Forum: Future F-16 crew

It's another one... I know! Yet another person who wishes to fly with America's finest in the best jets in the world. I've been around this website for a while and it's been great learning all the new information and it just feels like a good place to get a little bit of advice for the future.

I am currently a Junior in High School and have finally gotten serious about my goals. Currently, I am aiming to earn an ROTC scholarship and become a Pilot in the United States Navy. Now that's not to say I'm discounting the Air Force by any measure, I'm just more familiar to the Navy because my father was in the Navy for 20 or so years.

I would really appreciate it if you could just let me know how I seem to be doing in relation to earning an ROTC scholarship.

GPA- Hovers from 3.8-4.1
SAT- (Converted from PSAT, I take my first SAT in Jan.) 1880 | I do hope to improve this score as much as I can and I will probably also take the ACT to see if I get any better scores.

I plan to attend VA Tech and major in Aerospace Engineering. For the past 3 years I've volunteered at my church about 3 hours/week as an A/V Technician and I hope to get a job very soon.

As for athletics, I will not say I'm Mr. Fit, but that is being changed and by the time I need to do the application physical, I will be able to do very well on that.

So that's that. I know the selection process focuses on leadership potential partially, so at the moment I'm trying to find more activities I can gain a leadership role in.

Again, I'm pretty confident about my plan for the future and if anyone can offer advice or comment... whatever, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

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dragorv wrote:

It's another one... I know! Yet another person who wishes to fly with America's finest in the best jets in the world. I've been around this website for a while and it's been great learning all the new information and it just feels like a good place to get a little bit of advice for the future.

I am currently a Junior in High School and have finally gotten serious about my goals. Currently, I am aiming to earn an ROTC scholarship and become a Pilot in the United States Navy. Now that's not to say I'm discounting the Air Force by any measure, I'm just more familiar to the Navy because my father was in the Navy for 20 or so years.

I would really appreciate it if you could just let me know how I seem to be doing in relation to earning an ROTC scholarship.

GPA- Hovers from 3.8-4.1
SAT- (Converted from PSAT, I take my first SAT in Jan.) 1880 | I do hope to improve this score as much as I can and I will probably also take the ACT to see if I get any better scores.

I plan to attend VA Tech and major in Aerospace Engineering. For the past 3 years I've volunteered at my church about 3 hours/week as an A/V Technician and I hope to get a job very soon.

As for athletics, I will not say I'm Mr. Fit, but that is being changed and by the time I need to do the application physical, I will be able to do very well on that.

So that's that. I know the selection process focuses on leadership potential partially, so at the moment I'm trying to find more activities I can gain a leadership role in.

Again, I'm pretty confident about my plan for the future and if anyone can offer advice or comment... whatever, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Advice? I'll keep it simple. For aviation; the Navy sucks. I don't mean that in an inflammatory sense, I say that for effect. My best friend was a Tomcat guy; he knew not 1,2,3 but 4 dudes who morted (died) from his first squadron before he spent a single minute on the boat. Some may state with bravado and passion that only real aviators and great pilots can land on an aircraft carrier. I have more than 7,000 hours in 15 or so different aircraft, and 3 fighter jets; I am proud to say I never have and never will land on a boat.

When you address quality of life issues; the Navy pilot spends 6 months every 2 years (not including work-ups) on a ship, Marines pilots live in tents in the middle of the desert when they're deployed, Army pilots do the same...and when they wake up, well; they're in the Army. Air Force/Guard guys don't (usually) deploy as often, enjoy TDYs/deployments to warm places (Arizona, Vegas, Tucson) when it's too cold to fly at home, and almost always have a world-class golf course waiting for them when they get done shopping at a fully stocked Commissary or Exchange...not a real tough choice in my book.

Good on ya' for pursuing an aviation career; it's a well-kept secret and the greatest fraternity you could ever hope to join. Good luck...

Horhay

I am not going to knock the Navy, but I will tell you some realistic observations I have had over the years. I only mention this because they are things you don't consider at 17.

- Naval bases/squadrons are by the ocean, might sound like a dumb comment, but the highest property costs in this country are near the waterfront. Navy guys usually end up driving pretty far to base so that they can have a nice house that they can afford

- Deployments. Like Horhay mentioned, you go to sea, you train to go to sea, you spin down from coming back from sea. It is a lot of time away from the family.

- Living conditions during deployments are a helluva lot better for the Air Force than any other service. Whether you are deploying for war or training, life in the AF is a lot more comfortable.

Based on the stats you gave about yourself, I would recommend you try applying to Annapolis or the AF Academy. ROTC scholarships have a tendency to dry up occasionally and you don't want to have your scholarship get pulled and then not get a commission. This happened to two of my friends, one was a scholarship, the other was just ROTC and neither were offered a commission after graduation. Plus, with an Academy degree you can virtually guarantee the chance at a flying spot and there are few degrees more valuable later in your career.

Good luck!

Thanks for the responses! I'll be sure to take all of that into account when or if I need to decide. I will definitely try to get into one of the academies, but just out of interest, what did you mean by "ROTC scholarships have a tendency to dry up"? I was under the impression that as long as you stayed inside/above program guidelines ((taking all the classes, maintaining a GPA ect)) that you would gain a commission. Was I wrong?

Also, I've been a bit worried about my extra-curricular activities. I know showing leadership and interest in other things besides academics is a big point in applying for ROTC and the Academies. As a result of me not planning too far ahead in the past ((something I regret deeply)) I don't play any sports and the things I stated in my first post are all I have in the way of extra-curricular activities.

Do I still have a fair chance of earning a scholarship or a spot at an academy with what I have at the moment or am I just going to be betting on good grades and a (hopefully) good interview?

With a limited time-period before I begin applying for all of these things in 2010, I'm not really sure what other activities/organizations I can participate in apart from just getting a normal job.

Thanks again!

If you want to try for the academies, just go for it. They say a lot of stuff about needing all those extracurriculars, sports, etc, and yes, it does help, but I knew plenty of people when I was there they really didn't have hardly anything in those regards and also had lower test scores and GPAs. A lot of the stuff you hear on the academies is hyped up and I know people that didn't apply at all because of that hype when I think they would have been competitive. If you have any specific questions feel free to shoot me a message.

That's good to know. Gives me more hope. Very Happy

Thank you for the offer, also, I may take you up on that when I get going on all these applications.

In reference to my earlier post, ROTC commissions aren't guaranteed. Commissions are issued based on service need and the service academies get first priority, then ROTC scholarships and then ROTC cadets get the next lower priority. Direct commissioning is a completely different route and that doesnt apply in that case.

In my opinion, when applying to the academy, a congressional appointment is the hardest part of the process. This year, I would start writing to all the congressman in your state and any other you can think of. A nomination does not have to come from your state and some congressman do not use theirs every year. Write now to introduce yourself and write again when you are ready to apply. If you want to fly, the Academy is virtually a guaranteed way to get a flying slot. The rest is aptitude and ability and that is all up to you.

Fun thread.

You look average, but you have time to work to make yourself more competitive. Find a leadership position or two. If you cannot find a sport start working out. Practive interviewing. VA Tech is a good school. Note that all ROTC members are part of their the Corps of Cadets. NROTC will ask you to pick five schools. Put your application in early (shows motivation).

I'm not aware of NROTC not commissioning anybody. As noted above, the Navy life is a little more demanding than USAF life so we don't have as many applicants. ROTC has three and two year scholarships if you do not get a four year.

When choosing a service, also consider backup if the flight program does not work out. USAF non-rated don't go too far. Navy non-aviators include Surface and Submarine officers, some of whom become CNO. Note also that only the best pilots get jets (all services), there is no guarantee, and they need helicopter and transport pilots too. All services tend to be biased towards fighter pilots. As stated above, flying carrys some risks. Your father can probably share the ups/downs of Navy life.

As nam11b noted most Navy bases are in beach towns. He didn't note that a lot of USAF bases are in deserts or Minot. Or that a major USAF fighter base (Langley, VA) is in the same metro area as the USN east coast base (Oceana. VA).

Lots of informaton on the internet. Hope to see you serving.

/Land-based Naval aviator, USNR (Ret), former officer recruiter, parent of a USCGA grad, etc.

Alternative careers are another reason I was leaning more towards the Navy. While I know many air force officers that do non-pilot work, personally I would prefer to be administering a ship rather than paperwork and such (yes, a big generalization). Just personal preference.

Same thing with getting a fighter/attack jet. That would be the best-case scenario, but I know there is a pretty high chance of not getting one (let alone being a pilot ) and if I needed a second choice... cargo planes don't seem to bad... Razz

There are ups and downs to both and I've started talking with everyone I can (live in a very military oriented community) to help make the decision. I must admit, however, that I will probably go with the service that I get into. I may only get chosen by AFROTC or NROTC, same for academies, and frankly that just makes it a bit easier on me. I'd probably be happy with either in the end.

Forum: Future F-16 crew

Yet another one who wishes to fly with America's finest