bubblemonkey

I have two years of college left and I am in the process of getting my PPL. I spoke with a USAF recruiter and was told that having a PPL will make me a much more attractive candidate to fly. I don't care what I fly or if it's active, reserve, or guard, although my favorite aircraft is the C-130. It was the first airplane I got to see up close, at an air show at Dobbins AFB.

Also, would having 20/50-20/60 vision be a major problem? I see 20/10 with glasses. As I understand, you can get a waiver if it's not too bad.

gringo

Unless things changed within the last 10 years, your PPL won't open too many extra doors. In fact, it could even hinder you a bit- they're going to teach you from the ground up how to fly their planes.

Remember- recruiters will tell you what you want to hear. Flight slots are SUPER competitive. Your eyesight shouldn't be a problem- I think 20:70 is the cutoff. (BTW, when I checked 4 years ago, the Navy and Marines were accepting PRK (NOT Lasik) candidates, while the Air Force wasn't)

Also, when you say "recruiter", are you talking to one who handles the enlisted side, or to an Officer Candidate recruiter (or whatever they're called there)? MAKE SURE you're dealing with an OFFICER recruiter. (Hint: they're usually not the ones found at the strip mall locations)

Either way, good luck. After seeing the Chicago Air & Water show this past weekend, I was reminded how much I wished I had better vision to fly those Eagles...

bschref

I wouldn't say that a PPL would necessarily help or hurt your chances of getting an Air Force pilot training slot. I do think, though, that the general experience in the flying world that comes with the PPL would tend to give you an edge once you're in the pilot training program.

shackone

It all depends on the individual and the amount of experience he brings into the program.

Some folks come to UPT with no flying experience...so a classmate with a PPL will initially have an advantage.

But the military trains and flys differently than most civilian operations...particularly in a training environment. Folks with previous time may find the stick and rudder part to be familiar, but the procedural part may not be.

In any case, a typical UPT class tends to sort itself out by the midway point. The initial advantage tends to all but disappear by the time the class gets to the last half...and by graduation time, it's not unusual to find little correlation between initial experience and final outcome.

Tanker-driver

Actually, the Air Force does value some civil flight time. When I went through, the goal was for everyone to have a PPL before they went to UPT. If you couldn't get it within the 60 or so hours the Air Force was willing to pay for, you were disqualified and gave up your UPT slot. As I understand it now, the Air Force has gone back to a somewhat more formal 40 hr (?) flight screening program. Everyone gets 40 hrs with an AF approved cvilian instructor, and if he/she thinks you won't hack it, they can recommend that you not go to UPT. I'd assume that having a PPL before hand would help you through the flight screening process, but Shack is right when it comes to UPT. They will start you from the ground up, and you will have to learn to do it the Air Force way. The key is to stay flexible and suck it up and play the game when you have to.

JSchraub

What is the typical time you will serve? For some reason 10 years is ringing a bell... I would join the military to fly but the time you must serve is rediculous. Also it is kind of hard to find a recruiter that doesn't just blow smoke up your ass and say "Yeah yeah you'll be a captain of a Stealth in 2 days" or some bs like that..

FlyingGuy

I doubt a PPL will make a difference in getting to UPT. My experience is old (20 years) but I was never asked the question until I showed up. I went through the Flight Screening Program in Hondo Texas. Everyone went through the same program regardless of experience. Several with a private dropped out others were eliminated. If I remember correctly they either could not or would not adapt to the way the Air Force wanted them to fly. Generally that is to fly in a strict procedural way not just a safe way. By the way lots more without any civil time did not make it through either because they could not solo in the prescribed number of sorties. When you get there you have to make it within the syallabus as opposed to before your money runs out. Best of luck!

Slice

AFOQT + BAT + flying hours = PCSM score, which is supposed to determine your chances of successfully completing UPT. Flying hours count in brackets maxing out at 200 hours TT. So, having your PPL(actually just hours logged) or more would improve your PCSM which would improve your chances of selection. How greatly? Don't know the exact formula they use.

Laxrox43

I hear many different opinions on this matter, so since we are on the subject...I am interested to hear what ya'll have to say.

For someone applying to OTS and then eventually for a UPT slot, would it help them out at all if they have all of their civilian certificates and ratings? I understand that military flying is in its own relm...

I was told that if you are lucky enough to get a slot, to not gloat or brag about your past experience - which is a no brainer. If you take the "Cooperate and Graduate" attitude, you will be fine...

What are your feeling on this fellas/ladies?

Lax

bubblemonkey

I spoke with the recruiter on the phone, so I'm not sure... he did try to get me to go in enlisted, so I figure he was not an Officer Candidate recruiter. He seemed dodgy about aviation questions, and I suppose he didn't know or was simply tired of people asking him all day, "How do I become a pilot?" I figured it would be prudent to run it by you guys.

The thing is, I love to fly, and even if the USAF or a career as an airline pilot doesn't work out, I would still want to be a weekend recreational pilot. I figure the experience that would come with a PPL would give me a leg up in the beginning, and I don't want to wait two more years until I have completed college to see if the USAF would work out before I start flying.