Air Force !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Question

I'mm a freshman inhigh schooll andI'mm looking to become a pilot. i want to go to the air force but my mom is worried and wants me to take the college path. i was wondering which is best and does anyone know when the last US military plane has been shot down not including helicopters just curious how much danger i would be in.

Answer 1

dude its the air force, and what makes you think you will become a pilot, its just not something u just sign up for and O you a pilot. The problem with Air Force is that your either a Pilot or not. I'm not bagging on the Air Force. But when do u hear of hem getting shot down. Them Fly boys are alright. I know this because i looked into it, but i choose to go to The Marines. good luck. if you want to be a Pilot, you better be d**n good in Math and have perfect vision and not have medical problems.Good luck

Answer 2

Can' t be USAF pilot without a four year college degree. Army is the only branch that allows pilots with no college, to my knowledge. Better to get a college education, regardless of your flying objectives.

Answer 3

go into the air force after words you get a free ride to a college of your choice

Answer 4

The Chinese forced an American recon plane a few years ago - like an AWACS plane.

From an academic standpoint, the Air Force Academy is held in very high regard.  They aren't especially rigorous in things like English or History, but if you want to pursue practical engineering, systems management, anything that you can think of that might be useful in a military application, the Air Force Academy will prepare you very, very well.  And all that stuff is hugely hireable in the public sector.  "Air Force Academy" on a resume makes for awfully good reading, it wins respect from employers.  They know you have to be hella smart just to get in.

And about that, getting in.  You'd better know Someone.  Like a Congressman Someone, and have some freakin' awesome grades to show him, too.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

To be a pilot you must be an officer.  To be an officer you must have a Bachelor's Degree.  So that should satisfy your folks and you.  ALL services flying programs are extremely competitive.  If you're worried about "danger", you're probably not fighter or attack aviation material-frankly.  However, there are other types of flying: transports, tankers, etc. that will provide rewarding careers.

Here's how it breaks down:

1- You must be accepted into and complete an officer's training program.  There's three ways to achieve that:  1- Academy.  VERY competitive to get into.  You'll need great grades, a history of extracurricular activities etc.  2-AFROTC.  The most common method.  You sign up like any other college class.  They also have full-ride scholarships available. FWIW, this is the route I took.  3-Officer Training School (OTS).  Apply within one year of graduation.  Downside is that the AF uses OTS as its throttle on new officers.  So some years they're more picky than others.

2- Be accepted into and complete Specialized Undergrad Pilot Training (SUPT).  The board will look at your physical, your AF Officer Qualifying Test Scores, and other factors.  A huge factor is the possession of a private pilot's license.  Failing that, a student license, glider license or copies of your logbook (to prove your time) are helpful.  Another factor is Civil Air Patrol.  Great way to get some free flying. This also is a plus for an Academy/ROTC/OTS application as well.  Physical:  don't listen to people who say you need 20/20 vision.  Right now the requirements are 20/70 correctable 20/20; no astigmatism, colorblindness or night blindness,  No history of asthma since age 14; no Hi/LO Blood Pressure; No cardiac problems; No hearing issues.  After the board selects you, you will incur a ten year commitment AFTER completing SUPT-which is in itself about 14-15 months.

What you can do now to prep:

A- Get great grades in school.  Preps you for Academy, ROTC scholarship.  

B- Extracurricular activities.  Anything that can showcase your leadership and organizational ability:  Student Govt, JROTC, CAP etc

C- Stay out of trouble.  Don't let felons or drug users fly multimillion dollar aircraft

D- Get/Stay in great physical condition.  Military flying is mentally and physically demanding.

E- Read up on the military, aviation, and military history.

F- Stay focused.  Lots of people will tell you "you can't".  You can with the proper dedication.

Any other questions please PM me

EDIT:  "Zulu" O'Grady,  that brings back some stories....

Answer 6

Jim's right.  You do NOT need to go to the Academies to fly.  And the USAF does fly helicopters -- it's called Special Operations.  But if you're worried about getting shot down, probably not where you want to be -- these are the guys with NVGs, at night, in the hills doing insertion of Special Ops team (SEALs, Rangers, Recon, etc.).

It is not less competitive to go elsewhere.  The Navy drives boats for a living, some of those boats happen to have airplanes on them.  Marines are a small part of the Navy.  The Army is basically a helicopter force with some fixed wing for "*** and trash" hauling people/stuff around.

And I went to OTS, UPT and flew fighters starting with a TSgt. recruiter at my local recruitment office.

Answer 7

You need to go to college to become an officer, which is required to be a military pilot, in the US.  Now, that college could be the applicable military academy.  You could also go the ROTC route.

The competition is very high in becoming a military pilot, no matter what branch you choose.

Answer 8

Just stick with Jim and Warbird Pilot for the core information.  I've known more people who've shot down MiGs than have been shot down themselves (I heard about some O'Grady guy in the news once) and shooting down a MiG doesn't exactly happen everyday.  To sum up, getting shot down is the least of your worries, and your mother needn't worry about college either.  As stated above, having a college education is the only way to become a pilot and military officer.  Prior enlisted people who become pilots get college educations, become officers, and then pilots, but this is in nowhere near the numbers of commissioned officers who select into pilot training tracks so don't allow an enlisted recruiter sweet-talk you into enlisting in order to eventually become a pilot because the "world is your oyster," etc.  As an enlisted person (no college), there is more than enough time and heart-ache available to side-track you to the point of destroying your dreams of flying.  The only places where you can enlist and still fly are the Army (helicopters, Chief Warrant Officer program) and in a VERY small experimental contingent in the Navy (not flying jets, and probably has less than a small room-full of chosen applicants from very competitive military service backgrounds; i.e. nothing to count on).

Success in Civil Air Patrol might actually be the thing that leads you to gaining a congressional appointment if the Academy is your goal.  CAP may lead you into better social networking with people who can steer you into your congressman's field of view.  I know many 13 & 14 year olds who met Congressmen this way and went on to enter a service academy.  Yet, like Jim said, there are several methods to get commissioned as an officer and go to flight school other than the Academy.

The AF flies plenty of helicopters although nowhere near as many as the other services.

Being selected for pilot training, and eventually flying jet aircraft is difficult no matter what service you go into.  The Navy and Marine Corps are just as hard if not harder on their people so there's no easier road to becoming a pilot unless you're in another country entirely.  However, it's more than worth the attempt!  Go for it.

Answer 9

without a college degree you have little chance of becoming an officer and you need to be an officer to fly.  find a school with an Air Force ROTC program.  you may even wind up getting a little of your education paid for.

very few military aircraft crash given the number of hours they fly, but far more go down in non-combat situations than get "shot down".

Answer 10

You want to be a military pilot or a commercial pilot?  You don't have to join the military to become a pilot although I would suggest it because there are great opportunity's here.  You are only a freshmen?  Let me do some math here........ you would graduate 2012, 2013, flight school, you wouldn't get into an aircraft till about 2016 or 2017.  Current conflicts will be under control, by then.  Not sure what the future holds.  I am a recreational pilot, but I didn't get my training from the Army.  

Answer 11

Talk to your school guidance counselor. To be a military pilot, you have to go to military college (in your case the Air Force Academy in Colorado).  So you can do both (be a pilot and go to college).  Afterward, you will be an OFFICER.  Only officers are pilots.  Also US Air Force does NOT fly helicopters.

But you have to start early (now).  You also have to get a US Congressman to commission you (it is like a recommendation).  No commission, no entrance to military college.  That is why officers are called COMMISSIONED officer.  

Don't go to a military recruiter.  They are only for enlisted men (non officer rank). They do NOT PILOT anything.  And don't believe the recruiters.  They may even make it sound like you will be pilot, but you will end up on the ground cleaning up oil spots from the planes.

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Just know that getting into military academy is VERY difficult and being chosen to be a pilot is VERY competitive.

good luck...