redwave

Boiler; Sorry but I have out of the loop for a while so please explain;
MEPS; AMS; and what the heck is a mud hen? Thx, it hurts getting old.

BoilerUP

Sorry, wrote MEPS but I meant MFS (Medical Flight Screening, Brooks-City Base San Antonio).

AMS: "The Academy" of Military Science, aka the ANG officer school, Knoxville TN

Mud Hen: nickname for a Strike Eagle

727C47

[QUOTE=Kilgore Trout;749932]I apologize for my crude comment earlier. I get sort of spooled up when people disrespect DC-3 drivers. I have the utmost respect for military aviators, of all stripes, and only read the military section here on APCF to live vicariously through you.

Happy Hunting Hacker15e.

Off to do 50 push-ups.

you have to love the DC3 ,one of the first ships delivering aid after Katrina,and now after the earthquake in Haiti,the immortal,unstoppable,and yes holy DC3.Semper Fugit !

TonyC

Don't confuse "fighter pilot attitude" with "obnoxious attitude." Not all fighter pilots are obnoxious, but the community has more than their fair share.








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XHooker

Dustin, I'm a former squid and even then not an academy guy, but I'll throw my two cents in here. First you sound very motivated and that's a big part of it. The problem is so is just about everyone else going through flight school. Three factors to deal with in getting the platform you want, first is work ethic, which you have control over and will be driven by your level of motivation. Second is aptitude. Just because you're intelligent and maybe athletic too, doesn't mean you're going to have an aptitude for flying. While I've never met any good pilots who were dumb, beyond that I honestly can't tell you what makes the best students in flight school. Confidence is a good start, but there's an intangible "it" factor and some peak early, washing out down the road, and some peak late after the die for the direction of one's career has been cast (I'm 50ish and still waiting to peak). The last factor is luck of the draw, which you have no control over. What it all adds up to is unless you are a general's son, chances are you're not going to get fighters. The good news is that you're 20 and whether you get fighters or not (you might not even want them in a few years) your views will change over time. I knew career military aviators who initially went into flying just so they could be airline pilots or avoid ground duty in Vietnam. We change. I don't like being a student and flight school was tough for me, as it was for just about everyone I know. You can't go into it with the attitude you failed if you don't get exactly what you want. Concentrate on getting those lead wings...everything after that is gravy.

Looking back, my career has been blessed, though I rarely knew it at the time because there was disappointment at almost every turn. Got jets out of primary (top navy and marine students the week I selected both went props), but didn't get the platform I wanted out of advanced jet. Eventually got to fly fighters, and finished flying transports in the reserves. There's pluses and minuses to every airframe. I didn't get hired by my first choice of airlines, which turned out to be a blessing. The bad news is aviation probably won't take you in the direction you plan. The good news is it might take you someplace better. Would I do it all over again...I can't honestly say for sure, but I can say the pride I continue to take in having served my country with the finest people I'll ever know as a Naval Aviator defines my life. I just don't think I could say the same thing if I had gone "acquisitions/contracting".

Long story short...don't get caught up in the airframe...if you want to fly for your country, you want to fly for your country...period. If you get what you want, great...if you don't, it might be even better.

GunshipGuy

Wouldn't dare; but I know of what you speak. And I would be remiss if I did not add the herk community has it's share of dillweeds as well.