slot?
do you want to go full or reserve?

if you want to go full you have to do a couple of things. first call the recruiter and tell them you want to apply for a pilot slot. they will give you the spill about how its hard to come right in and be a pilot, but if you sign up you can get a pilot slot easier once you are in.. so if you fall for that then you are in trouble. if not they will tell you that you need to take the afoqt (airforce officer qualifying test). once you finish that they will set you up for a bat test (its pretty much a computer game, just google it and you will see.) once you have completed both of those you will get a pcsm score (pilot candidate selection method). so they combine your afoqt, bat score together, then add in bonus points for the hours you have now, up to 250, and then they give you your pcsm score. its on a scale from 0-99, 99 being the best. if you look good you will get sent to meps for a physical and if that looks good you get sent for a flight physical. if all that looks good then you just wait for the next board to meet. if you get chosen you are in, if not you automatically get moved to the next board. if you dont get chosen there then you have to reapply.

as far as reserves go it is pretty much the exact same way except for reserves you hav to apply for an open job in a reserve unit. they are very hard to get since a lot of the guys there have buddies waiting to join the unit.

you may ask how do i know all this? well i had a pcsm score of 96 and was ready to be shipped off and ready to go. but all the sudden ( about 8 years ago) they cancelled the class, and the one after that. i thought i was mobile, al bound but after going through the process for a couple years i got frustrated with it and decided to keep flight instructing and move on. i wonder sometimes where i would be if i would have hung in there, but i am pretty happy with my decision. while flight instructing i met my wife, got married, had a kid, and am happy with the way things turned out.. but one can always wonder right?
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Old 06-07-2008, 08:37 AM
  #12  
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Reserve and Air Guard slots are a different animal.. Usually they pick guys already qualified and getting out of active duty.. ESPECIALLY during times when the airline industry is bad. The furloughed mil guys just go back to their old units to get a paycheck.. We can cover that in another thread.

To get into the mil as a pilot, you have to go to the OFFICER recruiting.. not the general recruiter at the strip mall. He recruits for the enlisted ranks. They have been know to lie about getting you into a flying job. You need to go to what is called a MEP center. That's the regional recruiting office where officers are recruited. the first step is to arrange to take the written exams. Study up on some of the test prep books in the local library. Usually a two part test.. general math, english blah, blah.. and a flying aptitude test.. once you pass this they will arrange for a flight physical, put together and application package, then send it to a selection board. If you are selected, they call you and tell you when to report to OCS.. The officer version of boot camp. Enlisted go to boot camp, officers go to OCS.. After you finish OCS, you report to flight school which can take from 18-30 months depending on what you fly. Your commitment to the military starts when you get your wings. After wings you report for training in whatever platform you will fly (fighters, transport, helo etc)

Make sure you are applying to an officer billet, going to Officer candidate school (OCS), with a promise of flight school.. You should be talking to an officer recruiter for all of this.. Most branches want you to have completed OCS by the time you are 27 yrs old.
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Old 06-07-2008, 08:37 AM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Aviatormar View Post
Ok, so how does one go about getting into a program? Right now I"m 23 (24 in January), I fly for a regional and just finishing up my last few credits online to get my degree (dumb move, leaving college with 12 credits and 1 semester to go, to fly and have fun on the west coast, idiot idiot idiot!!!). Is there any hope for a reserve slot?
You're in a good place, you're still young enough but it can take 1-3 years to get a slot, so start now if you're going to (age limit varies between 28-30).

Air National Guard / Air Force Reserve are probably your best bets because you can select the unit (and thus the airplane you will fly). You will also keep your seniority at your airline (it will accrue as though you never left).

You have a LOT of reserach to do...officers of any sort need plenty of initiative, so the process is not "spoon-fed". Check out relevant threads on the military forum here, and look at baseops.net

First thing you want to do is get an idea if you meet the medical requirements.

Then start looking into units you would like to join. Guard units generally prefer local boys, so if you have a local unit start there. If you don't live near a suitable unit, you may actually want to "move" near one while applying...get a crashpad in that city where you can get mail. This way you can at least appear to be a local.

I did some research for a friend recently...due to demographics the C-130 squadrons at Cheyenne and Charlie West are usually the easiest to get into.
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Old 06-07-2008, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
If you want to do it, don't let the GF hold you back unless she is the ONE...if so, marry her immediately. Let girlfriends influence your plans for the weekend, not your plans for life.

The USAF at least is making artificial jet fuel, so they won't be grounded if oil keeps going up.

Heavy guys fly almost as much as airline guys, depending on circumstances.

Fighter guys fly less, but it is mostly quality time, as opposed to AFCS in "newspaper mode". Majors recognize this and will readily 1000-1500 hour fighter guys.

Generally, a military officer will need to get promoted three times (to O-4/ major/lieutenant commander) in order to be allowed to stay in for 20 years to get the pension. The first two promotions are usually easy, but the O-4 promoton is more competetive. However it comes right about the time your training obligation expires (8-10 years), so it's a good time to leave if you want to, or don't get promoted.
Thanks for the advice. The gf is the one, Im just weighing the positives and negatives. I havent graduated yet so I'm not marrying her yet b/c I have been waiting on getting a job. Thats the big negative to me is the deployments, but I dont really know how they work in the af. As for the aircraft to fly, I would be just as happy flying heavies as opposed to fighters.
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Old 06-07-2008, 01:05 PM
  #15  
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Anyone have an office that they recommend in socal? after hanging out here for a couple of days, I'm really hating the commute to ATL from SAN and seeing the fall schedule dwindle quite a bit is definitely not any means for feeling like I'm in a safe position for time to come.
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Old 06-07-2008, 02:08 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by cruiseclimb View Post
Most branches want you to have completed OCS by the time you are 27 yrs old.
Last I checked (USAF / Navy, anyway) you have to start UPT prior to your 27th birthday. No waivers or exceptions. Guard and Reserves, too. Just completing OCS won't cut it if there's any delay prior to your flight training.

With USMC aviation you could start a little older, but after comissioning you have to serve in a rifle company for a year or more before you'll start flight training. Every Marine is a rifleman first.

My info may be a little old, but bottom line- don't wait until you're 24 or 25 to start the ball rolling.
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Old 06-07-2008, 02:44 PM
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It used to be commissioned by your 27th B-day.... Delays in starting flight school are not your fault.. Starting when you're 25 or 26 is fine...
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Old 06-07-2008, 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Boomer View Post
With USMC aviation you could start a little older, but after comissioning you have to serve in a rifle company for a year or more before you'll start flight training. Every Marine is a rifleman first.
I don't remember this...is it something new?

Marine aviators have to complete OCC and TBS before flight school of course. Their real exposure to ground-pounding usually comes on a FAC tour following their first (or second) squadron tour.
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Old 06-07-2008, 03:09 PM
  #19  
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http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joini...blpilotage.htm

I dunno if this is correct, but it's more recent than my "age 27" information:

Navy / USMC flight training start by age 26 (waivers up to 30?)

USAF... 29

Army... 32 (waivers up to 34)
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Old 06-07-2008, 03:45 PM
  #20  
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Nobody mentioned the Coast Guard... helo, fixed, etc.
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