Graduating in May, pushing for Pilot

[jvlonardo]

Do I have a shot at any non-UAV pilot slot? Heck, I'll go for fighter just like anyone else but I think I wouldn't be completely bummed if I got to fly in anything with wings. Should I just go for reserves so I know where I'm headed exactly, or active-duty for the best chances?

Once I take a flight physical and ensure I can qualify, I was considering getting a PPL if that would help. Big investment though so want to be sure I have a chance. Also, wrong section but, I feel like my eyes are on the borderline for acceptable at 2.75 (20/200)... unless there's waivers... is it possible to get Lasik as a civilian now or is it still only available with a USAF surgeon?

Dad wanted me to go navigator reserve at a nearby C130 base (910th) but I thought why settle there. Took TBAS and AFOQT this month. I think I mostly just did bad on the control stick portion of the TBAS, despite a lot of flight sim games... think an FPS game with a flight stick would've been better.

Age: 22 (Oct. 24, '95)

AFOQT Scores:

1. Pilot: 86
2. Nav: 99
3. Academic: 91
4. Verbal: 86
5. Quantitative: 87

PCSM: 52 (ouch)

• 1-5 hours: 57
• 6-10 hours: 62
• 11-20 hours: 66
• 21-40 hours: 70
• 41-60 hours: 74
• 61-80 hours: 79
• 81-100 hours: 83
• 101-200 hours: 87
• 201+ hours: 90

Flying Hours: 0

GPA: 3.91 in Mechanical Engineering. Graduating in May.

Extra Curriculars include Eagle Scout / current Assistant Scoutmaster for local troop, engineering & project management work experience, engineering honors society and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

[tk1313]

5 hours ago, jvlonardo said:

Do I have a shot at any non-UAV pilot slot? Heck, I'll go for fighter just like anyone else but I think I wouldn't be completely bummed if I got to fly in anything with wings. Should I just go for reserves so I know where I'm headed exactly, or active-duty for the best chances?

Once I take a flight physical and ensure I can qualify, I was considering getting a PPL if that would help. Big investment though so want to be sure I have a chance. Also, wrong section but, I feel like my eyes are on the borderline for acceptable at 2.75 (20/200)... unless there's waivers... is it possible to get Lasik as a civilian now or is it still only available with a USAF surgeon?

Dad wanted me to go navigator reserve at a nearby C130 base (910th) but I thought why settle there. Took TBAS and AFOQT this month. I think I mostly just did bad on the control stick portion of the TBAS, despite a lot of flight sim games... think an FPS game with a flight stick would've been better.

Age: 22 (Oct. 24, '95)

AFOQT Scores:

1. Pilot: 86
2. Nav: 99
3. Academic: 91
4. Verbal: 86
5. Quantitative: 87

PCSM: 52 (ouch)

• 1-5 hours: 57
• 6-10 hours: 62
• 11-20 hours: 66
• 21-40 hours: 70
• 41-60 hours: 74
• 61-80 hours: 79
• 81-100 hours: 83
• 101-200 hours: 87
• 201+ hours: 90

Flying Hours: 0

GPA: 3.91 in Mechanical Engineering. Graduating in May.

Extra Curriculars include Eagle Scout / current Assistant Scoutmaster for local troop, engineering & project management work experience, engineering honors society and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

I definitely think you have a shot. You've probably heard this before, and you'll hear it again: Whole Person Concept. I also think you should try to get your PPL or as many hours as you can afford.

Reserves vs. Active Duty is your personal choice. You can always apply for both and see which one gets you there faster if that's truly what you want.

You can get Lasik/PRK done as a civilian, and sooner is better than later from what I've been told by others who have had the surgery.

As for the Nav//fighter/etc questions you seem to be asking, I would recommend you start to focus in on what you want to do. There's a long road ahead of you, and not being sure that the route you took is exactly what you want is not going to help you get through all the training. If you want to go after a pilot slot, go after a pilot slot. If you've always wanted to fly fighters, go after fighters. If you truly don't care what you fly, and just want to get there quick, apply for anything and everything (including AD).

Good luck!

 

[gear3green]

^what he said plus add some flight time under your belt. 

[jvlonardo]

Thanks for your inputs. I'm waiting for my recruiter to get back from vacation so he can help me start the flight physical process. I'll try to research careers in the mean time to include Navigator, Fighter, and anything else once I know the specifics. Hoping my project management experience working with the 910th base can get me a visit and some information as well. I was excited that I obtained a 99 Nav but at this point, a pilot slot sounds way more enticing to me. As I understand it, what plane you get is based on class rank in UPT. Not sure if this still applies if you're going for a specific Reserve base as well though with its available platforms.

 

Any way that I think guarantees a slot would be preferable, as I will be dropping a lot of dough on the PPL and potentially Lasik as well before joining the service.

[Seriously]

If you want to be a pilot, don't settle for anything less (if you can help it).  Once you go nav or ABM, your chances of ever becoming a pilot are extremely small. It happens, but it will be even more competitive.

Getting a PPL will help in a lot of ways. It'll give you insight into whether or not you actually want to be a pilot, it shows that you want to be a pilot, and in UPT it will give you confidence on the radios.

[jvlonardo]

On 2/20/2018 at 3:33 AM, Seriously said:

If you want to be a pilot, don't settle for anything less (if you can help it).  Once you go nav or ABM, your chances of ever becoming a pilot are extremely small. It happens, but it will be even more competitive.

Getting a PPL will help in a lot of ways. It'll give you insight into whether or not you actually want to be a pilot, it shows that you want to be a pilot, and in UPT it will give you confidence on the radios.

Thanks for your input. I'd like to go for a PPL as my time (during this very busy final semester) allows. I had my first flight lesson today and am going to accumulate more flying hours. Hopefully that will help me decide on being a pilot (after this first flight, I'm confident my mind won't change). Current plan is to accumulate hours, visit 910th, and work for a sponsorship to go get my flight physical. Depending on how that goes, I'll see what I should do. My eyes aren't the greatest so I'm worried about that and would like to find out sooner rather than later that I'm either good or denied for UPT.

[Seriously]

20/70 is the limit and waivers aren't that uncommon. Good luck!