Looking for some advice!!!

[Tazman282]

I gradtuated last May from Embry Riddle and I am currently in a program that I will have an interview in the coming months with an airline. However, I still only have 260 hours and 60 hrs in the CRJ Sim. If this interview should fall through and not receive a job offer what would you all reccommend me to do.

Option A. Go to All ATP and get my CFI ratings and venture that route.

Option B. Go through OCS and try to get a pilot slot through AF or AF Reserves.

I really just want some sort of stable job because I have a lot of student loans and need to start paying on them very soon. Any insight you can give me will be appreciated. Thanks.

David

 

[chawbein]

Do you want to serve or do you want to fly? I mean, there is a lot of stuff to go through if you are luke-warm on the whole service/sacrifice, Officer stuff. I'm sure someone else will chime in on the "building time for an airline job" take.

 

[RiddleRat]

AF Process

Riddle comrad, congrats on graduating last may. Just to give you a run down on the process for the AF and AF Reserve pilot selection: A couple things needed in order to even get to an interview for the reserves:

1) BAT
2) AFOQT
3) Flying Class I physical.
4) The sponsorship from a unit willing to send you to pilot training.

The Bat is just a coordination test like a big video game, as the AFOQT is just a SAT type test seeing what areas you are strong vs weak in. While the Flying Class I medical isnt anything near your FAA CLass I where you can go fog up a window w/ some examiners and get it for 100 bucks, this is an all day process, which takes a good 5 months to get signed and approved. Being sponsored from a unit after you complete the AFOQT/BAT/FC1 as long as your scores are good enough can be tricky too. FIghter units have well over 100 applicants for 1 spot where airlift and heavies will have less applicants and maybe a f ew more spots avail.

Whats im getting at is it is a looong drawm out process that takes a good year it seems like to get everything in order. Active Duty is easier to get a pilot slot vs. reserves, though you will still need to go through the same process as stated above w/ the test taking. I wouldnt go to the AF for getting a quick way to the airlines cause I think you would hate it. If you have any other questions you can PM me on the process, i just have been picked up by a C5 unit for the reserves and i know the experience is definately more a psychological impact than physical. Nothing comes fast when it is in regards to military, but if you really want the flight slot, you will do whatever it takes. PM me and we can chat more if you wish.

Dave

 

[Foties]

Pick one that you won't regret

I agree with Chowbein. I too am a Riddle guy and picked the guard route. I too had loans out the As$. I enlisted in the guard 2 weeks after graduting Riddle, went to Basic and came back working in the unit in base operations as a dispatcher. In the meantime I met 2 pilot boards before I got picked up, went to Officer school, AF UPT, and have loved ever minute of it.

If I were you I would pursue the guard/reserve and in the meantime consider getting you CFI. While meeting pilot boards build your flight time and try and make extra money. One good thing the guard offers at times is student loan repayment programs and the GI bill. They started to pay 10,000 dollars of my loans and on top of the you can use your GI Bill to get 60% of flight training paid for after a private. Not a bad deal.

Think long and hard about it, make your decision and go for it. I can't stand when I go back to Riddle and the dorks ask me how to get a guaranteed slot. You have to bust your butt and prove to your unit you are not a tool, prove you can endure the toughest flight training program in the world, and you can hang with the boys on the road. Also remember we are at war and will be for a long time. Are you ready to serve your country when times are bad. I've been shot at going into Iraq, and it's sucks, but I am so proud to help my army brothers on the ground in Iraq and it all makes the risks worth it. Goodluck and research, research, research. Later.

 

[Tazman282]

I can't believe I was so naive on the process that goes on trying to get into the military. Heck if you wanted to go enlist you show up today and ship you off tomorrow. At least that is what they wanted to do to me when I went to the recruiters office or info after High School.

I really wouldn't mind going the military route it has always been a dream of mine but so is the career airline pilot. I guess we will just wait and see with this interview and hope for the best. Thank you all for your input and good luck to you in your future.

David

 

[NTS ALL 4]

1. Don't go to the local recruiter or base recruiter. They recruit enlisted personnel, not officers and definitely not pilot canidates. After you get the unit to sponser you to UPT, then you can go to the recruiter so they get credit for the recruitment and they can collect your paperwork. Sounds silly, but true.

2. Go to the units you think you might want to get into and make an appointment with the Chief Pilot or the Squadron Commander or the DO.

3. Then go to lunch with some of the pilots that have done the exact same thing you are trying to do. Let them tell you how they did it and they might even buy you lunch, if they aren't furloughed.

Good luck!

 

[Xavier]

I am also trying to find a way to go. Currently I go to Oklahoma State University and am apart of the Flying Aggies Flight Team. I also have been contemplating whether or not to go to the ANG. I want a job when I graduate with a flight degree and don't really want to be an instructor. Just like pretty much everyone else, I want to be an airline pilot.

What do you guys suggest doing as far as research? I am pretty sure I want to fly for the ANG if I were to go into the military and eventually fly C-130s if at all possible. What research do I need to do, and where can I go to see if I am even qualified to be a pilot in the military?

Also, when do you think is the proper time, if I were to join ANG, to actually sign and head to boot camp and all that good stuff? From what I've read actually getting to flight school is a very long process, so when would you recommend starting on that; I am only a Fresmen in college at the moment.

 

[chawbein]

For you post-college fellers.
Once you have your degree (which is requirement #1)....

Active Duty: Contact the OFFICER recruiter in your area to get sheduled for the exams AFOQT, BAT, Officer interview, FC1, etc....

Reserve: Contact an Air Force Reserve recruiter in you area. There are now designated recruiters for Pilot/Officer hopefulls (I think). They are responsible for large territories, so be persistant. Hopefully the local Reserve recruiter can put you in touch with the Officer recruiter. The local recruiter may also be able to schedule you for the AFOQT and BAT, but I'm not sure now. The Reserve recruiter can get you scheduled for the AFOQT, BAT, and FC1. Once you get those items out of the way (you don't necessarily have to wait for the FC1), you should start hunting for units that you want to join. What worked for me was to look up Reserve bases and squadrons on the AFReserve website or on Baseops.net (aviation jobs listing), call the main base number, and ask for the Pilot's Section or Pilot Scheduler or Chief Pilot for the XX Airlift Squadron. Once you get in touch with them they will tell you what sort of stuff you need in your package and where to send it. If you package is good enough, you will be contacted about an interview. Then if you do well on the interview, and you are selected, you will receive sponsorship for the national Reserve selection board. Note, you can also go unsponsored to the national board, but you have a better chance with sponsorship (nearly 100%). Also, if you are selected as unsponsored, you must then shop around to find a unit to take you (same deal as the other, package, interview, etc...) before you can begin training. ATTENTION: If you have a particular unit or units that you want to get into, take the time to go and visit during a drill weekend when there will be lots of dudes around. This will help tremendously for obtaining a UPT slot. When you contact someone from the unit, make sure to ask about visiting.

Guard: Call a nearby Guard base and ask to schedule the AFOQT, they should be able to hook you up with that as well as the BAT. I'm not too current with the Guard info, but it works very similarly.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Xavier, a bit of advice as you are figuring this whole flying thing out. Figure out what your primary goal is. Is it to be an airline pilot or a military aviator? You'll be a lot happier later on if you figure this out up front and set your goals and dreams accordingly.

I'm not going to comment on people who use the military as a means to an end, it's a complicated issue. But if you do this, keep the attitude to yourself, especially in Guard/Reserve interviews.

Some good places to start looking for contact info for units:

http://www.baseops.net/newjob.html

http://www.wantscheck.com/

 

[Vandal]

Here is how I did it. I went online and found a place where I signed myself up for the AFOQT and the BAT, don't need a recruiter to do that. With those scores in hand I went to www.baseops.net to the help wanted ads and emailed every single unit with an ad looking for pilots. I got a few bites, as well as a call for an interview with a Herk unit. Went up there, was myself in the interview, and got selected (they took 4 out of the 6, pretty good odds!) Long story short here I am sitting playing poker online in Little Rock with a beautiful southern girlfriend! ( doing a little flying too...)

My online journal at www.uptjournal.com walks through the process starting with officer school if you are interested.

 

[Xavier]

My ultimate goal is to be an airline pilot, and I really don't mind serving my country in the process. Serving my country being a pilot is something I would surely consider doing, as I have contemplated going into the military before I knew I wanted to be a pilot.

The main reasons I would like to be in the military are:
- A job after I graduate high school, hopefully flying. If I weren't able to fly in the military I wouldn't really want to join it in the first place which is why I want to take a medical or something to know that I will have the option to fly.

- Probably make more money in the military than if I were to be an instructor
- Military Pilots supposedly get highered more often than non-military related pilots, but I am sure it goes both ways, but it certainly can't hurt.
- Will end up with more flight hours with multi-engine

Im sure there are advantages to going both ways, I just want to increase my chances by the most to get highered by an airline pilot down the road. Do you think this is the wise choice by going into the military? I don't really want to be an instructory when I graduate, it just never really appealed to me, on the other hand I do want to fly.

Also, do we have to take the ASVAB to be a pilot; or do we take the AFOQT?

Thank you for the replies and links. I will look through your journal and do some more research.

 

[chawbein]

You are getting a little ahead of yourself.

A: To fly (control the airplane/helo) in the USAF/USMC/USN you must have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university. All Officers must be college graduates. Only in the Army can you fly without the degree as a Warrant Officer, and I don't know anything about that.

2: If you are going to college and want to fly for the Air Force/Navy (I guess the USMC would be included?), I would recommend checking out ROTC.

Just my $0.02....

 

[CFIIer]

The military process will take you a year or more to complete, because once you've finished all of those tests that everyone above has mentioned, your packet will need to meet the board which only happens a couple of times a year. I think you are in a little bigger hurry than you are capable of dealing with. I was in your shoes back in 2002 when i graduated from riddle. I flight instructed for almost three years, decided i wanted to pursue a career in the military, and landed a pilot slot. In the mean time, i've been flying 135 cargo and learning all that i can about my trade. The bottom line is that you're going to have to start flight instructing or something along those lines, and building your flight time. You probably won't end up in the right seat of a CRJ right out of school...at least you shouldn't. Go out and flight instruct, fly cargo, and learn how to be an aviator. If you want to fly in the military, make sure you want to serve you country first.

 

[Xavier]

From what I have read it does take a long time to go through the military process, that is why Im wondering what is a good time to start going to recruiter's or wherever to get the process rolling. Like I said earlier Im only a Freshmen in college so I don't think its of big importance at the moment.

Also, I heard you could go to the military right out of college and start the training process. I know it takes a while to finally be accepted to Flight Training, if accepted, but what would you do in the meantime while you wait for flight school?

If anyone would mind explaining the process, that would be awesome.

Thanks again

 

[CFIIer]

From what I have read it does take a long time to go through the military process, that is why Im wondering what is a good time to start going to recruiter's or wherever to get the process rolling. Like I said earlier Im only a Freshmen in college so I don't think its of big importance at the moment.

Also, I heard you could go to the military right out of college and start the training process. I know it takes a while to finally be accepted to Flight Training, if accepted, but what would you do in the meantime while you wait for flight school?

If anyone would mind explaining the process, that would be awesome.

Thanks again

It depends on what you want to do. Most flight slots in the military require a four year degree, and so to even start the process, i believe you need to be done with school and have the certificate. Anyway, as far as AFReserves goes, you have to take the AFOQT, BAT, and have a class 1 flight physical done. You take all of these things to the unit you are applying to and then there is an interview with some of the pilots from the squadron. If selected, your package is put together and sent to the board, which meets a couple of times a year to decide who actually gets a slot in UPT. The good thing here is that if sponsored by a unit, your chances of getting a slot increase a pretty good amount. After your package gets cleared by the board, you get your dates for OTS and UPT. That's about the extent of it. I did go through a recruiter right there at the base where my unit was. So he did a lot of the foot work for me. It is a long process...probably the better part of a year to get the whole thing wrapped up. You have to stay on top of it, because it's crucial to make the dead line of when the board meets, otherwise you have to wait for the next board to come around, and in my case, (AF reserves), it only meets twice a year.
Since you are only a freshman, just enjoy school. I was in your shoes, and was rushing to get done. Take your time, unless you're in your upper 20's then you might need to hurry.
Good Luck

 

[Foties]

Keep in mind that some units will let you interview for a pilot slot without a degree. True you will probably not get selected (we had one guy get selected 1 semester away from graduating). I interviewed once with my unit before I had my degree. It was a great experience. I was better prepared for the board when I was truly eligible and not only that the selection board has seen my face and new I was persistent and really wanted it. It will impress them tremendously and put you a notch higher compared to guys they are seeing for the first time. I sat on an interview board and we actually selected a guy who showed the desire, even though there were first timers that were a little more qualified. Good luck.


40's

 

[mgg20]

This thread looks like a big Riddle reunion. I graduated in May '04, got picked up for AD in Oct'04, and still haven't received my class date. To any who are trying to get into OTS for the AF, good luck. word on the street is that its gonna be slim pickens for the rest of the year.

 

[qmaster3]

X,

Don't have time to read the whole thing. If this is a repeat my apologies. If you go Navy make sure you talk to the officer recruiter, the enlisted recruiters will try to make you go enlisted. Just don't want you to get caught up. Don't know how the AF is.

Either way if you decide military you will have best times of your life. Just keep the head on straight, and a can do attitude.

 

[PUCKFA18]

Another thing to consider if you choose to go the Active military route with future airline considerations.


Active Duty Commitment when I was in:

AF 10 years after the award of wings.
Navy 10 years after the award of wings
USMC 4.5 years after the award of wing
(OCS 10 Weeks,TBS 6 months, AI 4-6 weeks) all this before you even step on a Navy/USMC flightline

ARMY ?????????????

Just something to think about

 

[SB Diver]

Here's my two cents...

If you want to get to the airlines as quickly as possible, then go commercial and get to the regional airlines ASAP.

If you want to serve your country with the eventual goal of getting into the majors, then join whatever military branch looks best for you.

Good luck!