Forum: Introduce Yourself

Hey All - I've wanted to be fighter pilot for a very long time. I'm 17 and Ive recently been appointed to the USAFA class of '13.
Right now I'm training to prepare for BCT in June.
I would really ppreciate any and all advice towards becoming pilot.

thanks a million

(PS- Go Falcons!)

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Don't be a dick, respect your enlisted folk, and remember, if you can't fly a fighter, fly the C-130.

The best officers and pilots are the ones that earn the respect of thier NCOs/Crew Chiefs. Like wysongj said "don't be a dick". Big No No

Forum Veteran Joined: Jul 01, 2007 - 07:22 PM Posts: 620

Just do your best at the zoo and don't sweat the small stuff.

Don't do it don't become a ring knocker. enlist get ur degree and goto OTS that why you know what the air force is really like.

really, you would want a guy to enlist then go officer? In my experience some of the biggest d-bags towards e's are the o's who were prior enlisted...

Well every officer that was prior enlisted i know, is cool as hell, and shows respect towards their subordinates. I've seen plently of no experiance officers walk around like they are gods gift to the air force, then a chief checks them down and tells them to make a pot of coffee, it's a beautiful thing.

I would say 50-50 on the prior Enlisted officers... Just like officers from everywhere else, some good, some bad. Just being prior enlisted helps, but not all the time.

k. I'll keep that in mind.

Out of curiosity, what kinds of medical things can DQ a person besides eyesight and hearing? (I passed all the initial tests but I'm sure theres a bunch more)

Dude - Congrats on the Appointment!

It is great to have a long term goal to keep you going when things get tough. Four years can seem like a long time! We have a saying in the flying community - watch the Near rocks before focusing on the Far rocks. Focus on getting prepared, then work hard through BCT, then your Smack year, etc. You get the idea. If you work hard and do well, then things tend to work out well. There are a lot of stupid tasks and tests and it is ok to bitch and moan a bit, but remember it is all part of the game. In the end...you'll be proud of working through the challenges and only you will know if it was worth it. There are a lot of ways to become a good officer/pilot, choose the one that works the best for you. I'm glad I went to the Zoo and wouldn't change a thing. Just be aware of what you are beginning...

I know guys who lost their PQ status due to Asthma and Allergies and a million other little things mostly out of your control. Try not to poke yourself in the eye with a pencil of fall off the Terazzo and you'll be ok. Even so...I know plenty of classmates who didn't become pilots and did just fine!

Good luck!
Shaft

Last edited by Delta on Feb 27, 2009 - 08:22 AM; edited 1 time in total

Congrats! It's a big accompishment to get an appointment.

The first step to getting a pilot slot out of USAFA is being PQ. There are a lot of things that can go wrong or come up later on that can disqualify you. I found out firsthand. There's something up with my corneas I guess that could possibly maybe lead to something in 10 years or so (so basically nothing wrong, as of yet). As a result, I wasn't PQ. There's nothing I could do about it. It happens and you just have to roll with what you get.

Next, you need to do well enough overall (especially in classes--counts for 60% of your ranking). A buddy of mine got burned because he's ranked pretty low in our class and even though there were about 530 slots given out, he still missed the cut. If you do well and are PQ, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get a slot.

Overall though, you need to realize that there is chance you might not get a slot. There is always that possibility. You need to be focus on just doing well at the Academy and becoming an officer--that is the Academy's bottom line.

When you get out here, never let yourself stop. Keep going and keep pushing and you'll get through this place. It seems like an eternity until graduation when you're a basic and freshman, but before you know it you'll be on the verge of graduating. Just take it one day at a time.

If you have any specific questions about the Academy, Beast, or Smack year, feel free to send me a message. Good luck!

Best analogy I ever heard about the zoo was. "It's a great place to be going, and a great place to have gone, but not a great place to be."

All good advice so far...except the enlist first part. A noble concept, but it significantly lowers your probability for getting pilot training if that's your ultimate goal. Paying attention to the AMTs at the zoo and getting to understand the jobs of some of the literally hundreds of people working there butt off so you can go fly the core of the concept they're really getting at.

The zoo experience is...just different. You'll learn to stand on your head in a bucket of that which smells bad and learn to pretend to like it, but also have some amazing opportunities...my kid's a zoom and got to go to Japan over spring break, Germany for 4 weeks of language immersion, and 4 weeks deployed througout the mid-East (well 2 out of 3 ain't bad). My diversion was falling out of airplanes on the weekend. It's hard not to get cynical after awhile, but keep the long term focus and it all goes by fast enough.

While it takes a certain amount of ego, understanding that you're not God's gift to the USAF is a good starting place. You've got a lot of off ramps between BCT and grabbing the stick of a JSF. Some of the worst assignments I had were professionally and socially great...FACs know all the good songs, and getting reamed by the Brigade Command Sgt Major was a good correction to my Ptolemaic view of my position in the universe. Flying Vipers was cool, but the hours and time away from family grind on you so it ain't all peaches and cream.

Wouldn't have done anything different tho...except maybe not let my F-4 Flight Commander know how much smarter than him I thought I was...hence the tour with O-2s. But it was my path to the electric jet, so keep slogging through - it is the journey. Good luck...

Salute

What shaft and delta and buff said.

Met Delta here and have had a dialogue for about three years. Great troop.

Times have changed, but most folks will get a pilot training slot from the Zoo. Much better odds than ROTC, lately. back when the Earth was still cooling, all of us had a slot, and those that didn't want one had to testify before the Commandant. hence, some fairly good pilots from the 'nam era were way back with me on last two rows at graduation.

Sierra happens, and eyes go bad, something weird happens with kidneys, and the beat goes on. So ya gotta remember that the purpose of the Zoo is to produce officers of character and integrity. If you're still PQ when the last semester arrives, you're in.

Much more to talk about, but as others have said, ya gotta concentrate on the step ahead of you and worry about climbing the whole way later.

There are several ways to the cockpit, and USAFA is only one. Nevertheless, the place is not your basic college. Folks at the ROTC universities will not believe the restrictions and limits found at the Zoo. It is a MILITARY ACADEMY, fer chrissakes. Talk with VMI and Citadel folks. It's the same for them.

gotta go,

Gums sends ...

Just remember this joke:

Q: How many fighter pilots does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Only one and he just needs to hold the bulb in place because every fighter pilot thinks the world revolves around him.

With that said, just remember not to be THAT guy! Be humble, treat your maintenance folks with respect, and don't leave your piddle-pack in the cockpit for the crew chief to take out. Most importantly, when you FOD out a cockpit or scrape the speedbrakes, BUY THE CREW CHIEF BEER and make sure he has enough to share with his co-workers!!!

Forum: Introduce Yourself

USAFA Cadet