Forum: Future F-16 crew

As a bit of history, my grandfather was a flyer from WWII through Korea (maybe even support for Vietnam, but I don't remember). Big boys... bombers and cargo. He retired near Langley because they had the nicest golf course of all the bases he'd been to in a career that put him on every continent barring Antarctica and most countries as well. My parents moved down there when he went in for open heart surgery so his grandkids could spend as much time with him as possible, which ended up being another 25 years! Anyway, I grew up with all his stories and frequent visits to Langley, making aviation a large part of my formative years. I've also piloted a few times. (I even got a seat in the F-15 simulator there, recovering from a spin, downing two bogies and successfully landing on my first go!) I guess you could say flying is in my blood. But I digress...

I'm 26, 20/20 vision (last time I checked) and in reasonably good health, so i'm sure I could get into the Air Force should I try. I've also graduated from college, so I'd definitely go for being an officer.

I have two main issues. First and foremost, I don't think I'd be happy in the service if I wasn't a pilot. Some of my grandfather's friends may be able to make a few phone calls, but I wanted to get a more realistic sense of if I joined, is there any way to ensure a pilot slot? If I go for it, there's no way I'm going to let myself fail the tests, so I don't see those as too big a hurdle.

Secondly, I support our troops and have no qualms with the military itself. What I do have a qualm with is the people telling the military what to do. Being a civilian, I'm not privy to the classified information about the down-and-dirty for the war in Iraq, but it's not something I'm terribly fond of our country doing (based on the information I have right now). Are there any other drivers that feel the same way? How do you deal with it? Do you think it would be a big issue for me?

Thanks for your replies.

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Quote:

What I do have a qualm with is the people telling the military what to do.

You do what the civillian authority tells you to do. If that bugs you, probably the Air Force isn't the place for you. I've never met many military folks who were terribly thrilled with the previous administration, but they did what they signed up to do because of a thing called duty....and that is to the country, not the current crop of politicians. Politicians come and go, some you like, some you don't, and if you have a particularly tough time with helping out in Iraq, then the choice seems easy to me, 'cause we'll be involved with that area of the world for a long long time amigo.

26 is pushing the age limit to begin, so you'd better get on it.

Scott, excellent points, farmboy, you'll be ok, but you do need to get started - quick!

Quote:

is there any way to ensure a pilot slot?

With the Air Force, no. The AF is trying to downsize enough as it is... Something to think about... The Marines are the only branch of service right now that will promise a pilot slot to an individual signing on. They work in a track selection method sorta like that A/F so you could end up flying anything from rotary wings to AV-8s. Now, if fighters are what your absolutely set on, the marines are no sorry place to be. While I dont have the guts to fly a harrier, they have F/A-18s and eventually F-35s as well. Something to think about anyways... Good luck to you though!

-Aaron

Growing up around the First Tactical Fighter Wing, I'm somewhat partial to F-15s Very Happy

F-22s would be swell too, but I've heard that they're terribly overworked because there are so few of them. As for the Marines, I've never really been a fan of the F-18 and the Harrier just isn't my style. A-10, maybe. But whatever turn my life may make, if it's this one I just don't think I'd be comfortable flying a plane with only one engine Wink

*gasp* how dare you say that here? Didnt you read the sign at the entrance? "Future F-16 crew!"

J/K...

-Aaron

hey farm boy. I am not from around here, but I've been in Newport News for a few years. Nice place. The golf course ain't what it used to be, the new general likes tennis more than golf, so we suffer with a course in disrepair for it. I haven't played there in a couple years as a result.

Tactical went away when TAC and SAC combined to form ACC, so it's just FW and FS. No biggie, just a name change (since one happens every like 5 to 10 years)

You might want to look into the VA ANG. They will be flying f-22s very soon. In fact, they already have a guy in F/A-22 school as we speak. A Lt Col, good guy, I know him.

ANG you get to pick your airframe, AF you have to compete with your class. Both are tough to get into UPT. And with your age you have less time than the normal guy who wants to be a pilot.

vafarmboy wrote:

...is there any way to ensure a pilot slot?

One thing you could do is get your private pilots license; all other things being equal, if it comes to one guy with his private pilots license and one without, the guy with the license will get the slot. It just makes sense; your first flying would be in a cessna (or similar) anyway, so if you can already fly that means the AF has to spend that much less $$ on you- and they like that.

To me you seem unsure. It's never really certain what path you will get pushed down. Try to be more open and take what you can get. The yellow brick road may have a few forks in it but if you’re really want it, the road chosen won't matter. You have to be happy with anything you can get. Flying the Raptor would be great, but that does not necessarily mean it is more fulfilling than driving a C-130. The C-130 pilot is just as important as the Raptor pilot. The Raptor may be "fun" but with fun comes a lot of work and responsibility. You have to remember what you’re doing this for.

As the others said you have to be quick and decisive in your situation. Are you willing to mow the lawn before you open a lawn care business?

Goodluck!

Points well taken! I'll look into the ANG too, and I'm certain I wouldn't be unhappy flying heavies either, even though I've always pictured myself as a fighter pilot.

Of course, I think every pilot's secret (or not-so-secret Wink

) dream is to be a skunkworks pilot Very Happy

(damn them for retiring the SR-71! Confused

) but I'm pretty sure I'm too late out of the gate for that (especially the SR-71 Wink

).

Just as a tidbit of info, a decision will have to be in the next couple of months. I was recently "let go" (long story Mad

) and my lease ends at the end of September, so a long-term decision has to happen this month or next month. (BTW, does the timing of joining have anything to do with anything?) By profession I'm a computer programmer and the market is still very tough. At this point, a total life change would not in the least bit be unwelcome. Also, my grandfather was the kind of person who turned down promotions to stay in the air until the end of his career, and I see myself being the same way.

And as a second tidbit of info, the nick has nothing to do where I live, but rather where I grew up. Before I even got to my college, New York University (BA in Computer Science), my future classmates had given me the nickname "Virginia farm boy" because, obviously, anyone who comes from Virginia must live on a farm Rolling Eyes

. I've been a resident of New York City since 1997 Smile

Farmboy - first and foremost you need to decide if serving in the US military is your ultimate desire. You should be able to answer "yes" no matter what job you end up having. Flying a fighter is a great job, it can be lots of fun, but above all we do it to serve and defend our country. If you join solely b/c flying a fighter is cool and you like "Top Gun", then you are doing yourself and your country a disservice. Particularly if you go active duty, your hours are going to be nothing less than 10-12 hrs. a day minimum more or less for you whole career. You're going to be separated from your family for traning, deployments, and remote assignments. It's commitment to serve that keeps you going through all of that, and is what your family will understand when you have to be away; not flying. That's how we have so many dedicated individuals who fix their jets, guard our bases, and do everything else - they are committed to their country, not to their job.

The second thing is how we all feel about being sent to do something we don't believe in. It comes down to the oath that all officers take at commissioning: We swear to support and defend the constitution of the United States. If you think you are given an order that is illegal, and does not support and defend the constitution, you may disobey it. It is this freedom that makes the US millitary so great. We are given the choice to do what is legally and morally right, but we are also held responsible for that choice. So, unless you find the order you are given to be illegal, then you must go or face a courts martial.

As far as the age thing: you have until you are 29 1/2 to start UPT, after that it's pretty much out of the question. Talk to a local OTS recruiter, you should be able to find them in the phone book, or by calling the local AF recruiter and asking for the OTS guy. Good luck.

Forum: Future F-16 crew

Yet-another-considering-joining thread