O-townLS1

i am 18 years old and ever since i was 4 yrs old ive wanted to be a fighter pilot. planes are my passion. i guess you would say im just really confused on what i want to do right now with my life. im sorry if anyone gets mad about me posting in the military section and me not being in the military but this seems like the best place to ask. i come from a line of military lineage (2 uncles in vietnam army, grandpa briefed and de-briefed pilots USAF, other grandpa marksman in army of which i have many medals and trophies from competitions he won for 2000+ yards, great grandpa fighter pilot in WW2 not sure of branch) and for some reason i cant get it out of the back of my head that i want to be a pilot. i have the brains to do it i know as i am in the 98th percentile of the state as far as grades and SAT scores go and i am very strong willed and determined but that isnt the problem. the problem is im just not sure if it would be worth it. i guess its more of a fear of being away from everything and everyone i know and being on the other side of the world. can anyone give me any insight please? i am very confused and i dont have alot of time to decide what i want to. again im sorry if i made anyone mad by posting in here and not being in the military and im sure someone has asked this before on here but i couldnt find it on the search but as i stated before i thought this would be the best place. for those of you out there fighting i want to thank you for defending our freedom and allowing me to grow up in a free democratic nation unlike the ones you are fighting in. thank you very much.

-Kody

BlackLM7

It is absolutely worth it!! It seems like you were born a fighter pilot since you've had the interest for most of your life. You also seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and that you will be able to hold a great military image. Yes, you will be away from family, friends, and loved ones but that is one of the sacrifices in the military....and life. Whenever I got deployed, the reunion when I came back made my relationships stronger and more powerful. You just don't realize how important family and friends are until you don't see them for a while.

DietCoke

iTrader: (18)

Go to college first. Need that degree to get in the door. ROTC.

O-townLS1

thank you for your replies. i was afraid i was going to get flamed for posting in here and not actually being in the military. i do love flying and i have already been accepted into a few colleges and im only a junior in highschool (well a senior now when school starts back) and the one im set on is jacksonville state univ. in jacksonville, AL and they have a very good ROTC program there. that will be one thing i will be looking into. thanks for the replies.

BigT2002

iTrader: (2)

why the hell would we flame ya lol. If I could do it all over again my *** would go ROTC and come in a butter bar. More money and at least a little more respect after you've been in for a few years (first 1 or 2 i'd bust your ***** ). Enlisted is a wonderful thing if you like to be working and doing everything, but I'm more of a leader and try to make things happen...even as a NCO its almost impossible to get things done or changed because of the "isms" each locations has.

But yes I would do it if its your passion and its something that you know you can put forth 100% of your effort towards. My girlfriend goes to Oregon State and I'm in SC, gotta get used to things like that and not let it affect your image of the military nor make you want to quit for a different solution. I've been deployed and overseas for almost all of my career so far. If you can handle that, and not want to live right next to mom and dad while doing this job...GO FOR IT!

'Trust'

iTrader: (24)

I hope I don't get flamed having no military background (except for my Grandpa) and not being in myself. But if it is something you are passionate about then do it, rejection or failure is ALOT better than regret, and it sounds like this is what you are meant to do (well at least fly). I say go for it and see how it goes. Just out of curiosity though, what were your SAT scores?

Ruckus46Gt

iTrader: (9)

you get used to being away from everything. I always wanted to fly but my eyes are not good enough. I joined the af anyways and it was the best choice i ever made. I've only been in 7 months now but dont regret a minute of it. I went to college, but wasnt sure what i wanted to do with my life so joined the af. Yea you leave your friends back home but everyone is in the same boat and you make new friends fast. Oh yea you get a lot of discounts to lol

Splitz

iTrader: (1)

If you can make your way into the Academy there is "Better" promotion ability later on in your career.

I'd try the academy first if you get accepted likfe would be set for you. ACademy grads get better slots than the ROTC guys.

Not saying ROTC isn't an opportunity, but it's well known that the Academy gets more stuff BECAUSE its the USAFA.

Just my .02!

O-townLS1

out of the possible 1400 i made 1295. i am very intelligent (not bragging but been told that by many teachers in my college classes and im in highschool) but flying is what i always wanted to do and im just having to make tough decisions. you only live once so theres only a limited amount of careers you can have in a lifetime. im just torn between the careers that interest me but if i had a choice it would definately be fighter pilot.

BigT2002

iTrader: (2)

dude go Academy....seriously

wpnsman2000

iTrader: (1)

The academy is your answer. I also wanted to give some input on the whole leaving everyone behind thing. That will be the hardest thing you ever do in you whole life. I assure you of that, but with that said, it will also be the best thing you ever do. You won't realize it when you do it initially but you will eventually. And when you do return home you will say to yourself, I cannot believe I was sweating leaving this place. Because all of the people you knew are still stuck there doing nothing.....with their lives! Trust me on this.

Gold Z

iTrader: (3)

After four years of college away from home you'll learn there is life after mom and dad. If you don't follow your dream you will always regret it. Good luck.

O-townLS1

its not that im worried about leaving my parents. my whole life has pretty much been planned out with just part of my say so. i told my parents i wanted to go to the Air Force academy in colorado and i got yelled at for a while. i think its because both of my parents were "military brats" and they dont want my kids (when i have them) to go through the same thing and i think they are more worried about me being away than i am. i also told them at one point in time there was a college in california i wanted to go to for high performance engine building. "youll be too far away for us to get to you if something happend.". i guess it has something to do with me being adopted and they feel that if something happens to me they have to be right there or if something catastrophic happens (me dying) life will not go on for them. and i dont want to bring it up but we all know people die in the military. i try to ration with them and tell them that people die everyday getting out of bed. "ya well going into the military betters your chances of dying. what if you were shot down over hostile ground and you lived but were captured and they tortured you?". they questions like these never end. next time they bring the recruiters to school when it starts back im going to take the ASFVAB (not sure if thats the right letters) and see how i do. the recruiters normally come once every 2 weeks and ive talked to a few of them and they reviewed my SAT scores and everything and 4 recruiters (marines, army, ntl. gaurd, and army res.) were sitting there at the same time begging me to join. i guess i still have ALOT of thinking to do but all of your replies are VERY helpful and i appreciate them very much.

-Kody

z28ss4me

iTrader: (2)

+3 for the AF Academy. Go for an Aeronautics degree. Go, even if you have to do the 1 year prepschool just to get accepted. Hell even if you only do the required 8 years on active duty (4 year commitment for the acdamy, 1 year flight school, 3 year commitment for flight school) you'll still at most be in you're early 30's. And BTW Fighter pilots in the civilian sector make hug money. There's no down side!

camaroguy_02

academy grads have a HUGE bonus going for them. i believe you got to be an academy graduate to become a general, or at least its very tough to become one w/o the academy experience. just realize that the academy is like 4 years of basic training, only taking a full load of classes. however, ur gonna get some of the best knowledge there. as a side note, ive seen more academy grads come out with a chip on their shoulders, thinking they can tell a Chief wut to do... id suggest, if u were to ever end up going that route, that u remember that the enlisted force is the side of the AF where things happen. pilots cant fly without the airmen spending all night prepping their jets.

as far as leaving ur family - everybody will get over it. thats just the brutal truth. ive seen my dad cry 2 times in my whole life, and the second time was when i left for basic at 18. sometimes i regret coming in so early, but, i had no other way of going to college. if i did, then i'd get my education first, then joined (enlisted OR officer). its a bit harder to get that degree once ur in, since the AF has a bunch of rules governing how many classes u can take at a time, which kind of classes they'll pay for, when u can start taking them, etc.

id suggest u get that degree first - whether thru the academy, or another school.

this is all based on the principle that u want to join, of course. ya gotta make that decision, since its a huge one. figure out why u wanna serve (be honest with urself).

BigT2002

iTrader: (2)

QFT. I was sooo pissed when I went to Germany my first year that I was bitching almost every single day about wanting to get out in the first Force Shaping because I couldn't handle being away from home and "missing out" on stuff. By the time I went home for X-mas in 2004 and saw that all my friends were still living with their parents, had some deadend part-time job, and never left the state even to go do anything. I went back to Germany and saw every country, every major thing you could think of in Europe....went to FL finally and chilled on the gulf coast. Every time I go home, I laugh more and more in the fact that none of the people I chilled with have done anything super productive with their lives.

LT Malice

iTrader: (3)

O-townLS1-

I was exactly like you. My first word as a child was "airplane". I have been a fool for flying since I can remember.


I am a Marine pilot and I just got selected last week for jet training. I'll either be flying FA-18 hornets or AV8B Harriers. It will most likely be the FA-18 though. I had to jump through a lot of hoops, and put up with alot of bullshit, but I just made it into the winners circle. How many people can say that all thier lifes goals have been accomplished? If you truly want to be a pilot, there shouldn't be a doubt in your mind. I never looked back.

THe AF academy is a good choice for you, but dont' forget about the Navy or Marines. In the AF, you have to compete with other cadets to get a slot in flight school. In the Navy or Marines, if you are physically/mentally qualified, your flight slot is garaunteed!

THe Navy/Marines is about 52% helicopters though. You have a great chance of flying, but you might be flying helo's. In the AF, if you make it into flight school, you've got a better chance of flying jets.

I am a fighter pilot, and I was in your shoes 7 years ago. PM me if you have any questions.

O-townLS1

FA-18 hornets are without a doubt my most favorite airplane EVER go blue angles!. so sleek and aggressive looking and the fact that they can just about compete with F-16's on the defensive side and just as, if not more, lethal on the offensive. at first i wanted to join the Navy to be a pilot but as time progressed i started thinking Air Force because the key word is "Air" meaning you would think its basically air fighting. that may just be a misconception on my part but its the most rational thing you would think after hearing the name. the class loads i know i can handle. after i completed my 10th grade year in high school i took on 4 classes during the summer and they were all college courses. my lowest grade for any of the classes was an overall 97 for the semester and these classes were 2 times a day and 3 times a day on tuesdays and thursdays all different classes. i guess another thing that worries me is that im not really sure about how i would go about becoming a pilot as far as signing up. if i did decide to join up in the Navy/Marines how would i go about becoming a pilot? go talk to a recruiter? we have a recruiters office here in my town with army, navy, airforce, and marines. the "dreadful leaving" part come more from my girlfriend than my parents. im sure some of you might think is "stupid" but my girlfriend and i have been together for the past 4 yrs and she would do anything for me as i would her. shes perfect and we are both madly in love with each other. both my parents and hers are praying that we get married. i couldnt leave her here while i went off to college/wichever branch i joined and shes in college now to be a nurse and i cant just ask her to up and leave every time i get assigned somewhere else. i would feel selfish and i would feel that i am wasting the 5 years of college she is going through (completed 1 year so far) and paying for. i think i am going to go talk to a recruiter for the navy and marines and see what they have to say. LT. Malice i am going to PM you with some questions. again i just want to express my appreciation for your kind replies helping this poor confused kid. thank you so much.

-Kody

camaroguy_02

trust me dude, i know all about the whole girlfriend baby-mama drama thing. my girl an i are already geographically separated (she lives in ohio, im in va), and when i got deployed to kadena for a few months, it tore her up. we see each other about once a month, and in the summer (when she's outta school), its usually a few weeks here n there. but ill tell u like i told her, each time we leave each other, it hurts, but it makes me smile coz it gives me somethin to look forward to - another weekend of being with her.

its gonna tear the family up every time u leave them for deployments or tdy's.. and as a pilot, u can bet ur car that ur gonna be tdy alot. granted, tdy's generally range from 2 - 4 weeks, but thats 2 - 4 weeks without ur baby girl. but all that is just a part of being in the military. somethin ur gonna have to figure out if u want to deal with or not. with ur current situation, i'd say just go to college first. get that degree. see what u feel like after u get it - maybe ur gonna feel like u dont need to join the military..maybe ur gonna feel like u shuld just get a job with a commercial airline. or, maybe ur just gonna want to sell urself for the abuse and misuse of cheap, lowlife individuals.. u never know. just get that degree and see wut u feel like then.

edwardswb

iTrader: (6)

If she really wants you, she'll let you go do your thing man. My wife and I hate being apart but she knows I'd never be happy if I wasn't doing what I love.