I have my mind set on becoming a pilot. i am in hs and am wondering about the steps you have taken to get...?

Question

where you are today. Does the college matter? Do colleges offer aviation as a major? I am hoping to go to the airforce ROTC to get some flight hours. what is rotc? after the airforce i was hoping to get hired.

Please answer if you have expirence in this field.

Answer 1

If you are hoping for a career as a pilot with a major airline, get a four year degree; it does not have to be in anything aviation related necessarily. Business management, education, or physical sciences would all be good majors. ROTC means Reserve Officers Training Corps. It is military training to become an officer in one of the branches of the military upon your graduation from college. ROTC will not train you to be a pilot nor do you do any flying in ROTC except as a passenger or an occasional ride with the Civil Air Patrol (AF Auxiliary). Pilots may be selected from the best and brightest ROTC cadets in their detachments. In other words, ROTC or the Air Force is not a guarantee that you will receive flight training. If you do, then you will receive the best money can buy and after your service, you would of course be very employable under most circumstances.

There are aviation related Universities such as North Dakota and Embry-Riddle. There are others as well. You can attend one of these and graduate with a degree in an aviation related field as well as the necessary ratings to go to work for at least a smaller airline to start with.

Your other alternative is to get the four year degree mentioned above and then attend a commercial flight school. You will graduate from there with the same basic necessary ratings, i.e. Commercial mulit-engine instrument. It is quite expensive (about $45,000 to 75,000). You would obtain student loans to pay the tuition. Pay as a first officer (what you would start as with an airline) is not great to start but once you have worked your way up, the pay is pretty good and you're doing what you love which is probably more important.

Answer 2

Congratulations on a plan.  Many young folks just seem to think stuff falls in their lap.

Embry-Riddle also has good aeronautics programs.

To be an Air Force pilot, you've got to a commission first; Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is a common way to do that.  However, to fly you must apply and more importantly, be accepted as a pilot candidate.  Taking ROTC is NOT a guarantee you'll fly, be it pilot, nav, or weapons director.

You will also need to pass the physical (which is where most would be crewdogs crash and burn); score well on the AF Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT), and impress a flying selection board.  The board is looking for something called, "rated potential".  This is a subjective assessment by ,well, guys like me, of your ability to finish at UPT/UNT.  A key component is your accumulated flying time:  a private pilot's license would be VERY impressive; but a student license or copies of your logbook (which is what I did) are also pluses.

If they give you the thumbs-up.  Upon graduation, you will be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, and sent off to train.

You will incur a commitment of 8-10 years for pilot, 5-7 years for navigator.