Signing up??

[CaptO'Brien]

Hey just wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on joinnig the military for flying fixed wing....if i already have a degree in aviation with a 3.6GPA and my commercial multi IFR would that help? and if i join will i be stuck on a helo? (not that i dont like them but i want to fly fixed wing)...oh and everyones typical question...how hard is it to get on a hornet? i have top marks in my ground school for my flight training but will that really get me in a hornet? Also how long do i have to stay in before i can leave for civillian aviaition again? thanks!

 

[bobs98tlr]

How old are you?

Im sure someone will chim in here and help you out but im just going to redirect you to www.baseops.net because there are guys that will tell you just about everything you need to know step by step. You can sit on that board and read all night long about what you need to do.

To start- you need to talk to a Officer Rectruiter..if you want to fly the Hornet (which is NO guarantee, you have to be top of your class to be able to pick the plane you want to fly at the end of flight training in the military) you need to talk to a Marine or Navy recruiter. Your flight time now will help you out more then someone that doesnt have any time.

 

[Phoenix45]

There are never any guarantees. Perhaps the closest you can come to one is go talk to a Marine Officer Selection Officer. They can give you a flight contract, depending on which program you are eligible for. It is more difficult if you already have your degree though. You would have to compete for an OCC spot. Even then, you are not guaranteed a fixed wing spot. Stay away from the army, very few fixed wing spots available. I don't know what the Navy or Air Farce can provide.
Bottom line, go talk to an OSO for whatever service you are interested for.

 

[CaptO'Brien]

hmm so the marines are better to go to hey? ive been to an airforce recruiter before but i havent talked to the marines...they seemed to want to get their hands on me but that was before i had the degree...oh and im 22 years old now..

 

[mgg20]

Go to the Army OCS family of websites, Airforceots.com, navyocs.com, etc. and search all you want. It's a long and involved process, and there is no "signing up". These are the most prized positions in aviation right now and it's very competitive. However, I've heard good thing about the Marine program if you can get up to their level of enthusiasm.

 

[HoursHore]

Also how long do i have to stay in before i can leave for civillian aviaition again? thanks!

10 years.

 

[OleGuy]

They were looking for Hog pilots in the CLT ANG unit a while back. That way you wouldn't run the risk of being sent to helos. If you were serious I would go there and speak directly to them.

 

[chas1000]

10 years.

In the Air Force, the ten-year commitment does not start until after you complete your pilot training (one year), which does not occur until after you complete OCS (12 weeks?). In any event, as a civilian going into the Air Force as a pilot, you are obligated for a minimum of just over 11 years.

I know. I was accepted into the Air Force with a pilot slot at the age of almost 29, went to OCS and then voluntarily left before getting commissioned. To make a long story real short, I decided civilian life was MUCH better, for lots of different reasons. For those of you thinking of joining the military to be a pilot, you need to think long and hard about what it means to be in the military and whether you are compatible with its mission. It's not like Top Gun. You are a soldier. You must accept the risk of dying for your country. You must accept the fact that you may be asked to kill someone (lots of people actually if you are a bomber or fighter pilot, some of whom will be innocent civilians). You must accept that you may be flying only a couple hundred hours a year, and you may not even be flying your whole career in the military. You may be flying a desk as you get older. The point is it is a long commitment (I thought 11 years was too long for me at my age) with very real and important consequences, many of which you will have no control over.

Just something to think about if you are actually capable of getting into the AF.

 

[JungleJett]

What in the hell is this crap? Kill innocent people? You make it sound like the military intentionally targets civilians!! Coming from someone who punched before the going got tough, what do you base that comment on..CNN, Fox? How in the hell do you know what military life is like after a few weeks of OCS? I have ten plus years in a there are still things to learn. I would not trade my experience for anything.

What you totally fail to recognize is that the military has more missions than combat. How about building schools, hospitals, roads, ect. How about feeding hundreds of thousands of people? Providing medical treatment to children and adults alike. I see the US military as the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Check the history.

You are correct in stating that we are called to fight and we may have to kill and may be killed. It is part of the call to service. I can tell you this and I think most will agree; you will not find a more rewarding experience anywhere. There is nothing like serving this nation and its people. Your freedom of choosing not to serve is yours, but I think your thought process was a bit flawed. Good luck with your "civilian" career and next time you see a troop, thank them.

I think you may have decided that civilian life was EASIER and was much simpler letting the others maintain the peace.

This sums it up:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

In the Air Force, the ten-year commitment does not start until after you complete your pilot training (one year), which does not occur until after you complete OCS (12 weeks?). In any event, as a civilian going into the Air Force as a pilot, you are obligated for a minimum of just over 11 years.

I know. I was accepted into the Air Force with a pilot slot at the age of almost 29, went to OCS and then voluntarily left before getting commissioned. To make a long story real short, I decided civilian life was MUCH better, for lots of different reasons. For those of you thinking of joining the military to be a pilot, you need to think long and hard about what it means to be in the military and whether you are compatible with its mission. It's not like Top Gun. You are a soldier. You must accept the risk of dying for your country. You must accept the fact that you may be asked to kill someone (lots of people actually if you are a bomber or fighter pilot, some of whom will be innocent civilians). You must accept that you may be flying only a couple hundred hours a year, and you may not even be flying your whole career in the military. You may be flying a desk as you get older. The point is it is a long commitment (I thought 11 years was too long for me at my age) with very real and important consequences, many of which you will have no control over.

Just something to think about if you are actually capable of getting into the AF.

You must accept the fact that you may be asked to kill someone (lots of people actually if you are a bomber or fighter pilot, some of whom will be innocent civilians).

 

[mgg20]

In the Air Force, the ten-year commitment does not start until after you complete your pilot training (one year), which does not occur until after you complete OCS (12 weeks?). In any event, as a civilian going into the Air Force as a pilot, you are obligated for a minimum of just over 11 years.

I know. I was accepted into the Air Force with a pilot slot at the age of almost 29, went to OCS and then voluntarily left before getting commissioned. To make a long story real short, I decided civilian life was MUCH better, for lots of different reasons. For those of you thinking of joining the military to be a pilot, you need to think long and hard about what it means to be in the military and whether you are compatible with its mission. It's not like Top Gun. You are a soldier. You must accept the risk of dying for your country. You must accept the fact that you may be asked to kill someone (lots of people actually if you are a bomber or fighter pilot, some of whom will be innocent civilians). You must accept that you may be flying only a couple hundred hours a year, and you may not even be flying your whole career in the military. You may be flying a desk as you get older. The point is it is a long commitment (I thought 11 years was too long for me at my age) with very real and important consequences, many of which you will have no control over.

Just something to think about if you are actually capable of getting into the AF.

Since the Air Force doesn't have OCS, maybe you were at the wrong place. Try looking for OTS next time, maybe you'll enjoy your stay a little more.