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Thread: Being a Fighter Pilot

  1. #1
    Tony LoCurto's Avatar
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    Being a Fighter Pilot

    Hello All,

    I am 17 and planning to do Air Force ROTC at Purdue in 2 years. I would very much like to fly for them once I get out but I was wondering what the training is like and how competitive it is. Also if anyone in this form did AFROTC if they could tell me what thats like.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    My son is currently in AF UPT flying the Texan T-6II. It is NOT an easy job to get selected for. HIGHLY competetive and the selection process is very 'picky'. The only advise I can tell you is to take a lot of math course in school. He graduated from ERAU with a degree in Aeroscpace Engineering. He did this with the help of AFROTC. Go down and talk to your local AF recruiter or search the net for info on AF IFS.

    Keith

  3. #3
    Todd copeland's Avatar
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    Another big help is to get your private ticket now, even an instrument rating too. If you don't know someone within the air force try to meet some. Especially higher ranking people with influence. Don't underestimate how much that can help if youz impress one of these individuals with your character, drive, and accomplishment toward your goals.

  4. #4
    Eric Page's Avatar
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    Math and science will definitely help you get selected for UPT, but they're not mandatory. I was selected with a degree in Humanities and mediocre grades in the few math and science classes I took. That said, I was enlisted in the AF and had a stellar record and good recommendation letters when I applied, so I was a known quantity.

    I don't know if they still do it, but when I applied (~1997) the AF gave each applicant a computerized aptitude test. There was a section on aviation knowledge, but the most memorable parts were the tests of what I would call "skills aptitude." It tested how you process spacial relationships, your hand-eye coordination, your ability to anticipate a hidden object's position based on a brief view of its direction and speed, and your ability to guide two objects around obstacles using two joysticks simultaneously. It was pretty fun, actually. As I recall, the knowledge part was fairly basic; Private Pilot ground school level knowledge.

    Keep a few things in mind if you go to a recruiter:

    - The AF (and perhaps the other services) use separate recruiters for enlisted and officer accessions. If you walk into an enlisted recruiter's office, he will try to enlist you, and he's unlikely to know much about commissioning programs. Call ahead and be sure you're going to an officer recruiting station. There's usually only one in each area, unlike enlisted recruiters you see in strip malls all over the place.

    - Going enlisted first is still a great option if you're interested. There used to be OTS and UPT slots set aside for enlisted applicants which were unavailable to civilians or ROTC cadets, increasing the odds for internal applicants. I don't know if that's still the case. However, there were time constraints on enlisted applicants. You had to have a year in service and a year on station before you could apply. If you had a long tech school, or multiple schools for your enlisted job (causing you to move from base to base several times, it could be two years or more before you were even eligible to apply (ask me how I know...). Again, this may have changed.

    Good luck!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
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    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  5. #5
    Tony LoCurto's Avatar
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    Thank you so much! Right now I am going out for my private pilots license but I am having trouble with getting my medical since I have a history of epilepsy.
    Keith-tell your son thank you for his service by the way.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tony LoCurto View Post
    Right now I am going out for my private pilots license but I am having trouble with getting my medical since I have a history of epilepsy.
    Wow......might want to re-think the career plan.

  7. #7
    Eric Page's Avatar
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    Wow, Marty, how about a little tact? After all, this is a kid's aviation dreams we're discussing here.

    Tony, I'm sorry, but you may find that you'll be disqualified from military flying duty because of your history of epilepsy, unless it was at a very early age and has never reoccurred.

    Read this: http://www.asams.org/guidelines/Comp...20Seizures.htm

    For definitive answers, you can try to contact either the AF Surgeon General's office or a flight surgeon at the AF base nearest to your home. Call the base switchboard (number should be in the blue pages in your phone book) and ask for the Aerospace Medicine Clinic. You can also find links to each base's website on http://www.af.mil/.

    You may also find useful medical and test-prep info at this site: http://www.baseops.net/archive/archivemedical.html

    The aptitude test I referred to in my earlier post is the BAT. There's a link on the BaseOps website about it.

    Best of luck. I hope it works out well for you!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  8. #8
    Anymouse's Avatar
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    Tony,

    You might want to go on Pilots of America (wwwpilotsofamerica.com) and pose your question in the medical forum. You can do this anonymously if you don't want to sign up. Dr Bruce Chien will answer and give you the straight scoop. He's the guy the FAA listens to.

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Page View Post
    Wow, Marty, how about a little tact? After all, this is a kid's aviation dreams we're discussing here.

    Tony, I'm sorry, but you may find that you'll be disqualified from military flying duty because of your history of epilepsy, unless it was at a very early age and has never reoccurred.

    Read this: http://www.asams.org/guidelines/Comp...20Seizures.htm

    For definitive answers, you can try to contact either the AF Surgeon General's office or a flight surgeon at the AF base nearest to your home. Call the base switchboard (number should be in the blue pages in your phone book) and ask for the Aerospace Medicine Clinic. You can also find links to each base's website on http://www.af.mil/.

    You may also find useful medical and test-prep info at this site: http://www.baseops.net/archive/archivemedical.html

    The aptitude test I referred to in my earlier post is the BAT. There's a link on the BaseOps website about it.

    Best of luck. I hope it works out well for you!
    Someday I'll come up with something profound to put here.

  9. #9

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    A list of FAA medically disqualifying conditions can be found here:

    http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certific...faq/response6/

  10. #10
    JoeM's Avatar
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    Tony, don't write off the Air Force as a career if flying is not an option. The military is a very rewarding career especially if you become an officer. The only regret I have after serving 20 years is that I didn't stay for 30, something I didn't realize until after I got out. As an enlisted avionics tech there was nothing better than working to keep all those fighters flying after the fighter jocks broke them....
    Joe Mikus, MSgt USAF (ret) Avionics Tech
    Perryville, MD
    Student Sport Pilot

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