Question about being a Pilot? HELP!

Question

I was hopeing that someone could tell me the requirments for becomeing a pilot. My plan right now is to have the Military pay for college, then go into the Military as a pilot for the 4 years in return. Then after I am done with those 4 years I want to go into comercial flying. What should i study in college? How would i go about doing this? And I dont have 20/20 vision, but they can be totally corrected with laser surgery. Can I still do this?

Answer 1

As stated by Sean C, you don't just become a pilot.  It is MUCH easier to just learn as a civilian, though it costs more, than try to become a military pilot.  Slots are limited and there is no guarantee you will become one.  You should join a 2 or 4 year college that offers career pilot technology.  It will get you from your private to your commercial license.  It's what I am doing right now and its going great.

Answer 2

I'd recommend studying Aeronautical Science or Flight Management.  And sorry but you just don't "go" into the military as a pilot.  You have to be in top physical shape, have good grades, good vision, and after you have all of that you have to compete with hundreds of other people to get a pilot slot.  If that's what you really want to do go ahead and enlist in an Aviation MOS (job) like a mechanic or electrician or something, so you have a better chance of staying in the Aviation field if you commission as an officer.  As for Lasik, I believe the Army will pay for your surgery if you qualify, but don't quote me on that one.

Answer 3

You need to do some serious research before beginning your quest to become a pilot. You should view each answer you get here with some skepticism, and you must seek out many different sources of information. There are many possible routes to becoming a pilot, and each pilot has their own unique experiences and perspective about which route is best. Talk to as many pilots as possible, visit flight schools, talk to recruiters, find aviation related online forums, and do whatever else you can to get the information you need. Do not start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the best one.

Vision

Do not get laser surgery unless you are positive that you need it, and you understand and are willing to take the risks of surgery. Take a look at the civilian and military vision requirements:

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/tex...

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genjoin/a...

http://www.afrotc.com/admissions/medical...

Note that they allow your vision to be corrected to 20/20. I have no idea where gary got the idea that airlines won't hire you unless your uncorrected vision is perfect or better than perfect. There is no such FAR requirement, and there are many professional pilots out there who wear glasses. Here again it comes down to different experiences. Find out for yourself.

What should I study in college?

Whatever you want. You will need a college degree of some kind to be an officer in the military, and to be competitive for work. That degree does not need to be in any particular field. I personally recommend against aviation degrees so that you can have a broader background and a backup plan. In my opinion, there is no advantage to getting an aviation degree that justifies the additional cost.

Here are some websites with general information, both civilian and military. Again, do your own homework as well.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforcej...

http://www.afrotc.com/

http://science.howstuffworks.com/pilot.h...

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/learntofl...

http://www.beapilot.com/

http://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/

Here are some sites with civilian flight school listings:

http://www.flightschoollist.com/flightsc...

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/learntofl...

http://www.bestaviation.net/flight_schoo...

http://www.aviationschoolsonline.com/sch...

Here are two sites with online forums for professional pilots. They have MANY discussions about the various ways to become a pilot and the details about becoming a pilot. They will also address many of the issues such as vision or college degrees. Spend some time with them.

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/

http://www.pprune.org/forums/

Good luck!

Answer 4

I would concentrate on science subjects for college... and good luck getting into the military as a pilot... the competition for pilot places is very intense... but apply yourself and work hard and you should do ok.

If you manage to become a military pilot, then moving into commercial flying is easier... but will still need some re-training.

As for the eyesight... I'm in a similar position... my uncorrected vision is not 20/20, but it is 20/20 with glasses, and that's all the FAA need.

Laser surgery is still quite a controversial issue for pilots... the potential complications and future conditions associated with LASIK or LASEK surgery can prevent you from getting a class 1 or 2 medical certificate... You'd be better off with glasses.

Answer 5

The military will pay for college, but you will not be able to fly until you have at least an bachlor degree and graduate from OCS. Then its off to UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training), and if you make from this, then its aircraft specific training. This takes about 2 yrs to get through, and then its another 7yr commiment i belive after you become an officer. So to be a pilot in the military after HS, will take you at least about 6years.

Some laser surgies are waivable depending on what aircraft you fly.

Answer 6

I agree with Warbird Pilot.  When I was in the Air Force it was a 9 year commitment after you earn your wings which takes about 2 years.  Everyone in my class had better than 20/20 uncorrected.  The majority, like me, had 20/10 twice as good as 20/20 and the bottom line of the military eye chart.

Lasik is not allowed in the military or civilian airlines as far as I know.  You should call a military flight surgeon not a recruiter to verify.  Recruiters will tell you anything to get you in because once you're in and you don't get a pilot slot because of your substandard vision, you'll most likely stay in and be a cargo clerk in Iraq or something.  You sound like your still in high school, keep in mind your vision will only get worse and it will be 14 years from now when you can even start applying to a major airline.  Most major airlines do not take applicants with less than 20/20 uncorrected, except now when the pay is so terrible they can't attract decent candidates.

Speaking of which, you'll go from $60,000/year as a 10th year military captain to $35,000/year as a major airline co-pilot.

If I were you I'd study something that promised better pay for the responsibility like medicine or accounting or business or computers.

Answer 7

I would be do my home work on going into commercial aviation right now the airlines are cutting back, you could find your self in a situation where you competing with people with much more hours in a commercial environment.  You can go to www.FAA.gov click under licenses and certifications the regulations are written in easy to understand english this is s great resource.  On what to study there are schools that offer three and four years degrees in Aviation, if your serious this is the route to take it will not only help you with a leg up on people it make you far more marketable. On the military go to www.usaf.gov this is give you the information you need.

Hope this help good luck

Answer 8

Last time I checked it was 10 years after you earn you wings.  And not all laser procedures are accepted by Uncle Sam.

You can certainly still fly, but I think you should look into the military route a little more.