Forum: Off-topic

When i get out of high school I want to be a pilot in the air force. I am also currently in Navy ROTC and my classmates know that I want to be an air force pilot. The problem is that they make fun of me for it and they think the air force is good for nothing Exclamation

A lot of them either want to join the navy or the marines. I think that every branch of military has its own role and should not be tossed aside as a waist of money.
So I guess my questions are who is better navy or air force? Or are there roles so different that they can't really be compared? Can we do without the air force? And is it true that 9% of the air force flies and 30% of the marines do?

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USN ships can sink. LMAO

USAF Bases are always where you leave them. Doh

You can hit the USAF base with missiles and bombs all day long, it may catch fire and be leveled but it will never sink!

On the serious side though; IMO there are many more educational (college) opportunities off base on/near USAF bases than USN ships. (Due to the obvious fact most colleges don't float?) Sure the USN has classes available on ship, but can you go 'downtown' to relax while you take some classes. (IE only take classes with everyone you work/sleep/play/eat/lounge with or the 'locals' Wink

)

On the other hand, the USN is deployed a lot; but now the USAF is constantly deployed too, so it almost levels the playing field.

All boils down to personal preference and what YOU want.

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

BTW - "Aim High!"

Don't consult the advice of a bunch of little high school weenies who have never been in the real deal. I've lived/worked on both types of installations (AF and Navy). I'm currently in the AF, and liked it enough that I came back to active duty after being out of AF Res. for 4 years.

The Navy has a bunch of waterfront property, which would be an advantage over being stationed at Altus, Minot, Grand Forks, Dyess, Offutt, and the like.

HOWEVER, and I believe even our Annapolis/Great Mistakes friends would agree with me on this, the quality of life on AF bases is MUCH BETTER than anything Uncle Sam's Yacht Club has to offer. Don't believe me? Go to Charleston, SC, and take a look around NWS Charleston, and then go down the road and take a look at Charleston AFB.

Still don't believe me? Ok, go to Panama City, FL, and take a look around NSA Panama City, and then head east across town on Hwy 98, and take a look at Tyndall AFB.

How's this? Wanna dress like Popeye, or the kid on the Cracker Jack box, AND be addressed as "Seaman" (while everyone around you tries to keep a straight face)?

AF deployment cycles are a little better than the Navy's, depending on what job you have.

As TEG said, Exocets will do almost nothing to an AFB. Ships, however, are a different ballgame!

30% of Marines do NOT fly. I don't know where your friends got that information, but they are dead wrong. That sounds like some Horse Sierra that an unscrupulous Enlisted USMC recruiter told them.

30% of Marines MIGHT be Infantry, but I can assure you that only about 1 to 2% of Marines are flyers, the same as the Air Force.

These wings are difficult to earn for a good reason. We don't want just any bozo being able to do this job. You have to be on your Sierra if you're going to represent the smallest percentage of ANY branch of service.

The AF has more flyers than the Navy. Then again, we have more flying AFSCs than the Navy...but note, that this is Enlisted and Officer Aircrew combined. However, flyers still comprise a very small percentage of AF personnel.

Again, do some research on your own. Don't listen to some 15 or 16 year old lameass who liked "Top Gun" more than "Iron Eagle".

Good luck, and "Do Something Amazing!"

thank you for the help! Smile

If you're really set on being a pilot in the USAF, then go for it. Don't let little teen wannabes who has zero experience sway your view and goals.

Now having been with the Navy and Marines on TDY in the desert many years past, I was sure glad I was in the USAF. Not to say there weren't any good people in the other services, you'll always see and find them, but I prefer the Air Force.

As for being a pilot (or a-v-i-a-t-o-r in the Navy or as a Misguided Child of Uncle Sam's) you won't always be on a ship on a cruise, but you can bet you will more often than not. Deployment time? Unknown. Possibility of a redeployment enroute to coming home because of a "contingency" that just popped up somewhere or a humanitarian effort in "WhereTheFu*kistan" and your group just happen to be passing by? Well, a possibility. Like it never happened...

Lastly, if you think about it, how much fun is it really to be on an aircraft carrier?

No, seriously?

If you take out the images of the movie "Top Gun" from your mind and after the excitement passes after maybe the first few hours or maybe even a day from actually being on one, will reality set in and tell you this is really that great?

I personally like Dos Gringo's take on it:

http://www.dosgringosrocks.com/audio/DOS_GRINGOS-I_Want_to_From_a.m3u

Forum: Off-topic

Navy vs. Air force