Tell me about military pilot life

[oilcanbland]

I'm not sure if I'd ever join the military, but I am very curious about what life is like for the military pilot. Assuming I wanted to join the Air National Guard, and get military pilot training, what route do do you take to become a pilot flying jets, such as F-16s. There is an F-16 ANG base in my hometown, so I'm very curious.

How can you qualify to become a pilot after you join?
Can anyone become a pilot?
Can you choose what aircraft you want to fly?
If not, what determines who flies what?
How often do you fly?
What aircraft do you train in?
How long does it take to jump into an F-16 or F-14, or whatever aircraft you'll fly?

Thanks.

 

[Toro]

How can you qualify to become a pilot after you join?

It depends on exactly what route you take, but basically you'll take some tests, put down on a sheet your lists of preferences, and you'll be ranked among other applicants with your grades, performance, test results, and commanders ranking. That gets you your pilot slot and into pilot training.

Can anyone become a pilot?

Yes, anyone who passes the flight physical, has good enough eyesight, and has the proper grades and scores can get in. From there, anyone who has the determination to study hard and put in the effort to pilot training can get their wings.

Can you choose what aircraft you want to fly? If not, what determines who flies what?

You will put down your choices, but it is ultimately up to your flight commander. As you near completetion of each phase of training, your flight commander will rank you among all your class mates based on daily flying and checkride scores, academic scores, and flight commander ranking. The higher your overall ranking is, the better chance you have of getting your first choice. If you don't get first choice, it just goes down the line through your subsequent choices until something is available.

How often do you fly?

This is dependent on what you are flying and where you are flying. Scroll down through old posts, and find the one title "Flight Hours Per Year USAF/USN/USMC?" originally posted on September 30th by Jafar. Here's the link - .Flying hour post

What aircraft do you train in?

Everyone starts out UPT in either the T-37 or T-6 for the first flying phase. After that, guys selected to go to fighters and bombers will fly the T-38 and guys selected to go to heavies will fly the T-1. After UPT, fighter guys will fly a short course in the AT-38s, then go off to their respective aircraft.

How long does it take to jump into an F-16 or F-14, or whatever aircraft you'll fly?

For fighters, I would say about 2.5-3 years if you went straight through with minimal delay. Figure on a year for UPT, six weeks for IFF, and generally just under a year for FTU. After UPT and prior to FTU you will also have centrifuge training (2-3 days), and land and water survival training (4-5 weeks and a week, respectively). There are also gaps of down time where MPC has nothing they can schedule you for, so you'll probably sit around doing peon work at whatever base you're at

 

[oilcanbland]

Cool, thanks.

 

[Bloud]

Go Talk to the unit in your town

If you are real interested about flying in the guard contact the unit there in Tere Haute. Ask who does officer/pilot recruitment for their next pilot board. Most guard units are more then helpful about answering questions. Ask them if you can come out and take a look around and ask a few questions. If you get a enlisted recruiter ask him or her who can you talk to that is in operations about their next pilot selcetion board. Also most units these days have web sites that have contact info and what not.

Hope this helps..Good luck

 

[oilcanbland]

This is probably a really stupid question, but I know nothing about how the military works. What is the difference between the ANG and the Air Force?

What do you do differently when you enlist in them?

 

[Bloud]

The ANG is a reserve componet of the Air Force.

We go through all the same training as the active duty force but we only serve part time after we complete our initial training, unless the nation is at need and then you can be called to active duty. Like I happen to be now.

The Air National Guard is operated by the state you serve in. So basically you are the states military force and a reserve force for the federal govt. The state calls up the national guard for emergencies in the state. The federal govt uses us to help back fill its needs also. Most national guardsmen serve one weekend a month and do about three weeks of annual training a year, which usually consits of a deployment to help out the active duty folks.

The great thing about the guard is you can go to college and serve in the military at the same time. Most states, I am not sure about indiana, will pay your tution for you and pay you a GI bill, extra money for some expenses. So you can earn your degree while gaining great hands on leadership experience in the military. Like I orginally wanted to be a IL State Trooper. So I joined the guard as a Security Policeman. I worked as a cop part time in the ANG and went to college. If you want to be a pilot. You could find a unit that has a enlisted aircrew position, ie: a loadmaster or flight enginer learn aircraft systems and what not while you went to college. Then once you earn your degree you could apply to become a officer and a pilot. The guard selects their own canidates for pilot training and most guard units prefer to select people who have been enlisted and have a PPL. They like to select thier own people who have worked hard in the unit and want to be pilots. Or if you want to be a pilot on active duty after college then you can apply to become a officer on active duty.

I hope this helps. I and a few other guys on this board have gotten a lot out of enlisting in the guard. Now we are off to become pilots and officers. You can't beat it if you want to be a military aviator.

Good luck

 

[Draginass]

Make sure you want to be a military pilot for the right reasons. The "right' reasons AREN'T because you think it's a cool "job" and only "jumping" in an F-16 is good enough for you. You should have a deep committment to serving you country first and formost. You should have a warrior spirit. That said, there are a few "occupational" pilots in the USAF. But, MOST are dedicated professionals. Become a military pilot because you want to defend your country and lead men in battle, should it come to that. And one last thought . . . . . you've got to want to do it badly, because there are lots of guys out there that are as good or better than you that want it also. Sobering thoughts . . . but important ones.

Best of luck.