Pilot Slot Path

[McGillicutty]

Adam,

http://www.baseops.net/archive/archiveupt.html is a great resource for hopefuls. It's chockfull of useful information that'll push you ahead of the competition come application time.

Good luck!

 

[Jolly Roger]

Adam,

I have limited experience in many of the military career flying paths, but I would second the Guard path. From the outside looking in, the AF guard guys seem to have the world by the horns. Once they get accepted in a unit, they know what they will fly, where they will fly it, and how long they will be there (generally speaking!). Then, it's a pass/fail deal through training. I'm sure that the active AF dudes have a much tougher road with more uncertainty, and I know for sure the Navy/Marine contingent does.

I know the Citadel is a great school, etc., but I would say it would be WAY down the list of paths to a mil flying career. I attended a military high school for four years, then went on to the AF Academy after bowing to pressure from my family (my first choice was the ROTC scholarship I passed up to go to the zoo). I didn't last long there (no way I could take four more years of the same crap, etc), but had a great time at a state school and got in to AV Officer Candidate School with the Navy after graduation. In the end I still flew fighters off carriers, and got to enjoy all the atmosphere that the floating prison had to offer.

I wouldn't change a thing about my career path, but I would say to investigate all services and programs, including the Marines (do they still have the PLC with the av guarantee?), Navy, Coast Guard, etc. as well as the AF. If you are going to go with a military college, please don't pay someone to kick your arse, make sure you at least have a scholarship or go to one of the service academies! All else being equal, my humble opinion is that the AF guard is by far the most humane method to a pilot seat and follow on quality of life!

Everyone has their ideal assignment (service, aircraft, squadron, location, you name it) but in the end it really just doesn't matter. It's all worthwile and satisfying, and only what you make of it. I'm no wise sage, but some people are not happy no matter what they fly, and others will be happy regardless. Beware of the people who find their identity in what they fly, and try not to become one of them. Enjoy the ride....

 

[Travis152]

Just to chime in about the ROTC way....

I am currently a 2nd years student getting ready to go to field training and hoping that I will get a pilot slot too. I like the ROTC program, still have your college life but at the same time you have the ROTC experience as well. With ROTC you get out what you put in. Dont expect them to just hand you a slot. Im lucky enough to have a 4 year scholarship with them and I am an Accounting major. Usually you apply around the middle of your Junior year for the slot and you find out at the end of your Junior year if you got it or not. Its not too bad of a deal if you dont though, your commitment is only 4 years for non-rate positions. I enjoy ROTC and wouldnt trade the experiences I have had thus far for anything. My field training is 28 days in South Dakota. If you have an specific questions give me a shout.

Travis

 

[K-Mart]

If your goal is to go to pilot training, at all costs, and are willing to pay any price (I was that person as a H.S. freshman; I would kill to become a fighter pilot), then the AFA is probably your best bet. Don't go there unless you truly desire a military career as an AF officer. You will not make it otherwise.

Men and women who showed up "just to check it out" or who were under family pressure to attend were usually gone within 5 weeks. Academics took another huge portion. A few left because they decided the Air Force was not for them.

Investigate the current rates for grads of all commisioning sources to get a UPT slot... it changes over the years. When I attended the Zoo, you were expected to go to pilot training if you were medically qualified. The only competition was for which UPT base to choose. Nowadays it appears to be competitive, meaning your academic and military grades are mixed and the class ranked, with only the top attending pilot training.

In my opinion, this is a bad idea, as often the very best pilots turned out to be those with a poor military average. These guys had a way of fighting the man, taking risks, and getting in trouble, but their mentality and thirst for a bit of excitement and danger often translated into good hands in UPT. The top 10% of USAFA grads in my UPT class had a huge proportion of guys who were considered military "screw-ups" at the academy.

ROTC: AFROTC grads appear to viciously compete for a few very limited UPT slots. Could be a tough road to UPT.

Good luck, I know what you are going through. Making your dream come true will take tremendous effort. The result may be having you handed the keys to a T-38, then an F-15 or C-17, at 24 years of age.

I would agree with you to an extent on this one. Some of the so called trouble making students/problem children really did have the talent of the class and some did not. Unfortunately, these days if you want to suceed in AF pilot training you have to be a bit of a Niedermeyer. You know, the guy (Dork) from Animal House. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't play the game in UPT you are ********************ed!!! I truly believe the old days are gone, long gone as they say. Good hands and a big brain won't get you as far in the AF as being a good political guy, actively participating in church, and being like a Niedermeyer. Sadly that is just the way it is though.

 

[CFIIer]

Like everyone is saying, there's a dozen ways to become an Air Force pilot. I've got about 4 months left of UPT (flying the T-1). I went to school in arizona, graduated and had no intentions of getting involved with the military. I flight instructed for three years, and flew Part 135 cargo for about a year after that. One day I decided that I wanted to fly in the Air Force. I called the local Air Force Reserve recruiter who got me in touch with a C-17 (C-141s at the time) unit. I did all the testing, interviewed, and a couple of years later here I am. It's a long road, but worth every minute. If you do the reserve/guard route, you may go to AMS or OTS. I did OTS.

Good Luck

 

[Korgs130]

I interview folks for ROTC and the Academy as an Admissions Liaison Officer for the Air Force. I’m also a pilot in the ANG. Here are some numbers to think about when making your decision. The Air Force trains approximately 1300 pilot a year.

USAFA: This year the Academy got 540 UPT slots for about that many pilot qualified (PQ) cadets. With some of those PQ cadets wanting to go into other, non-flying, career fields the Academy will not be able to fill all of those slots. So right now, if you are PQ and you graduate, you get to go to UPT.

ROTC and OTS: 144 ROTC detachments will commission 2,405 officers and OTS will commission another 700. I don’t have any info on how many are PQ, but they will split up roughly 460 slots plus what ever the Academy doesn’t fill. As the Air Force draws down over the next few years the number of people commissioned through ROTC will decrease while OTS and the Academy will stay the same at 700 and 1000 per year respectively.

ANG/AFR: They get approximately 300 UPT slots for around 100 flying units. Some units may send 5 guys in a given year, some may only send 1. The average is 2 to 3 per unit per year. My squadron just had an interview board last weekend with 34 applicants for 2 UPT slots in 2008. A little over half of the people we send to UPT are already in the unit (navs, flt engineers, load masters, crew chiefs etc.).


I went to the Academy, but I have a ton of friends who went ROTC, OTS and the ANG routes. Each has advantages. If you’re sharp you’ll succeed no mater where you go. Good luck!

Korgs

 

[pkober]

But now you have seen the light and know that the ANG is by far the best place to be.