Forum: Future F-16 crew

Last edited by ang4me on Sep 03, 2009 - 05:37 AM; edited 1 time in total

OK,
I know it's just the internet, and knowing my chances won't really change anything, but I'd like to hear what you guys think. I'm about 3 years away from doing anything. And I want to make sure that when I do join up, I'm making the right decision. I want to be a fighter pilot.

To be specific, I'm hoping to join an ANG fighter unit.

1420 SAT score
3.1 GPA undergrad (Mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt, yeah I know the GPA will hurt me)
1440 GRE score

Currently aerospace engineering grad student at Georgia Tech (arguably the top aerospace program in the world), pursuing ph.d.

In college I was the president of our Aerospace club, which was a 15-person design team with a $20k/yr budget, our own lab space, etc. We designed and built rockets and UAVs.

I was also an instructor for a wilderness survival/experience course. And I won numerous academic and design-related awards from the school, my department, NASA, and the AIAA.

I've got about 230 hours TT, including my PPL, instrument rating, and as soon as I can afford 20 more hours of flying, hopefully my commercial pilot's license.

As I finish my ph.d here at GA tech, my basic plan is to go AFR or ANG, in hopes of getting a spot in a fighter squadron. At the same time, I'll be shopping for a civilian job that will permit me the time I need for my military service, hopefully without totally nuking my civilian career.

So, what are my chances?

Also, a related question. If I get a spot in a fighter squadron, when I go to UPT, how well do I have to do compared to my classmates to get guaranteed the fighter track? Top 20% of the class? Top 10%? Will the fact that I've already got an ANG fighter squadron sponsoring me help me get the fighter track?

Thanks for your help!

F-16.net Sponsor

ang4me wrote:

OK,
I know it's just the internet, and knowing my chances won't really change anything, but I'd like to hear what you guys think. I'm about 3 years away from doing anything. And I want to make sure that when I do join up, I'm making the right decision. I want to be a fighter pilot.

1420 SAT score
3.1 GPA undergrad (Mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt, yeah I know the GPA will hurt me)
1440 GRE score

Currently aerospace engineering grad student at Georgia Tech (arguably the top aerospace program in the world), pursuing ph.d.

In college I was the president of our Aerospace club, which was a 15-person design team with a $20k/yr budget, our own lab space, etc. We designed and built rockets and UAVs.

I was also an instructor for a wilderness survival/experience course. And I won numerous academic and design-related awards from the school, my department, NASA, and the AIAA.

I've got about 230 hours TT, including my PPL, instrument rating, and as soon as I can afford 20 more hours of flying, hopefully my commercial pilot's license.

As I finish my ph.d here at GA tech, my basic plan is to go AFR or ANG, in hopes of getting a spot in a fighter squadron. At the same time, I'll be shopping for a civilian job that will permit me the time I need for my military service, hopefully without totally nuking my civilian career.

So, what are my chances?

Also, a related question. If I get a spot in a fighter squadron, when I go to UPT, how well do I have to do compared to my classmates to get guaranteed the fighter track? Top 20% of the class? Top 10%? Will the fact that I've already got an ANG fighter squadron sponsoring me help me get the fighter track?

Thanks for your help!

Ok..the question I have is this? Am I correct and saying that you ALREADY have a ANG fighter squadron sponsoring you? If that is the case why isn't your questions being answered by the ANG Fighter Squadron instead of this forum? and normally if you are slotted to go to a ANG fighter squadron you will be in the fighter track. Alot of your accolades are impressive but seem that your listing bullet points to go to the Air Force Academy and you got college already under your belt. The AFQT score is the major factor!

I would say your chances are above average with your background, although I would keep quite about the UAV building. Guard units typically look at the whole person. Meaning you could be way above the crowd in experience, but if you a a turd that they couldn't see themselves working with the will pick someone else that fits in better. If you get a spot with a guard unit you will fly whatever they fly provided you pass UPT and all the follow on courses. Doesn't matter whether you are ranked 1 or 10. Active duty pilots get track selected into whatever the USAF needs at the time. Maybe that is 2 -16's a -15 and 7 UAVs for a UPT class of 10. I'm a guard guy so I can't speak to the track select process too much. Good Luck

Yeah, good point about the UAV thing, I hadn't even thought about getting sent to that track.

And no, I don't have an ANG squadron sponsoring me. But I want one! Smile

Thanks for your help fellas!

The closest ANG assignments to you with fighter units are SC ANG at McEntire ANGB, near Columbia (F-16s), AL ANG in Montgomery (F-16s), and FL ANG at Jacksonville IAP (F-15s). Talk to the recruiters of these units. They may have a slot for you.

Then again, getting into a Guard unit can be a crap shoot. A good majority of their slots go to guys that are coming off of Active Duty. Often times, you have to "know the guy who knows the guy".

I'm now Active Duty, but having been a veteran of the Reserves, I can be the first to assure you that some of the Guard or Reserve units out there, can be a "Good Ol' Boy" system.

I just dropped $80 to take a semester-long introductory class in Arabic. It seemed interesting, and a good diversion from aerospace engineering. And I also figured it might also help my application to the ANG, if, in a few years, the last little bullet on my resume is "Conversational in Arabic." What do you guys think?

If you can hold a conversation in Arabic after one semester then your doing better than most I would imagine, but your not going to need it to fly although it might help your application. If and when you do get picked up for flight school it should be a breeze, because they can teach a monkey to fly its the academics that I saw people have a problem with.

Yo!

What "sweets" said.

out,

Gums

If you really want to be a fighter pilot through the Guard or AFRC then you need to be making connections. You need to go out and visit the units during their drill weekend and just hang out and chat. Most of them only hire new guys (i.e. someone they have to send through pilot training) every couple years. If you get selected by a fighter unit to go to pilot training then you won't have a track select - you just have to pass all the required courses (T-6, T-38, IFF, and FTU.)

When you go hang out you will find out more specifics about what they are looking for. Realize, I saw a recent pilot training selection board that had several dozen qualified guys, from across the US, trying out. Most were highly qualified - it comes down to how much the unit likes you (because you'll fly and fight with them for 20+ years) and how much faith they have that you can actually make it all the way through the fighter training track. (I know of a recent unit that had 7 of 8 of their newbies wash out over a multi-year period. Kinda sucked for them and it cost them a lot of money, but they only wanted guys who could make it on their own.)

Getting into a unit can be a lot like trying to get into a fraternity. You have to spend a lot of time and effort getting to know them and proving that you fit in. Don't expect to be able to simply send them a resume and think that they will pick you up - very few do that. Each unit has its own personality too so you want to make sure you want to be there as well. Don't limit your search to your area - look around the country to see who's hiring and where else you might be interested in living.

Good luck.

If I join the ANG, and my vision is worse than minimums, does the ANG pay for PRK/LASIK, or do I have to pay for it myself?
Thanks!

Last edited by Bushmaster78FS on Oct 21, 2009 - 10:35 PM; edited 1 time in total

Sorry to butt in, if I may suggest, as an alternative, your qualifications seem good enough for the Army AD and NG, depending on your age, with good LORs, you can fly for them too, I am sure they'd pick you flat out. The way corrective surgery works though is that you have to sign up with the unit, CO approves it and then service branch does the op. They do the follow up and make sure you are fit for Class 1 flight physical. Whatever you choose to follow, good luck.

ang4me wrote:

If I join the ANG, and my vision is worse than minimums, does the ANG pay for PRK/LASIK, or do I have to pay for it myself?
Thanks

Unless the rules have changed in the last couple of years; You have to wait a minimum of one year to qualify for a flight physical after having PRK/LASIK. And to qualify to compete for a pilot slot, you have to pass a physical before hand.

Also, what is your age? UPT cutoff is 27, waiverable up to 30.5 (the age you must be commisioned and in flight training by). Some Units will go a little higher but thats case by case.

If you have not already looked yet. Baseops.net is a good source of info for becoming a military pilot.

Bushmaster78FS wrote:

Sorry to butt in, if I may suggest, as an alternative, your qualifications seem good enough for the Army AD and NG, depending on your age, with good LORs, you can fly for them too, I am sure they'd pick you flat out. The way corrective surgery works though is that you have to sign up with the unit, CO approves it and then service branch does the op. They do the follow up and make sure you are fit for Class 1 flight physical. Whatever you choose to follow, good luck.

That's an interesting idea. Maybe if the ANG thing doesn't work out then I'll give the army a shot. My only comments are that, if I have the choice, I think I'd prefer jets to helicopters, and that the other big appeal of the ANG is that it may permit me to have some semblance of a civilian career, whereas active duty would not.

Viper-Spec wrote:

Unless the rules have changed in the last couple of years; You have to wait a minimum of one year to qualify for a flight physical after having PRK/LASIK. And to qualify to compete for a pilot slot, you have to pass a physical before hand.

Also, what is your age? UPT cutoff is 27, waiverable up to 30.5 (the age you must be commisioned and in flight training by). Some Units will go a little higher but thats case by case.

If you have not already looked yet. Baseops.net is a good source of info for becoming a military pilot.

I'm 22, almost 23. I've read some on Baseops.net, but that was a pretty tough crowd whenever I wanted to ask a question. The standard response was to say that some form of the question had already been addressed (perhaps true, but every scenario is unique) and to then lock and/or delete the thread.

I know that I will have to wait a year after the surgery before I can start UPT. The question was whether the unit will pay for the surgery, or whether I have to pay for it myself.

I talked to a recruiting Tsgt at the unit I'm hoping to someday join (187th FW) and he said that the unit would not pay for the surgery, and that I could not apply to join until my vision was corrected.

Being a poor grad student, it will be probably a year before I can afford the surgery, so I guess for now I'll focus on studying and staying in shape. Plus it'd be a real downer if I drop the $4K (that's more than 25% of my yearly salary after taxes as a grad student lol) for the surgery and then can't get accepted.

If I can't get the ANG unit to take me, my next preference would probably be AD in the Navy... who supposedly will pay for the surgery. So we will see. May be time to call up a navy recruiter.

Quote:

I'm 22, almost 23

That is great for both AF and Army. If ANG doesn't turn out as you expected, you can try ArNG until you are 33. (It stands at 33 but they are talking about bringing it down to 29) I would have preferred jets to helos, too, but this is how it turned out, and I am pretty happy about it. So don't quit. I am starting flight school at Ft. Rucker soon. Keep in mind, wait period for PRK/LASIK 90 days in the Army Very Happy

PS. Give a call to the viper unit in SD (my home state) they hire 1-2 guys every year. Best of luck. Keep in touch, I'd be interested to know how your journey turns out.

Forum: Future F-16 crew

What are my chances?