Every child grows up with dreams and desires. They attend college, own a home, travel the world, become the CEO of a company or even the President. All these goals and dreams can be achieved with determination, hard work and discipline. Hard work and determination are determined on a personal level, so I hope I can help you as a guide to people who want to become an Air Force pilot.
I am sorry to say that not everyone who wants to be a combat pilot can become one, at least not through the Citizenship of the United States Air Force . An age limit is required, which states that it must be established before being 28.5 years born< /a> and must be established by your 30th birthday. As long as these things agree, read on.
Step one – became an Air Force Officer. Every pilot in every aircraft that flies in the military is either a lieutenant commander or a warrant officer [commanders fly helicopters and cannot be discussed in this article]. To become an officer you must receive a commission from one of three available commission sources. You can receive a command through the Air Force Academy, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), or Officer Training School (OTS ). Links to each of the commit sources can be found at the end of the article. In addition to receiving the commission, you must also have a bachelor’s degree. While you can work toward your degree while at the Air Force Academy or by participating in ROTC, you must first obtain the degree. By applying OTS.
Step two – get the pilot slot from your source commit. This task is a bit more complicated and competitive than the first one. To make matters more complicated, all three contracting sources select pilots using different criteria, standards, and processes. To make things simpler, let’s look at each source in detail.
Air Force Academy: The Air Force Academy will rank all cadets in each class from number to one. This ranking is based on academic grades, military performance, and physical fitness. Academic performance, which accounts for 50% of your overall grade, is by far the most important. So study and watch to get a high GPA in engineering! Military performance is based on subjective measurements by your superiors, how well you lead, perform duties, and perform the job and class objectives. . Military performance is estimated at 35%. This is by far the most difficult to score well, since there are no subjective ones. However, keeping a good attitude and a good work ethic will help in this area. Finally, body weight should be 15% of your total class. Your physical fitness is measured by a quantitative physical fitness test, which consists of pushups, situps, 1.5 mile runs and a tape measure. The test is based on a 100 point scale with a 1.5 mile run worth 50% – so make sure you stay wild in the morning! After four years of school and , and establish a higher order, consider the actual state of fall. In the middle of your senior year, you fill out a dream sheet with what positions you would like to have in the Air Force, and find out later that year. Of course, those cadets with higher orders will ask for a number first;
Reserve Service Corps Training: Getting a pilot slot through ROTC is very similar to getting one through the Air Force Academy, except for a few variables. Like the Air Force Academy, they are ranked in the number of graduating classes by the last one. That ranking is based on your offensive grade, GPA, physical fitness, campus placement results, and your Pilot Selection Selection Method (PCSM) score. The main order of your leader is that it is loaded at 50%. This ranking is subjective and is based on the overall picture of who you are. Are you caught? Would you like to offer? Are you showing up on time? Are you staying up late? Do you want to consistently deliver results and do well in a compelling way? If you answer yes to these questions, then it will help your order as an emperor. GPA is weighted 15% and must be self-explanatory. Physical fitness is weighted 15% using the same physical fitness, explained above, that the Air Force Academy uses (which also happens to be the same test the active duty Air Force uses to measure overall physical fitness). The results of field training for ROTC are unique. The summer between your sophomore and junior year cadets are sent to United Field at Tyndall AFB, Florida, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, or Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Dakota‘s four weeks for “master type” camp tents. At these United Training Camps you are organized into ranks within your individual flight (which usually consist of 20 – 25 members) numbering one by one. About 15 to 20 flights in each of these units. This rank is assigned to the ROTC squad and is weighted 15% of your total rank. Finally, your PCSM score is weighted 10%. This score is a compilation of your Basic Aptitude Test (BAT Test), Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT), and any private flying hours you may already have. While he took you through all of these tests and scores in detail, the best way to score in this class is to prepare for the AFOQT by looking at the study guides (check out the browser here: http://www.baseops.net/afoqt/) and having a few hours of private flying. I know private flying hours can be expensive so the most “points” per dollar are spent on around 11 private flying hours. Be aware that 11 hours will cost you more than $500 for the plane rental, and the pilot and instructor fees, but give you a tip to maximize your PCSM score. You will submit your ROTC Dream Sheets midway through your junior year and find out later in your senior year. Again, cadets with higher ranks will receive their top choices.
Service Training School: Unlike the Academy or Air Force or ROTC, you apply for specific Air Force positions (pilot) in the overall application submission to OTS. So if you apply to OTS to apply for a pilot and are accepted, you will be a pilot! The application process is a bit long and arduous for OTS. OTS commissions the smallest number of officers compared to the other two commission sources and can be selected from among those who receive the program. The application process consists of several interviews, a physical fitness test, your overall GPA in college, the BAT test, and the AFOQT. How many individual tests and interviews are not open. The same effort that would make you successful in ROTC will more than likely help you in your application to OTS.
Step Three – Attend pilot training and choose tracking for T-38s. Remember that everything that has been done so far is simply a place for Air Force pilot training. Now you need to do pilot training and excel as a fighter. There are six pilot training bases located throughout the country. Vance AFB, Oklahoma, Laughlin AFB, Texas, Columbus AFB, Mississippi, Candidate Field, Florida, Moody AFB, and Sheppard AFB, Texas. Pilot training is about 55 weeks long, in which your flying training time and personal preferences dictate whether you continue to train in T-1 Jayhawks and go on to fly transport, transport and refueling aircraft or T-38 Talons and go on to fly bomber and fighter aircraft. Your flying performance ratings are generally based on your performance during a few key rides called “check rides” in which your overall performance is evaluated.
Doing well in these check rides is vital to being able to fly your choice of what type of aircraft you want to fly. And if you are reading this article, that type of aircraft is probably a fighter. Just don’t expect everything to be like “Top Gun”, it takes a good job. Good bye!
