Another newbie topic from an aspiring pilot

I know you've seen this before, but I'm looking for advice on how to become an Air Force pilot.

Background:

I'm 15, I'll be 16 in June. I'm of Jamaican descent, although I am a citizen since i was born here. I do play football, I'm fairly good at it, and I could consider playing it in college. My grades have always been high. Last quarter, I had an overal average of 94, which i think would be something close to a 4.0 GPA. So far, since 8th grade, I've never had an average below a 92. Every class I have taken is honors or higher save for math and foreign language.
I'll be taking some flight lessons in spring.

I am considering piloting as a possible career opportunity. My plan was to go to the Air Force, and after spending some time there, maybe take a leap to civillian aviation.
I guess my question is how can I do that from where I'm at right now? What paths do i take? I'm not sure, but I had thought that the easiest path to becoming an Air Force pilot was through the Academy. So after high school, do i just apply for the academy, or do I take another path?

Also, I know that many civil aviation pilots are former Air Force guys. Are most of those guys former transport pilots, or do civil aviation companies take former fighter pilots as well? I know there must be a different between flying an F-16 and a 737. If I get into the USAF I will primarily shoot to become a fighter pilot(sorry to say this, but not just F-16s...anything will do for me, even an A-10 if they're still around), but I wouldn't mind becoming a bomber a transport pilot either. So to become a civil aviation pilot afterwards, is it better to go try for becoming a bomber/transport pilot or a fighter pilot? Or does it not matter?

Also, after becoming a pilot, what is the deployment like? Do you get some input as to where you get to go and be stationed and do they consider it? Personally, I'd kind of like to visit some other places if it's possible.

I've not been dead sure as a student as to exactly what I want to do...I could still aim to get into an IVY league school, and if I did, I'd probably stop flying to focus specifically on a degree in business, economics, politics, possibly law or biology, etc, etc. And even if I do choose the Air Force route, I could very well sign up and stay longer than the requirement(which I think is 4 years?) and then keep flying and forget civil aviation. I'm notdead sure yet, but for me right now, piloting seems to be an interesting field.

Thanks in advance for any answers!

DanteXavier wrote:I know you've seen this before, but I'm looking for advice on how to become an Air Force pilot.

Background:

I'm 15, I'll be 16 in June. I'm of Jamaican descent, although I am a citizen since i was born here. I do play football, I'm fairly good at it, and I could consider playing it in college. My grades have always been high. Last quarter, I had an overal average of 94, which i think would be something close to a 4.0 GPA. So far, since 8th grade, I've never had an average below a 92. Every class I have taken is honors or higher save for math and foreign language.
I'll be taking some flight lessons in spring.

good

DanteXavier wrote: I am considering piloting as a possible career opportunity. My plan was to go to the Air Force, and after spending some time there, maybe take a leap to civillian aviation.
I guess my question is how can I do that from where I'm at right now? What paths do i take? I'm not sure, but I had thought that the easiest path to becoming an Air Force pilot was through the Academy. So after high school, do i just apply for the academy, or do I take another path?

You'll need a recomendation from a congressman/woman or a senator of your home state (I believe to get into the academy). After high school, you can also join an AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Trainning Corps) program if the college you chose (besides the academy) offers it. You can apply for an AFROTC scholarship to get the AF to pay for some, if not all of your tution.

DanteXavier wrote: Also, I know that many civil aviation pilots are former Air Force guys. Are most of those guys former transport pilots, or do civil aviation companies take former fighter pilots as well? I know there must be a different between flying an F-16 and a 737. If I get into the USAF I will primarily shoot to become a fighter pilot(sorry to say this, but not just F-16s...anything will do for me, even an A-10 if they're still around), but I wouldn't mind becoming a bomber a transport pilot either. So to become a civil aviation pilot afterwards, is it better to go try for becoming a bomber/transport pilot or a fighter pilot? Or does it not matter?

It depends on hours, PIC time (Pilot in Command) and what the airline industry is looking for, one thing I wouldn't suggest doing is using the Air Force or any military branch as a stepping stone for an airline job.

DanteXavier wrote: Also, after becoming a pilot, what is the deployment like? Do you get some input as to where you get to go and be stationed and do they consider it? Personally, I'd kind of like to visit some other places if it's possible.

It all depends on the needs of the air force at the time. There is no way to tell where, when and how long you would be deployed at this time. If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about it now. Just focus on doing well in high school, getting into college and doing well there and then worry about a pilot slot.

DanteXavier wrote: I've not been dead sure as a student as to exactly what I want to do...I could still aim to get into an IVY league school, and if I did, I'd probably stop flying to focus specifically on a degree in business, economics, politics, possibly law or biology, etc, etc. And even if I do choose the Air Force route, I could very well sign up and stay longer than the requirement(which I think is 4 years?) and then keep flying and forget civil aviation. I'm notdead sure yet, but for me right now, piloting seems to be an interesting field.

The requirement all depends, standard is 4 years, If you get a pilot slot it's a 10 year commitment, Nav slot I think is 6-8 years, ABM slot I think is 6 years as well.

DanteXavier wrote:Thanks in advance for any answers!

Take everything that I wrote to you with a grain of salt, as well as most of what is said on these fourms and other fourms a like. But what I would do if I were you is keep up the good grades, be active in your community, get into a good college, fly as much as you can a rating or two wont hurt you and then worry about about the pilot selection process. That being said, good luck and if its what you really want kep trying for it.

viperman26 wrote: You'll need a recomendation from a congressman/woman or a senator of your home state (I believe to get into the academy). After high school, you can also join an AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Trainning Corps) program if the college you chose (besides the academy) offers it. You can apply for an AFROTC scholarship to get the AF to pay for some, if not all of your tution.

How do i go about getting that type of reccomendation? Do I ask around, or is there some other method of application? My copunselor knows a little about my aspirations, so should I talk to her first?

viperman26 wrote:It depends on hours, PIC time (Pilot in Command) and what the airline industry is looking for, one thing I wouldn't suggest doing is using the Air Force or any military branch as a stepping stone for an airline job.

Well, yeah...I guess that sounds a little bad. The main reason i asked, though was because in general I think piloting would be a good arena for me. And I found that a large portion of the current civil aviation pilots were former military guys, and that civil airlines actually look for them a lot.
So, I figured that I could basically make a lifetime career out of flying: by joining the airforce, I'd get to do something I like to do, and get some of the best training possible.
And then, after that, I can go fly airliners until I turn 60(or something around that age) when they make you retire.

It seemed like a good idea at first...

viperman26 wrote:It all depends on the needs of the air force at the time. There is no way to tell where, when and how long you would be deployed at this time. If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about it now. Just focus on doing well in high school, getting into college and doing well there and then worry about a pilot slot.

Alright then.

viperman26 wrote:The requirement all depends, standard is 4 years, If you get a pilot slot it's a 10 year commitment, Nav slot I think is 6-8 years, ABM slot I think is 6 years as well.

Still doesn't seem too bad.

viperman26 wrote:Take everything that I wrote to you with a grain of salt, as well as most of what is said on these fourms and other fourms a like. But what I would do if I were you is keep up the good grades, be active in your community, get into a good college, fly as much as you can a rating or two wont hurt you and then worry about about the pilot selection process. That being said, good luck and if its what you really want kep trying for it.

Yeah, don'w worry, I'll keep doing what I'm doing. i was just curious, because I kind of like to plan ahead, and I wanted an idea of where to go so I could at least get a vague conception of what to do later on.
Thanks for the advice!

DanteXavier wrote:

viperman26 wrote: You'll need a recomendation from a congressman/woman or a senator of your home state (I believe to get into the academy). After high school, you can also join an AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Trainning Corps) program if the college you chose (besides the academy) offers it. You can apply for an AFROTC scholarship to get the AF to pay for some, if not all of your tution.

How do i go about getting that type of reccomendation? Do I ask around, or is there some other method of application? My copunselor knows a little about my aspirations, so should I talk to her first?

Contact your congressman/woman's local office and ask about service academy nomtination or check out their website. It wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to your counselor either if they're competent. I think my smoked himself stupid so I never really dealt with him.

No problem, dude. Like I said, you sound to be on the right track. Another thing, is to stay away from drugs, alcohol, or any illegal substance. And dont get arrested. Anyways, good luck with everything. And just post any further questions, people around here are willing to help!

viperman26 wrote:No problem, dude. Like I said, you sound to be on the right track. Another thing, is to stay away from drugs, alcohol, or any illegal substance. And dont get arrested. Anyways, good luck with everything. And just post any further questions, people around here are willing to help!

Oh, trust me, you don't have to worry about that. I've never had a girlfriend, or been to a party, and much of my free time is spent studying for classes like chemistry and then reading up on military history and anime stuff that i don't need to know. And then there is football.

Drugs and alcohol are just not part of the equation, and they never will be. Again, thanks for the advice!

DanteXavier wrote:
Oh, trust me, you don't have to worry about that. I've never had a girlfriend, or been to a party, and much of my free time is spent studying for classes like chemistry and then reading up on military history and anime stuff that i don't need to know. And then there is football.

Drugs and alcohol are just not part of the equation, and they never will be. Again, thanks for the advice!

ha..come on man, thats no fun. And thats not what I meant, go out and have a life. Just don't do anything extremely dumb. You don't want to be a one deminsional person, get involved in different stuff, dont be all work and no play....live a little. And thats not advice for become a pilot, thats just advice in general.

Good luck.

ha..come on man, thats no fun. And thats not what I meant, go out and have a life. Just don't do anything extremely dumb. You don't want to be a one deminsional person, get involved in different stuff, dont be all work and no play....live a little. And thats not advice for become a pilot, thats just advice in general.

Good luck.

Agreed, having some fun is just as important as studying. Just keep sight of the ultimate goal and don't do anything too stupid. Now I don't think viperman or I are telling you to drink or do drugs but going out with some friends and having a good time is definately a good idea.

DanteXavier.........keep us informed,man-and good luck!

DanteXavier, get started NOW if you want to go to the Academy. The earliest you can apply is 1 January of your Junior year in HS, and I'd send in my application that day. In addition to your application to the academy itself, as Delta mentioned you must get a congressional nomination. Each Senator and Representative can have 5 nominees at the Academy at any one time, so depending on graduation/drop out rates, they nominate 1 or 2 a year. Contact each office directly and ask for an Academy candidate package. With a congressional nomination and acceptance from the Academy admissions office, you'll receive your appointment. That's about a $300,000 education that you won't pay a penny for--monetarily. They'll take it out of you in blood and sweat. These links should help you get started:

http://academyadmissions.com/
www.usafa.af.mil

I'm an Academy grad (from a while back) and a Viper pilot. Trust me, it's worth it.

Cheers and good luck,
Baja

Baja wrote:DanteXavier, get started NOW if you want to go to the Academy. The earliest you can apply is 1 January of your Junior year in HS, and I'd send in my application that day. In addition to your application to the academy itself, as Delta mentioned you must get a congressional nomination. Each Senator and Representative can have 5 nominees at the Academy at any one time, so depending on graduation/drop out rates, they nominate 1 or 2 a year. Contact each office directly and ask for an Academy candidate package. With a congressional nomination and acceptance from the Academy admissions office, you'll receive your appointment. That's about a $300,000 education that you won't pay a penny for--monetarily. They'll take it out of you in blood and sweat. These links should help you get started:

http://academyadmissions.com/
www.usafa.af.mil

I'm an Academy grad (from a while back) and a Viper pilot. Trust me, it's worth it.

Cheers and good luck,
Baja

Hey dude, thanks for the heads up. I think I may have to plan differently at this point and go the ROTC route...I wanted to go to the academy, but I figured that if I was going to fly, I might want to get a few hours first with flight lessons to make dead sure I was going to make this my career. So far, thoguh, we've been having some financial issues, and I haven't been able to get any hours at all yet...it sucks.

So I'm thinking ROTC might be the best route to take from here. Just wondering what you all might think...like I said, piloting is one of my top career choices, but I am still not dead on, 100% sure what my career will ultimately end up being. I still have a shot at the Ivy league(I think), and there are so many other opportunities.

Baja is correct. Also keep in mind that your best chances for a pilot slot are out of the AF Academy. Another thing to keep in mind...even if your a private pilot, that does not guarantee a pilot slot out of the academy. So make your choice wisely.

To help improve you chances for selection to either USAFA or get a ROTC scholarship, now is the time to start preparing for the SAT/ACT. The average SAT/ACT scores for the USAFA Class of 2011 was: SAT Critical Reading: 624; SAT Math: 653; ACT English: 27.9; ACT Math: 28.7. Your scores your Junior year are the most important, but you can keep taking the test and USAFA and most colleges will take your best scores.

Best Wishes

Davy

Don't forget to join a sport. A team sport like football (soccer) and run every day. You'll need it.

Good point, maddog--for a ROTC scholarship or Academy appointment they look for everything, not just grades. Sports, leadership positions, extracurriculars, and clubs are all considered.