vinny5 Posted December 6, 2012 Posted December 6, 2012 I would personally choose school and the ROTC program, or possibly the Acadamy. I am currently active duty as a maintainer, and wish I would have joined the ROTC program in school. Either way if you want to become an officer it is highly competitive so be prepared to put in the hours for your education. Best of luck and hope that you get into a good program!
rocketdancer Posted December 25, 2012 Posted December 25, 2012 Please go to College! You won't regret it!
Wolf424 Posted December 25, 2012 Posted December 25, 2012 Go ROTC. Spend four years at a public university chasing tail and drinking beer. You won't regret it. (even if you don't get a pilot slot)
scoobs Posted January 4, 2013 Posted January 4, 2013 If you go Guard/Reserve what are you going to do for a day job once you have your wings.
Tnkrdriver Posted January 4, 2013 Posted January 4, 2013 Here is my 2 cents, I joined the active duty after a year of doing nothing around my town and decided I needed direction. I was lucky to get a good job with AD ( Air Traffic Control). After about 2 years of training the job pretty much turns into just going to work 5 days a week and going home. Plus there is plenty of time to finish your degree. I finished my degree after only 4 years in and after coming out of pocket for my VFR, the post 911 GI bill paid for my instrument and commercial certifications. So with all that the AD has worked out pretty well for me and gave me a six figure career for when I am flying with a guard unit. I am currently applying to units. My advice is if you are going to enlist, choose a job that will work for you and allow you to get the most out of the Air Force towards your goal of becoming a pilot.
Dandemonium Posted January 14, 2013 Author Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Here is my 2 cents, I joined the active duty after a year of doing nothing around my town and decided I needed direction. I was lucky to get a good job with AD ( Air Traffic Control). After about 2 years of training the job pretty much turns into just going to work 5 days a week and going home. Plus there is plenty of time to finish your degree. I finished my degree after only 4 years in and after coming out of pocket for my VFR, the post 911 GI bill paid for my instrument and commercial certifications. So with all that the AD has worked out pretty well for me and gave me a six figure career for when I am flying with a guard unit. I am currently applying to units. My advice is if you are going to enlist, choose a job that will work for you and allow you to get the most out of the Air Force towards your goal of becoming a pilot. I'm going in on an open general contract. I'm hoping that whatever job I get I'll be able to study aeronautics at embry riddle while applying for all the commissioning programs every year. (btw I didn't qualify for ATC) Edited January 14, 2013 by Dandemonium
Tnkrdriver Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 I'm going in on an open general contract. I'm hoping that whatever job I get I'll be able to study aeronautics at embry riddle while applying for all the commissioning programs every year. (btw I didn't qualify for ATC) expect to become security forces if you are going in open general especially if your asvab scores weren't over 75 which I believe is the qualifying score for ATC. 14 hours days working the gate checking id's. I'd rethink the whole open general thing but that's just my opinion. Not really sure what your recruiter is telling you but it seems he has done you a dis-service by allowing you to sign an open general contract. I'd like to sugar coat it for you but I really cant... if you really want to become a pilot then you might want to take a hold of your career path rather than just rolling the dice and letting the Air Force decide where you end up.
guineapigfury Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 expect to become security forces if you are going in open general especially if your asvab scores weren't over 75 which I believe is the qualifying score for ATC. 14 hours days working the gate checking id's. I'd rethink the whole open general thing but that's just my opinion. Not really sure what your recruiter is telling you but it seems he has done you a dis-service by allowing you to sign an open general contract. I'd like to sugar coat it for you but I really cant... if you really want to become a pilot then you might want to take a hold of your career path rather than just rolling the dice and letting the Air Force decide where you end up. This is probably the worst part. Ideally you want to enlist, then use TA to grab that Degree(s). Leave with your GI bill intact and then head to OTS with a pilot slot. I would either pursue a job as enlisted aircrew so you build some air sense, or go for something really easy like Services. You'll probably end up making PBJ's at Diego Garcia or handing out towels at the gym, but at least you'll have time to knock out the degree. Hell, sign up for 6 years and get your masters while you are at it.
HU&W Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 Good jobs to enlist in if you want to become an Air Force pilot some day: 1. Any aircrew. 2. ATC 3. Crew Chief 4. Maintenance . . . 497. Open General 498. Security Forces 499. Army Infantry A little tongue in cheek humor, but not too far off from the truth. Based on experience and observation, I personally don't think your stated goals match the expected outcome of your choice. My own path to becoming a pilot was not too far off from the one you're about to take, but I worked very hard and got extremely lucky. So, all I can say is good luck.
TechForce Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 Good luck with what you end up choosing. My .02 would be to go to college. If you're dead set on getting an aero degree of some sort go for it. I will say, you don't have to have such a degree to be selected for a pilot slot. Using my self as an example, I was a senior in college before deciding to join ROTC. With a NON technical degree and a 2.4 GPA I still got a pilot slot/graduated/commissioned. You can look at it either way, 4 years of college/ROTC/OTS or 4 years of enlistment, while earning a degree, then OTS. Both paths can lead to the same outcome and it isn't really which one is easier or harder, it's which one is more likely for you to earn a pilot slot. Again good luck, hope you make it one way or the other.
Boxhead Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 Like so many things, "it depends". People go to pilot training every day with zero experience. They do just fine. It does not matter what job you have during your enlisted time, what matters is that it's something you would enjoy. You can go be a Flight Engineer and then not get selected for a pilot slot, or you can be a cop and get one because they need a bunch of pilot Lt's that FY when you apply. Your enlisted job won't matter in your selection. You matter in your selection. Don't suck.
dfgyu76 Posted January 16, 2013 Posted January 16, 2013 You can go be a Flight Engineer. Are you inferring flight engineers have a good shot at getting selected? I briefly looked into it..
Kenny Powers Posted January 16, 2013 Posted January 16, 2013 Just a data point here. Myself and six of my friends got hired last year with ANG units. We are all prior Mx (Avionics or Crew Chiefs), minus one civilian non prior. All of us came from fighter squadrons, so I don't have any insight on enlisted flyers. The majority of prior E types that have been hired in the two ANG fighter squadrons I have been in have come from the flightline. Not all, but a significant majority.
dfgyu76 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Just a data point here. Myself and six of my friends got hired last year with ANG units. We are all prior Mx (Avionics or Crew Chiefs), minus one civilian non prior. All of us came from fighter squadrons, so I don't have any insight on enlisted flyers. The majority of prior E types that have been hired in the two ANG fighter squadrons I have been in have come from the flightline. Not all, but a significant majority. What do you think about intel? my unit only supports heavy's and there are no aircrew positions open.. I'd like to get picked up by a fighter squadron in a few years
Boxhead Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Are you inferring flight engineers have a good shot at getting selected? I briefly looked into it.. Nope, but they would have good general SA and the ability to study any new system. I was inferring that it does not matter what you do, do something you will enjoy, do it well, and that is what you should do.
Dandemonium Posted January 22, 2013 Author Posted January 22, 2013 Good luck with what you end up choosing. My .02 would be to go to college. If you're dead set on getting an aero degree of some sort go for it. I will say, you don't have to have such a degree to be selected for a pilot slot. Using my self as an example, I was a senior in college before deciding to join ROTC. With a NON technical degree and a 2.4 GPA I still got a pilot slot/graduated/commissioned. You can look at it either way, 4 years of college/ROTC/OTS or 4 years of enlistment, while earning a degree, then OTS. Both paths can lead to the same outcome and it isn't really which one is easier or harder, it's which one is more likely for you to earn a pilot slot. Again good luck, hope you make it one way or the other. Thanks. I enlisted because there are no colleges around my area that offer aerospace engineering or AFROTC. The closest one is about 1 hour 10 minutes from my house and is just a cross-town college. I decided I might as well just enlist and do my best that way since I also am tired of my current life style here living in the city (I'm a rural person). What major did you take in college?
dfgyu76 Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Leave with your GI bill intact Why this? Save it for when you get out out UPT? Or do you just recommend that we save uncle sam's money ..
TechForce Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 What major did you take in college? General Studies. 2nd best move I've ever made.
guineapigfury Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 Why this? Save it for when you get out out UPT? Or do you just recommend that we save uncle sam's money .. No, save YOUR money. Use tuition assistance, which is free, to get your degrees while you are in. Use your GI Bill after you leave for whatever educational needs you have at that point. FENCE in, but don't forget to FENCE out.
dfgyu76 Posted January 26, 2013 Posted January 26, 2013 (edited) General Studies. 2nd best move I've ever made. Why's this? because you get to create your own curriculum and allows you to be more versatile to employers? I'm a the point where I have to pick the actual degree. can't decide between poly sci, philo, or something else equally as useless.. No, save YOUR money. Use tuition assistance, which is free, to get your degrees while you are in. Use your GI Bill after you leave for whatever educational needs you have at that point. FENCE in, but don't forget to FENCE out. ahh I see. is 'FENCE' an acronym? Edited January 26, 2013 by dfgyu76
TechForce Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 Why's this? Because I wanted to study what I wanted to study. Maybe a bad career move maybe not, time will tell. I did choose concentrations I thought would benefit me in the AF and outside it whenever that may come. I did try to avoid "usless" areas of study. What I chose for my concentrations were: Mechanical Engineering (Always interested me) Military History (Always interested me) Aerospace Studies/AFROTC Classes (Just happened to fill the last spot). Any questions on the degree program, which varys I'm sure, PM me.
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