ATTN: Any Air Force Pilots chime in

[stevieb]

My 17 year old son finally told me tonight where he wants to go to college. He wants to go to the AF Academy and be a pilot. Aside from going through his school counselor, does anyone have some insight to share in regards to grades, the program, costs, and things in general?
I imagine it is real hard to get in let alone the long term commitment as to whats expected in return from the AF. Any info would be truely appreciated. Thanks in advance :thumbsup:

 

[ssj4sadie]

encouarge your son to go, is really all that needs to be said. i was gonna do that but my eyesight sucks and i slacked off in highschool, so here i am signed up ready to go but just waiting for the airforce to make room and a contract for me. basically you have to go to the air force academy to become a pilot "quickly" becasue out of the academy you are at the rank of 2nd lt. and only officers are pilots. Minimum requirments to get into the airforce academy are a 1200 sat score good physical fitness and being in the top 10% of ones class, thats just to be considered. it is very strict, but probably the fastest way to become an officer. the academy is 4 years long and you stay in colorado springs, colorado. I can't really see any downside in being in the airforce, you get 30 days of paid leave a year, free housing, food, etc etc. For me the deal gets sweeter and sweeter, although i would have rather gone to the academy, and not have todart off as an E-1. Go to www.airforce.com for some good information
Kendall

 

[bunk22]

Not Air Force but Navy pilot here. I chose a different route as well, going through NROTC to get my commission and earn my flight school slot. Of the 6 pilots in my det, 4 are Academy with one of them being an Air Force Academy graduate who obviously saw the light and switched to Navy upon graduation.

Going to the AF Academy means his tuition, books, housing, etc will all be paid for. If the Academy does not pan out, there are other options as well, AFROTC or OTS after earning his degree. Good luck to your son.

FLY NAVY :coolman:

 

[stevieb]

I would imagine after the 4 year commitment, they would want you for a long long time? It only makes sense since they have invested a lot of $$$ on you. I always thought the Air Force was the top branch of the service. (No disrespect) Wow top 10% of his class? He goes to private school which has high standards (hes between 3.0-3.5), 10% may be steep maybe 12-15%, Public school he would be much higher.
How strict are they on eye sight? Thanks again

 

[roushcobra2003]

eye sight is 20/20 but mine are 15/20(thats better then 20/20, its the next line under 20/20). my gpa was 4.1. he should take some AP classes thats how I got my grades so high...be ACTIVE they will love u if u played alot of sports in high school.....but if u want so slack off just go to navy they have alot of fighters lol. atleast we can practice our next jobs. land nice and soft.

 

[FLYIN]

Marine pilot checking in here. My father was an F-16 pilot though. He went through ROTC. I went OCS since that is where the majority of Marine officers are commissioned from. If your son wants to be an Airforce pilot the Acadamy is the way to go. It is not the only way, but the best way to secure him a flight school spot. If he is accepted and is physically qualified he will be given an opportunity to attend flight school. I attended primary at Vance Air Force Base and got to fly the mighty T37 Tweet (probably be all T-6 Texans by the time your son got to that point). The majority of the Air Force flight students were acadamy grads. They get first dibs on pilot spots, followed by ROTC and then OTS. The OTS route usually requires a lot of civilian pilot time as these spots are very competitive. The vision requirements are 20/20, but I think they are now giving some wiggle room. Your son will know all of this before he is ever accepted. He will have to take a test called the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test and a physical. I think the commitment for an Acadamy Grad and after completing flight school is about 10 years can't remember. Mine was 6 years upon completing flight school. It is a great job though and I would not trade it for anything. Anymore questions PM me or e-mail me at [email protected]

1stLt Rees, Troy
HMM-163 Reinforced
Miramar MCAS
San Diego California

 

[roushcobra2003]

HOLY SHIT, marine pilot niceeee. i was going to go that way but after force has better planes lol. i lived 10 mins from miramar...i miss the navy days there. with those loud ass F-14. im going to miss that plane

 

[bunk22]

eye sight is 20/20 but mine are 15/20(thats better then 20/20, its the next line under 20/20). my gpa was 4.1. he should take some AP classes thats how I got my grades so high...be ACTIVE they will love u if u played alot of sports in high school.....but if u want so slack off just go to navy they have alot of fighters lol. atleast we can practice our next jobs. land nice and soft.

Isn't it 20/15? Anyway, good on ya for going to the Air Force Academy. It's my understanding that 20/70, correctable to 20/20 is the new eyesight requirement for an Air Force pilot. I know the Navy allows 20/40 correctable to 20/20 for entry into the flight program.

 

[stevieb]

Thanks for all the replies you guys, and thanks to Kendall for the link to the Air Force web sight, and Troy for offering to answer any more questions. I just may take you up on that, promise I wont become a pest . I am buried in reading the criteria and gathering info to talk over with my son so he can go see his school counselor.
I think we are timing this just right to start preparing for the admin requirements. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to answer my post.

 

[LAXbronco65]

that is one helluva campus. i wanted to go there, but slacked too much in highschool and didnt make the cut. i regret that now. being an Eagle Scout should have helped me a bit too.

 

[FordSVTFan]

My 17 year old son finally told me tonight where he wants to go to college. He wants to go to the AF Academy and be a pilot. Aside from going through his school counselor, does anyone have some insight to share in regards to grades, the program, costs, and things in general?
I imagine it is real hard to get in let alone the long term commitment as to whats expected in return from the AF. Any info would be truely appreciated. Thanks in advance :thumbsup:

Does he really want to be in the Military or does he really want to be a pilot? If he plans on making the military his career then that is a good route. If not, then getting a license and undergrad degree is the way. He can get his ATP certificate in three years and then work for a regional carrier to build hours and then get into the majors.

There are plenty of ways to become a professional airline pilot, if that is his goal, without going into the military.

 

[Yellow98SVT]

Completed a full Naval Flight Contract upon graduation. He needs to have 20/20 eyesight uncorrected. To get into the academy, he'll need a excellent GPA...3.5+. He'll need to be in top physical condition as well. Without a class 1 PT score, he doesn't stand a chance. It's a great deal with one drawback...the required obligation. In the Navy/Marine Corps he'll have to commit to 9 years after flight school for rotorcraft and 11 years for fixed wing aircraft. Thats beyond OCS and Flight School. The long and short of it is this...if you want to be an Aviator in the US Armed Forces you have to commit a minimum of 15 years to the military. Each Naval Aviator requires nearly 2 million dollars to train and certify as a fleet aviator. Young manh needs to take very close stock of who he is and what he wants. If he isn't a true adventurer, a true outdoorsman and a very disciplined person he is gonna find himself in a tough spot. If you are one of the people that can conform to that life, it's a great deal. I will say this however...I know of MANY men that are flat miserable doing something they don't like because it looked great on the brochure. Also, bear in mind, anything can happen along the way. We have family friend's whose son attended OCS and Flight School just to get bounced out on a final flight physical because his eye sight strayed from 20/20 to 20/50 in the two years he was in flight school. That kid finished flight school and never made it to the fleet as an aviator. So, it is a great deal if it fits your life, however, having experienced it for 30 years growing up...it ain't for everybody. If you attend a military academy, OCS, flight school and then the initial obligation...youre looking down the barrell of 20 active years of service. Make sure it is damn certain it's what he wants to be and do. My father did it...was horrendously succesful and it fit him well. He became one of the most highly decorated aviators in the history of the Marine Corps. He is also a VERY, VERY, VERY lucky man to survived what he encountered as a Marine Corps aviator. He will be the first to tell you that he watched many better men than himself die doing what he did for a living. If he really wants to go in tell him this....AirForce or Navy for Jets, Army for Rotorcraft and Marine Corps for ground. Also...DO NOT TAKE ONE SINGLE WORD ANY RECRUITER TELLS YOU AT FACE VALUE!!!!! Do the homework, find out for yourself. There is NO end to the crap a recruiter will pass off on a kid to get his name on the contract. Once the name hits the contract, he has NO recourse at ANY level. Just for shits and giggles send him to the local Air Force recruiter and tell him that he wants to be a Pilot...they will try to convince him that enlisting with them is his best bet...IT IS NOT!!!!!!!!! They don't get credit for the officer packets...only the enlisted ones. Each branch has it's own Officer Selection People that have NOTHING to do with enlisted recruiters.

 

[stevieb]

Actually the thought of an airline pilot never came in to play until I told him thats an option for when he got out of the service. I told him that if he did get in the academy and graduated he is going to need to make a career out of the military because thats how Uncle Sam expects to get paid back for educating you.
What got him interested is a classmate has a 25 yo brother whos an Air Force pilot and he is flying the jet in a video that the AF is making for its marketing plan.
Ive gone to the AF websight and it looks like its going to be very tough academically.

 

[stevieb]

Thanks Chris for the insight. I know what you mean about recuiters, I had an Army guy tell me how good everything was going to be. He offered to drive me to the induction center for my physical, on the way there he told me how to lie and get out of being sworn in (this was in 74) and said if I ever repeated what he told me he would deny ever saying it. (Hello world). Needless to say I got out because they said I was 1/2" too short to be an MP.

 

[bunk22]

Also, bear in mind, anything can happen along the way. We have family friend's whose son attended OCS and Flight School just to get bounced out on a final flight physical because his eye sight strayed from 20/20 to 20/50 in the two years he was in flight school. That kid finished flight school and never made it to the fleet as an aviator. So, it is a great deal if it fits your life, however, having experienced it for 30 years growing up...it ain't for everybody. If you attend a military academy, OCS, flight school and then the initial obligation...youre looking down the barrell of 20 active years of service. QUOTE]

Being in the Navy for almost 12 years now and a navy pilot for about 9 of those, I agree almost anything can happen. Again, with regards to eyesight, the requirement for a student naval aviator is 20/40 correctable to 20/20. I know of guys whose eyes have fallen worse than 20/40 during flight training and are still in. Waivers are granted for many. I had a student at the RAG arrive with 20/100 without glasses. Anything is possible.

I respectfully disagree about the 20 year committment as well. I definitely see being in for about 8-10 years before you will be allowed out. It will depend on things like how long it takes to get through flight school, the FRS, etc. I was eligible at 10 years to get out, mostly due to the 18 month wait to start flight school years ago when there was a huge backlog of SNA's. I had a 7 year commitment after wings. Of my two senior LT's, both from the Naval Academy, they each have three years left which will put them at the 8 1/2 year mark to get out. Things change with time and what was the norm 20 years ago is not today.

 

[speederdoc]

A buddy of mine graduated from Texas A&M in the Corps of Cadets and I think he went straight into the Air Force as an officer, said he was going to be a pilot. Might be another option if your son doesn't make it into the Air Force Academy.

 

[UCBeau]

I kick myself a lot for not going Navy and trying to become a Navy pilot, and I do know a lot of USAF people. From someone on the outside looking in, tell your son to study his ass off, work real hard, focus, and dedicate himself to the task. Good things will happen if he wants it bad enough and is willing to give it every ounce of effort.

 

[stevieb]

I kick myself a lot for not going Navy and trying to become a Navy pilot, and I do know a lot of USAF people. From someone on the outside looking in, tell your son to study his ass off, work real hard, focus, and dedicate himself to the task. Good things will happen if he wants it bad enough and is willing to give it every ounce of effort.

I agree here, but getting a 17 year old to do more than he is expected is easier said than done. He will spend 20-60 mins doing his homework and average 3.0-3.5. I keep telling him with his ability it wouldnt take much more effort to get higher grades. But he thinks he knows everything. Thanks everyone for the replies, its all good info to read. Kind of makes me wish I could do it all over again.

 

[UCBeau]

I agree here, but getting a 17 year old to do more than he is expected is easier said than done. He will spend 20-60 mins doing his homework and average 3.0-3.5. I keep telling him with his ability it wouldnt take much more effort to get higher grades. But he thinks he knows everything. Thanks everyone for the replies, its all good info to read. Kind of makes me wish I could do it all over again.

LOL I am 21, I remember when I was 17, there were way more exciting things. Girls, my car, baseball team, parties, etc. School wasn't that big of a deal and I still managed to pull a 3.8 in my junior year. The guys I know who are at Colorado Springs right now were the ones who studied harder than me. It was that simple. For my 3.8, they had a 4.1. They did more clubs in schoo, whereas I just played ball. Yes I am an Eagle Scout too but they finished it in 2 years, I took 4. In short, they were highly motivated 17/18 year olds. More so than me. But hey, hindsight is 20/20 and personally, I still have a chance for an airline job if I get back into flying more seriously. Just keep encouraging your son, make sure he's aware of how important academics are to the USAF.

 

[stevieb]

Update. He just had his eyes tested yesterday, 20-30 uncorrected. Does this unanamously wipe him out of any military flight careers? He was thinking maybe helicoptor (rotorcraft) pilot may have less of a eyesight requirement. Thanks all