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The road ahead to becoming a pilot.
How to become a Military Pilot

Thread Starter: HaloRacer
Started: 09-06-2005 5:17 PM
Replies: 9

Community Server :: Forums » Military Aviation » How to become a Military Pilot » The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

06 Sep 2005, 5:17 PM

HaloRacer is not online. Last active: 11/30/2005 5:48:17 PM

HaloRacer

Top 25 Posts

Joined on 09-07-2005
Posts 7

The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

Hey all, I was researching about becoming a USAF pilot and other things and came upon this site. I'd like it if someone would be able to give me a kind of walkthrough of what I would need to do to be a fighter pilot. I've seen some of the other threads, but I'd like to post this one for me.

I am almost 15 years old, a Sophomore in high school. And very interested in a career in the Air Force. I have good grades though I struggle a bit in some math/geometry courses, and I am also very computer litterate. I am very athletic, I do lots of cycling and running. I'm just wanting to know some of the steps I'd have to take to become a pilot, like what courses should I take in college and other things like that.

One other thing, what are soem basic requirements... I am almost 6 feet tall and I'm not sure if I'll keep growing or not. I would hate to have to give up on my dream because I'm too tall. =(

Any answers would be greatly appreciated as I am very interested in joining the ranks of the blue. Thanks! Yes

06 Sep 2005, 8:53 PM

Zero

Joined on 09-02-2005
Posts 9

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

From what i've read it appears the best roads into getting into pilot training (upt) are either through the airforce academy or by enrolling into afrotc while working on getting some sort of technical degree at your college. chances of you becoming a pilot if you enlist into the airforce after highschool or go into officer training school (ots) after college seem pretty steep. so rotc is what i'm doing while majoring in computer engineering. Get good grades and perform well in afrotc and you shouldn't have to worry too much about getting into upt. Extra things help too. Like for me i'm currenty taking lessons to get a private pilots license which will look real good. For you it could be sports or something. Anyways once in upt.....well i'll paste you an email a usaf pilot sent me about that. Its a few months old and by the time you graduate the f16s and f15s might say f35 and f22...

"There is very little luck that comes into play when being selected for a fighter assignment. UPT is tailored around performance so let me take a minute to explain what happens in UPT.

There are 3 phases to UPT. The first phase is about 6 weeks and consists only of academics. You will learn about general aviation stuff and aircraft systems. You will have a handfull of academic tests during this period as well. As this phase comes to a close you will move over to the flight line and join a flying squadron.

This is phase 2 and consists of flying either the T-37 or more likely in your case, the T-6 Texan II. While each sortie is graded, the only flights that really have a large impact on your standing are the checkrides. There are 3 parts to phase 2. You have the contact phase which you will learn how to fly the jet, land the jet, stall and recover the jet and learn other basic airmanship skills. After this you will practice aerobatics. You will have a checkride on all of this at the end of the contact phase. You will then start flying formation and learning those skills. You will have another checkride at the end of formation. The last phase in Phase 2 is the instrument phase where you learn to use your instruments for navigation in the weather. You will have a checkride at the end once again.

After all the flying is done, your flight commander will rank everyone in the class based on the folling things in order of weight:

1. Checkride scores
2. Flight Commander ranking
3. Daily Scores
4. Academic scores

Checkrides hold the most weight and can make or break you. After everyone is ranked the each member of the class turns in a preference worksheet. This paper requests the aircraft you fly for Phase 3 which is the last phase of UPT. The selection options for Phase 3 are:

1. T-38 Leads to Fighters/bombers
2. T-1 Leads to transport/tanker
3. T-44 Leads to C-130's
4. UH-1 Leads to helicopters

The flight commander then starts the matching process giving the number 1 student their first choice, number 2 their first choice if still available and so on. A typical class size is 24-28 student and there are usually between 3-7 T-38's to be assigned out. This is where the luck comes in. If you're lucky your class will have a heavy T-38 drop. If you are ranked 1 or 2 you don't need to worry about what the drop will be however as you can be pretty sure you'll get a T-38.

After getting selected for T-38's the same process begins again. The difference is that you only have 2 weeks of academics this time before you start flying. You basically have the same phases in Phase 3. Contact, formation, instruments but now we add low level. You get ranked again based on flight performance, flight commander ranking and academic performance. This time new assignments come out. Each T-38 student ranks the following aircraft:

1. F-16
2. F-15E
3. F-15C
4. A-10
5. T-38 Instructor
6. T-37/T-6 Instructor
7. B-1
8. B-2
9. B-52

Those are in no particular order. You'll notice that numbers 5 and 6 are instructors. They do select people to graduate pilot training and return right back to teach. At the end of that 3 year tour they then find out which airframe they will be going to. A typicall drop for a class of 6-7 is 2x F-16, 1x F-15C, 1x T-38, 1x T-37/T-6, 1x B-52. Some classes will not have a T-37/6 or a B-52 but will have other aircraft instead. A-10's are pretty common but not as common as F-16's and F-15's. F-15E's are pretty rare to see in a drop. B-2's are extremely rare and are given out maybe twice a year.

Ok, so all that being said how do you become a fighter pilot? You need to be at least a good pilot to get fighters. You don't have to be magically great, just good. They will teach you everything you need to know and give you every opportunity at UPT to become a good pilot. As long as you work hard at it, the average UPT student should not have a difficult time becoming a good pilot.

You need to be able to make decisions in the jet and then live with your decisions. The IP's (instructor pilot) want to see that you're thinking and at least taking some action. They expect the majority of your decisions to be bad ones because you just don't have the experience, but they at least want you making them. They know you'll learn to make the good decisions throughout the year of training, that's what its for.

Have a good attitude. This one will probably carry you the furthest. You need to have a good attitude no matter what happens. If you have a bad day and you bust (fail) a ride you need to keep that good attitude. You need to be willing to help your classmates out even though some are competing against you for fighters. If the IPs see you holding back information or not helping your classmates you will have a very hard time getting fighters. Don't be cocky and think you know more than the IP. There is a reason why they are IPs and why you'll be a student. Understand this but know that if you've got a question about what they are saying or about something they're doing in the jet ASK. IPs are people and people make mistakes. Just don't be cocky about it.

Be prepared every day. You WILL have very long days. Days will last 12 hours during phase 2. You will then go home, eat dinner, study and prepare for 2-3 hours and then go to bed. If one night you think you don't need to study at all or do anything to get ready for tomorrows flight you are wrong. During UPT there is always something to be looked at, read, reviewed whatever. That's your only purpose in life for those 3-4 months in Phase 2. Phase 3 is a lot more chill and requires a little less time, especially if you learn what you need to in Phase 2. You will hear about chair flying at UPT. This is a must and will really help you on your flights. Chair flying is just going through the whole flight in your head from how I'm going to start the jet to the radio calls I'll be making down to where I'm going to be looking durning X maneuver. I still do this today but to a very different extent. Even today I still mentally review what I'm going to do, maybe not in very great detail, but I still walk myself through the flight.

That's a lot of info but hopefully it'll give you some perspective on how the whole thing works. There's not much you can do right now to prepare. You can get your PPL if you want. That will help you get a pilot slot. Other than that, just do well in school to set yourself up to get the UPT slot to get all this rolling. If you don't get a slot the rest of this is a moot point.

Last bit of advice to you. If you look at the whole process it is very easy to become overwhelmed and thing there's no way I'm going to get a fighter. However, if you break it down things are very managable, and thats what you need to do. Take things one day at a time. If you decide that tomorrow is going to be a great flight and I'm going to do everything to make it great you're on the right track. Before you know it tomorrow's flight will be a checkride and you'll be set up for success. The next checkride will be here before you know it and next thing you know you'll be standing up infront of everyone getting your T-38 assignment for Phase 3. Break it down and its very possible to get fighters. If you don't you'll be more worried about the whole program than tomorrow's ride and lose sight of what's important."

06 Sep 2005, 11:35 PM

HaloRacer

Top 25 Posts

Joined on 09-07-2005
Posts 7

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

Ok, thanks for that. The thing is, I probably won't be able to do much until I am out of highschool. Once I am out, would the best thing to do just be talk to a recruiter? I'm afraid that it'll be too late after that.. :( And my parents don't really know about what I want to do, I'm sure dad would be cool about it, but mom would go bonkers. -_-

I'll keep my grades top priority, and my physical self in top shape. Other than that, I dont know what else to do, I have never been in any type of JROTC or anything for that matter and I'm not really sure how to get involved, what I need to do, my age, and how it would affect everything else.

07 Sep 2005, 1:50 PM

Zero

Joined on 09-02-2005
Posts 9

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

unless your goal is to go to the academy, in which case you would work your ass off in highschool to get good grades and stuff, the only thing you need to do now is stay a good student and continue to do well in ur extra curricular activities. you don't have to join jrotc (prob wouldn't hurt...don't really kno much about it) or anything like that if you don't want to. then when you graduate from highschool just find a good college that has afrotc and get a technical degree from the same place. if you perform well you will earn a pilot training slot (upt) when you finish your degree and be able to move on and become a pilot. gettin a private pilot's license sometime before you graduate college definately would improve your chances of gettin a upt spot. you could do it even when you're in highschool if you wanted. might wanna start saving money now if you plan on doin it....can be pricey, i take lessons out at the air force base where my dad works is about 100 a lesson...but thats about the cheapest i've ever seen it.

and you don'/t need to talk to a recruiter because you're not enlisting (at least i wouldn't if you want to become a pilot). towards the end of highschool you'll prob want to start lookin into afrotc at ur future college and check out the scholarships and stuff. but no, wouldn't talk to a recruiter. their primary job is just to talk you into enlisting.

EDIT: oh ya, a tip for telling your parents...let them kno that rotc will pay for your college. oh, and that when you retire from flying for the military full time you could fly commercial part time...good money.

07 Sep 2005, 6:06 PM

HaloRacer

Top 25 Posts

Joined on 09-07-2005
Posts 7

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

Yeah, I do well in school. A few other things: I am in an International Studies school, and in the IB program (International Baccalaureat) which is very respected all over the world, I hope to be able to get an IB diploma, if I do, would that help overall with get in?

I was looking at the AFROTC, where you go to college and they pay for it, and you are required to serve some amount of years. I was wondering, if I do the AFROTC, when I'm done with that, would I go onto the Academy? Or how does that work out..

Aaand another thing, what are the exact height limits.. I am exactly 6 feet tall and I am almost 15 years old.

07 Sep 2005, 6:43 PM

Zero

Joined on 09-02-2005
Posts 9

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

ur first question i have no idea about lol.

and ur second thing..about serving so many years...you do the rotc however long you're in college. usually people sign up their freshmen year but they still allow new signups sophomore year as well. and when you're done with that hopefully you go into upt...not the academy. see what you want is to go into upt. 3 ways to do that basically.....

1. go to the academy...graduate and get a slot.
2. go to college and enroll in rotc while you're there and get a slot.
3. go to college, get a technical degree, go into officer training school after you graduate and then hope to get a spot after that.

so if you do rotc hopeflly you now see that its unnecessary to go into the academy afterwards.

questions like height and vision can be found on the faq here... http://airforce.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/airforce.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_sid=j_ojS-Oh&p_lva=&p_sp=&p_li=

07 Sep 2005, 9:49 PM

HaloRacer

Top 25 Posts

Joined on 09-07-2005
Posts 7

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

If I don't get too tall, I think I'll plan on just finishing high school strong, then getting into the AFROTC in college while getting a technical degree of some sort, then move on from there.

And about the heigh thing, I went to it and the chart went up to 80 inches. I'm 6 foot right now, so 72 inches.

18 Sep 2005, 9:39 PM

EricKit is not online. Last active: 9/18/2005 9:39:35 PM

EricKit

Top 500 Posts

Joined on 09-19-2005
Posts 1

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

Being a pilot is a long road, but your best bet of going to pilot school is going to the United States Air Force academy. Contact them now, find out their requirements, and see if that is in your reach. If you are an eagle scout, that is a bonus. Try to get class rep positions in your highschool. Play varsity sports, get community service, and take both the SAT and ACT. I can tell you all this from experience. If you get turned down your first year, you can go to a prep school. Some of these are the one at the academy, Marion, NorthWestern, etc. I did this, and got in my second attempt. The academy, if you make it, gives you a great chance to get a pilot slot. Once you get here you can find out all about it.

19 Sep 2005, 12:21 AM

HaloRacer

Top 25 Posts

Joined on 09-07-2005
Posts 7

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

What about the AFROTC? Like going into that while getting a degree in aerospace or something, then could you get training for piloting? Or is it strictly the AFA?

25 Sep 2005, 8:02 PM

Zero

Joined on 09-02-2005
Posts 9

Re: The road ahead to becoming a pilot.

from what i've read and heard (my dads been in the air force all my life) you have just as good a shot as becoming a pilot through afrotc as you do goin to the academy. depends who you talk to but i wouldn't worry about it.

and a degree in aerospace isn't necessary. doesn't have to relate to flight if you don't want it. just something technical...actually i read recently about a pilot who graduated with a degree in art (was the best pilot in his class lol) so i'm not even sure...

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