Getting a pilot slot

[mhcasey]

I'm a college junior at UT Austin, trying to figure out what I need to do in order to get a pilot slot either in the Air Force, or in the ANG.

By the time I graduate, I should definitely have my CFI, CFII, and hopefully MEI. Basically right now I'm just going at things as if I will continue in civil aviation, because I am not completely sure I want to be in the military, but the idea is becomming more and more attractive as time goes on.

My grades are high, but mostly in liberal arts. Should I start hammering out some calculus and other math? I'm going to join the civil air patrol next week. What else can I do to make myself a candidate for a pilot slot when I finish school?

Thanks

 

[frog_flyer]

step one is investing in some good search skills.

step two is www.baseops.net and their forum

step three. LOL TO CAP

 

[mhcasey]

Is there a way to ban a particular user from responding to my posts?

 

[MarineGrunt]

Believe it or not, that is the standard helpful response at flightinfo. The link he gave you is a good one and has another forum on that site.

I would recommend the guard or reserve. You'd be a strong candidate with good grades and some flight experience as long as your AFOQT and PCSM scores are good. As far as your college courses go, I don't think that you need to take anything more than your degree requries to be competative. For the active duty side, I hear they prefer engineering degrees, but I've seen all kinds. The only thing you'd be missing that a little more than half of the guard guys have, is prior military experience.

The one thing that concerns me, is your statement about not being sure about the military path. It's a long, tough road to the silver wings and you don't live the life you see in Top Gun or Iron Eagle. I always tell people that they need to join to serve our country, not to fly really big/fast airplanes - in other words join to serve a cause greater than yourself. Just like the airlines, unless it's something you've always wanted to do, you're probably not going to be happy.

It sounds like you have some soul searching to do, but good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Alchemy]

I've trained several guys who went through the AFROTC at the U of T in Austin. Most of the guys who really worked their tails off and wanted a pilot slot got one even if they were assigned a navigator position at first. I think finishing your IFT quickly and going above and beyond the allotted training if you get a NAV slot will help....the NAV's that spent their own coin to go ahead and earn their private seemed to have good luck....

Do they still send you guys to Bergstrom for your IFT? I really enjoyed teaching the ROTC guys when I was instructing out there. Much sharper than your average 40-something tech mogul or thrill seeking politician from the capitol.

 

[PisforProperty]

Second what was said about baseops.net. TON of information on there, especially if you do some digging. Don't limit yourself to just the forums either.

Speaking from some limited experience...during my junior year of college I also considered hacking out some math/science courses and even thought about switching my major to physics. I decided against it and continued to do well with my business degreee. As I type I'm waiting for my UPT dates to come down. It's not always necessary.