O-townLS1

like i said im just going by what he told me and also by what a few other marines that came in there that i have went to school with for a long time and we were all friends and they told me the same thing and they werent there when he said it so when they said it without hearing him say it it led me to believe it was true. im going to take the ASVAB at school the first chance i get when we start back. that same recruiter comes to the school all the time and we have dates where we can take the ASVAB at school if we want to. i guess i will do that then go from there.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

You really need to stop listening to your recruiter. He has nothing to offer you for what you want to do. Officers are totally different than Enlisted. You need to look at the ways to go straight to Officer (which your Enlisted recruiter has no way to help you on this path as it is not his job). The ASVAB is for Enlisted personell only. It will not help you in your path at all for the Officer position you need to become the pilot. Try to find the number for the OSO. He will be able to give you GOOD info on what you need to do, and where you need to go.

Enlisted recruiters priorities are simple. They look out for themselves and their quota's first. To take care of their quota's they need bodies put into jobs on the enlisted side. To get that, they will tell you whatever you want to hear that will incorporate you into an enlisted spot they need to fill. Earlier in my career I had a recruiter tell me the best way to become a pilot was to become a crew cheif so I would have intimate knowledge of the planes! This wasn't true at all. It was just the fact he needs crew chief spots to be filled as they are undermanned (mostly because the job sucks royally and everyone I know who got suckered into being a crew chief is getting out as soon as their enlistment is up, or is desperatly trying to cross train to a different job). Bottom line here, your hopes and dreams of becoming that fighter pilot are no-where on your enlisted recruiter's priorities, even though when you talk to him he will make it seem that they are.

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

OTown,
Apply for the AF or navy academy if you want to fly and you are in the top of your class. Likely you will be accepted and your chances of flying are increased a lot juts by attending the academy. Do not deal with enlisted recruiters, the AF has recruiters dedicated to recruiting officers.

CockerKid009

i'm extremely jealous of you man- i also have an obsession for flight, and am looking to go into the military. Unfortunately about 3 yrs. ago i had a problem w/ seizures. Neurologist never did narrow down the problem and i only had troubles for about a month, but i'm sure thats def. enough to screw me in any sort of aviation career. Theres no doubt in my mind thats the only thing holding me back. Sometimes life sucks- so im exploring some other options. Be glad you have the opportunity and good luck with the challanges ahead!

O-townLS1

thanks cocker for the encouragement and sorry to hear that that is stopping you. when the recruiter was asking for my info and asking me stuff that could disqualify me automatically he got to the "tattoos" question. i have 2. one on my arm and 1 on my back. he looked at the one on my back and said it might DQ me. then i took my shirt off so he could really see. its about 1cm from being unacceptable. its just below that vertebra that pokes out and he said if it touched that its unacceptable but it doesnt. i was talking to some friends at work tonight and they gave me an idea. one joined the Navy to be a seal. in his contract he had them write in that he would atleast have the chance to take the course/class before he signed it saying that he would atleast have the opportunity to take it. if he failed it then of course he wouldnt be a seal but he has to have the opportunity to take the class/course or his contract would be terminated. they did it. he failed the class but they had it in his contract. another guy i talked to tonight was in the army and he said the same thing, to get them to put it on the contract that i must have the opportunity to go to flight school within atleast 3 years or my contract would be terminated. he was an officer in the Army and he said they can do that they just dont want you to know they can. so i guess the question is, have yall ever heard of this? it couldnt hurt to try it i guess.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

Well first of all the tatoo thing is a big deal. I have seen numerous people not get in for that very reason. Officers they will be even more strick on. Now, as a RATED officer candidate you are ONLY applying for a flying position, of which you can ask specifically for a pilot spot only. That is about the best you can do. After that you have to be best in your pilot training to pick from what Airframe's are available. If you don't do well in your class, its possible you may end up with something like an AC-130 and not a fighter. That no one can garuntee you.

All of this still starts though with you starting as an officer, witch begins with you either going to the academy or finishing college first before you try for OTS or a similar program.

Have you talked or found contact info for the OSO? Again, and this is a MUST, you need to stop talking with the enlisted recruiter as he will tell you and do anything for you to enlist, which as mentioned before will do nothing but delay you and your dreams of becoming a pilot.

O-townLS1

i talked to the recruiter today and he said he will get the number for the OSO and give it to me when i go up there on my off day next week (tues. or wed.) and he said his CO is a fighter pilot and he will try to get me in contact with him to.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

Good deal man. The OSO should be able to point you in the right direction. Just keep in mind he may have a quota to fill as well, so he might also try to sway you into something that won't be the most direct way to becoming a fighter pilot. If it involves you getting into any other career other than pilot while going to school, I would stay away from them as well. If they tell you to try to go through ROTC, or the Academy, or go to school first and go to OTS afterwards, then they are honestly trying to help you achieve your specific goals.

You are doing it right so far by sticking to your guns about what you want. Good luck man and keep it up. I and others will be here to help you out. Being in the position I am in the USAF I get to see several Military members in several different jobs, and its amazing how many got swindled into a job where they hate it. It's also incredible seeing someone who got the job they really wanted, and how much they accell in their career, and enjoy the military. If I can help someone like yourself get the job they really want, and were put on this earth for, I am all about it. I also have the means to help you more than others since I also am trying for a pilot spot and have gotten quite a bit of info over the years on it.

1fastTransAm

iTrader: (6)

I hear you on the seizure thing, Im army mp been in for 3+ years had one seizure and my career progression stopped. I got kicked out doin the job i love (whether combat or garrison) I might have the oppurtunity of going back and doin my job in Aug (keeping my fingers crossed).

OtownLS1, lookin at your sat scores and stuff your best bet is to go officer man. enroll in the Air Force academy man get your 4yrs done and go then go fly. Get your education man trust me you will thank yourself later. as far as being away from the family. you will fell homesick no matter what you do, i still do, but as long as you are doing what you love i gurantee you will be alright. but once again, you are a smart kid go to the academy get your education and many more doors will open up for you.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do man.

O-townLS1

the problem is i HAVE to go to JSU (jacksonville state univerity) because i made a promise to my dad a long time ago that i would go and march southerners (im on the drumline) and i got a scholarship for it and i dont break my promises. going to college anywhere else is out of the question because im not breaking a promise to my dad. i am a man of my word. if going to this college instead of the academy delays me from being a pilot then so be it, but this is one promise i cant break.

jack stephen

I feel like im watching a dramatic movie reading all this dramatic dialogue

BigT2002

iTrader: (2)

Dude, I'm pretty sure your father would understand if you didn't want to do that to do something else. I have yet to met a parent who wasn't looking out for the best interest of their child, especially at 18. If you want to be a pilot then do it. You don't really seem to want it bad enough in my opinion. You keep doing what I did when I got out of HS and kept saying I was going to join the military and it took me almost 2 years to do it.


What everyone has said on here is true. Don't listen to an enlisted recruiter if you wanna go officer and fly. Don't listen to everything you'll hear from either...you have more than enough people in every branch on this website alone to ask questions to and who will at give you some rendition of their career and hows it gone. And I would take any one on heres word for it over a recruiters. Mine lied to me to get me to fill a Command Post spot. Told me what my clearance would be and the "good" parts of my job. Didn't tell me about the biatch work I do every single day now. So don't hang on every word.

Go to a military academy.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

Going to that college instead of the academy won't for sure delay you being a pilot. The academy is basically a military controlled college anyway. Honestly it is possible that by going to college and then applying to OTS or a similar program that you would actually become a pilot faster. However I cannot deny that the academy would look better.

Either avenue you choose would be fine though.

O-townLS1

thats exactly what im saying. i cannot break my promise to my dad and ive been talking to some board members through pm's on here and they said it wouldnt affect me in a negative way by going to JSU rather than the academy. i want to go into the marines. would the academy still count for that? im not going to the academy but i would just like to know anyways.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

The Academy is the USAF Academy, so it is only for individuals seeking a career in the Air Force as an Officer.

So you want to go the Marine route? I can't say that any pilot spot would be a bad one, but I know the life the Marines live, and the machines they use and fly, and the living conditions and their deployments. I'm not trying to sway you into another better branch, but you need to be fully informed of the differences between being a fighter pilot for the Navy, or the Marines, and the Air Force.

Marine pilots- The Marines have the oldest, most worn out broken down planes of all the branches. In some cases the Pilot is also the mechanic on them. A Marine Pilot will also deploy and be deployed more often, and for longer periods of time than the Navy and the Air Force. Their living conditions are the worst among the Department of Defense, and although the Marines are first to fight usually on the ground, its not the case at all in the sky.

Navy pilots- These guys are similar to the Marines, although their planes are slightly better maintained and in slightly better condition. Living conditions are moderatly better than Marines. One good thing about considering the Navy to become a pilot in, is that they simply have the most aircraft between all the branches. So, there are more opportunities, and therefore more options for you which is a good thing. You will still deploy often and for usually long periods of time, but not as often and not for as long of a time as the Marines. The Navy is EXTREMLY rank oriented. They even seperate different ranks among the enlisted people so you aren't allowed to sit at the same table to eat as someone of a different rank as you (even just one rank above or below). For Navy fighter pilots, expect to be on an aircraft carrier A LOT!

Air Force pilots- Having seen all branches closely, I can easily say that the Air Force is the cream of the crop. Air Force pilots are treated MUCH better, being given much better places to live, being treated with more respect. They deploy the least, and for the smallest amount of time. Their planes are the newest and best taken care of (not to mention FAR superior to any other branches fighters). Their training is usually a little more extensive as a reflection of the more technologicly advanced planes they have. One downfall about being a pilot in the USAF, is that they like to move their people around a bit more than the other branches. Meaning, after about 5 years in an airframe and at a certain base, often they will retrain you on a different airframe at a different base. Usually the Air Force fighters are the first to go into the fight (since they have the better toys than the other branches).

Just some info you might want to consider while you go to college before you sign some paperwork assigning you to a certain branch. I know some Marine and Navy pilots that see their families maybe a month's time total in a year or less. I know some Air Force pilots that are only gone for two months out of the year (or less in some cases). If you plan on being a family man, or even a married one, this is something to think about. It really depends on what you want out of your fighter pilot career, but seeing all the branches, I really have to say that the Air Force is by far the best in my opinion. I can't tell you how many times a Marine, or Sailor, or Troop from the Army has told me "Man, I wish I was in the Air Force".

2000KnightRider

iTrader: (21)

Be a fighter pilot, they get the most booty.

CockerKid009

Do you think i'll have in trouble going in (no matter which branch). I know i have to be off all prescription meds for at least a yr. before entering basic, so i plan to come off this winter when football season is over. Down side is i loose my liscense for six month. That's why i plan to do it in the winter while the TA is in the garage

g-ryde1

iTrader: (3)

sorry i was logged in under my buddys login. but yea the driving thing sux *** but i aint gonna lie i drove anyway. as far as i know the army is the only tolerant of seizures. the neurologist i spoke to was air force and he told me air force, navy and marine policy is one seizure med board. army you can keep on rollin just gotta wait for six months. if you only had one than you are good, more than one and you may be looking at a reclass or med board.
any more questions pm man ill give you all the stuff i know of so far that doctors have told me.

sorry to hijack your thread o-townls1

HOHN

Yes and no. Yes, AF pilots get treated a heck of a lot better and have better planes to fly. But our planes are getting really old. F-15s were built in the mid-70s, F-16s late 70s and early 80s. Tankers and B-52s are almost all 50+years old. C-130s are mostly H models from the early-mid 70s. C-5s are 60s and 70s.

Really, all we have for new planes are C-17s and F-22s.

USAF pilots will actually move every 4 years in the CONUS (mainland US) and 3 years overseas. You'll move a lot. But you won't likely re-train in different airplanes. That retraining used to be common when a newer, better plane was coming out every 8 years or so. Now that we fly the same planes for generations, you'll be stuck in whatever airframe until you retire--unless you request a cross-train and get accepted.

Seriously, we have some B-52 pilots flying the same planes their GRANDFATHERS flew! My boss is an F-15 pilot and his son is also flying them.

If you look across the USAF, you'll see that the only pilots that have a lot of experience in many different planes are either old guard Generals with stars on their shoulders, or they are test pilots.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

Actually, it depends on what type of pilot in some cases for moving around. I know several fighter pilots that started on the F-16, then flew F-15's, and now fly the F-22. Likewise goes for AMC pilots who originally flew C-21's, then flew KC-10's, and now are starting to become C-17 or even G-5 pilots. Like I said it all depends, I do know of a few like you mentioned that stay in one airframe for an entire career, but I have heard of and seem more cases the other way where they move around a lot more.

As for the oldest planes, the Marines and Navy still have the Air Force beat accross the board. Yes, many of you B-52's, KC-135's, and even some various fighter aircraft were developed and manufactured 30+ years ago. However, many of those aircraft that were the beggining models and the first to roll off the assembly line have been retired, dismantled (in the B-52's case especially due to a NATO contract with Russia), or upgraded to newer models. Many of the B-52's have been upgraded so many times they aren't really considered an old aircraft (I believe the BUFF is up to the H model now, in many cases the frame isn't even original). As for the fighters as O-town will apply for anyways, all the old A models are retired, been sold, or in museums now. Most everything that fly's fighter wise is less than 15 years old. Granted the Navy's SuperHornet is fairly new as well, but the vast majority of thier fighters are ancient compared to the Air Force.

In reguards to the guy asking about medical waivers for seizures. Its simple, the Army is hurting for troops BIG TIME since they deploy so much, and almost all of thier troops get out and never come back as soon as their enlistment is up (they have it pretty bad). The Marines and Navy are keeping up with their numbers. The Air Force is actually downsizing, so they really aren't looking to make exceptions for those wanting to get in. The only spots the Air Force is taking enlisted wise are those that are short of people as well such as security forces. If the Army won't take you, pretty much no one will.