Well I got my pilot slot just a little while ago, in AFROTC, and the basics is don't enlist, don't really talk to any recruiters in high school, because none of them really know how commissionings work. Really you have 3 options:
1- USAFA (Air Force Academy), best option if you don't like having a personal life.
2- AFROTC (Any College), you do this program, keep your grades up and do your job, and rank towards the top of your class. Also your major DOES NOT MATTER, ZERO SAY IN PILOT SLOT.
3- OTS (last resort!), this is after you have a college degree, very slim selection to get in, and even worse to get a pilot slot. From my (slim) understanding these are the Engineers/Doctors/Smart guys, not really the ops side of the AF (pilots).
tl;dr: You must be an Officer (commissioned) so don't enlist, preform well in your AFROTC training and college, and the rest will fall into place. You might even get a scholarship out of it.
Look under pilot slot resources, and click on ROTC, Air Force Academy, and OTS. Read through all three. If you're serious about becoming a pilot in the Air Force, you should use the wealth of information on this website to your advantage.
you cant become a pilot right out of high school BUT you can get your degree while you go active enlisted and then become an officer and go down the route im about to tell you - but you better off going to college first
college first -
-some type of technical major - math, physics, computer , something along those lines
- at least 3.5 gpa
-possibly rotc (if ur school has it)
-volunteer service
-no legal problems at all
-be in shape but dont go crazy (it wont make or break you but as an officer they expect you to be in good shape)
-perhaps honors program while in college, like go into the honors program
right after high school
-sign a 6 year contract so youll have more time and more benefits (higher rank too and it looks more like ur dedicated)
-get an administrative job so you can have time to go to school (very hard with any other type of job)
-get your degree in said majors within 6 years - use community college of the air force to your advantage not to mention gi bill and tutition assitance
-be an outstanding airman(whatever that means)
-everything listed under the colllege first tab
-stay focused because YOU WILL be tempted to slack off and be "one of the guys"
whatever u do remember
integrity first
service before self
excellence in all we do
officers arent really being taken anymore except for pilots and special ops and even that is very competitive... that said, both routes have their pluses and minuses. weigh them like how realistic, school loans, motivation if u go enlisted first, etc.
youll be going after a well sought after job - be competetive and uphold the values
Comments
All pilots are officers. Enlisting is the wrong approach.
BEST approach is to get into the USAFA and graduate in the top 10% of the class.
NEXT best is go to college, get into USAF ROTC and get a degree in something they need.
Or get a degree in something useful and apply for a direct commission.
Enlist and you get to repair the planes and/or load the weapons on them.
Well I got my pilot slot just a little while ago, in AFROTC, and the basics is don't enlist, don't really talk to any recruiters in high school, because none of them really know how commissionings work. Really you have 3 options:
1- USAFA (Air Force Academy), best option if you don't like having a personal life.
2- AFROTC (Any College), you do this program, keep your grades up and do your job, and rank towards the top of your class. Also your major DOES NOT MATTER, ZERO SAY IN PILOT SLOT.
3- OTS (last resort!), this is after you have a college degree, very slim selection to get in, and even worse to get a pilot slot. From my (slim) understanding these are the Engineers/Doctors/Smart guys, not really the ops side of the AF (pilots).
tl;dr: You must be an Officer (commissioned) so don't enlist, preform well in your AFROTC training and college, and the rest will fall into place. You might even get a scholarship out of it.
I can, but so can the following website:
wantscheck.com
Look under pilot slot resources, and click on ROTC, Air Force Academy, and OTS. Read through all three. If you're serious about becoming a pilot in the Air Force, you should use the wealth of information on this website to your advantage.
By the way, it's Air Force, not Airforce.
Good luck.
you cant become a pilot right out of high school BUT you can get your degree while you go active enlisted and then become an officer and go down the route im about to tell you - but you better off going to college first
college first -
-some type of technical major - math, physics, computer , something along those lines
- at least 3.5 gpa
-possibly rotc (if ur school has it)
-volunteer service
-no legal problems at all
-be in shape but dont go crazy (it wont make or break you but as an officer they expect you to be in good shape)
-perhaps honors program while in college, like go into the honors program
right after high school
-sign a 6 year contract so youll have more time and more benefits (higher rank too and it looks more like ur dedicated)
-get an administrative job so you can have time to go to school (very hard with any other type of job)
-get your degree in said majors within 6 years - use community college of the air force to your advantage not to mention gi bill and tutition assitance
-be an outstanding airman(whatever that means)
-everything listed under the colllege first tab
-stay focused because YOU WILL be tempted to slack off and be "one of the guys"
whatever u do remember
integrity first
service before self
excellence in all we do
officers arent really being taken anymore except for pilots and special ops and even that is very competitive... that said, both routes have their pluses and minuses. weigh them like how realistic, school loans, motivation if u go enlisted first, etc.
youll be going after a well sought after job - be competetive and uphold the values
Enlisting would be the first wrong thing you did!