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Making the decision

N

nyy

Registered User
Hey everyone, first i'd like to introduce myself here.
im 16 years old and live in New Jersey. im a junior in highschool, and have been getting more and more interested in becoming an enlisted pilot.

I've always wanted to be a pilot, but my parents have molded me to get into business or law. Of coarse its really my decision, but im still unsure at this point of what to do with my life.

Academically ive been doing pretty well. i have a 3.9-4.0 average, and have been active in extra curricular activities. I am athletic, but dont play any high school sports because we dont have a hockey team :icon_rage . I'm about 5'10" and 135 pounds. i am a US citizen, and feel like i should start giving back to the country that gave me so much. I love challenges, i love speed, i love being in the air, and i know that i could fly for the rest of my life (unlike being an accountant or something :sleep_125)

My dilema, as you could probably guess, is not knowing what road to take in becoming a pilot. I've thought about applying to the air force academy, but im not sure that i'd meet all of their requirements. another option is doing ROTC, but im not sure if ROTC graduates get the same opportunity to become enlisted pilots as academy graduates do. ultimately, my goal is to get training from the best teachers in the world, serve out my required years and any afterwards if i decide to stay, and then finally settle down in a sense, and become a civilian pilot either commercially or for corporate jets.

Any opinions/links/stories would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
zab1001

zab1001

Well-Known Member
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
nyy said:
another option is doing ROTC, but im not sure if ROTC graduates get the same opportunity to become enlisted pilots as academy graduates do. ultimately, my goal is to get training from the best teachers in the world, serve out my required years and any afterwards if i decide to stay, and then finally settle down in a sense, and become a civilian pilot either commercially or for corporate jets.
Click to expand...

FYI, military pilots in the USN, USMC, and USAF are all officers, not enlisted personnel. "Enlisted pilots" isn't a legitimate term (at least not in this day and age, and I'm not going to explain what it used to mean). Not that you'd be expected to know that as a high school student.

Academy guys DO NOT have any kind of extra opportunity to earn a pilot or naval flight officer slot over NROTC or OCS guys.

Keep asking questions, try to get as much information as you can in order to make an intelligent decision.
 
N

nyy

Registered User
what kind of pre-training preparation should i do to better my chances of becoming a pilot? any specific books to read or topics to research?
 
M

mules83

getting salty...
pilot
nyy said:
what kind of pre-training preparation should i do to better my chances of becoming a pilot? any specific books to read or topics to research?
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Just read your school books and study hard. If you do ROTC, be active in school (sports/clubs) and rotc and hope for the best. The needs of the navy will determine who gets what.

A person with 500 hours of flying time and aviation books upon aviation books has no advantage of getting a pilot slot than someone who doesnt know which part of the plane is the front.

If you have questions about ROTC, feel free to ask. Im a senior midshipmen (NROTC) at ERAU.
 
nugget81

nugget81

Well-Known Member
pilot
mules83 said:
A person with 500 hours of flying time and aviation books upon aviation books has no advantage of getting a pilot slot than someone who doesnt know which part of the plane is the front.
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I disagree with mules. Someone who has aviation knowledge should have a distinct advantage when taking the necessary aptitude tests for an aviation pipeline. For example, if Student A takes the ASTB and has taken a pilot ground school, it is likely that he/she will do better than Student B who has not been exposed to aviation at all. That being said, flight time could very well be meaningless. The test, while not the sole determining factor in pilot selection, is a factor nonetheless.

I went into college looking for an aviation program with the hopes that I could be a military pilot. If that didn't work out I knew that I'd still be able to fly for an airline or corporate outfit. On top of that, I have taken steps to have another backup plan in case I can't fly anymore. Who knows, someone could poke out my eye with a corndog stick at a BBQ tomorrow.

Point of the story...check out all your options, ask questions, make a plan, and always have a backup plan (and maybe even a 2nd backup plan.) Best of Luck!!
 
M

mules83

getting salty...
pilot
With the ASTB, I agree with nugget. I was just trying to say that when you send in your package, there is no box to check saying that you are a hot shot and have 500 hours or have the aeronautical knowledge of mules83 ;)
 
nugget81

nugget81

Well-Known Member
pilot
mules83 said:
I was just trying to say that when you send in your package, there is no box to check saying that you are a hot shot and have 500 hours;
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Again, I believe that depends on the branch of service you choose. I had a roommate who was in AF ROTC that told me there were spots on the application for information about flight time. He said that there checkboxes (no joke) that said "Zero", "Below 250 Hours", and "250 Hours or More". He didn't say anything about a "hot shot" checkbox, so I assume that there wasn't one. :D

Moreover, I put information about my flight time and experience on my BDCP application. I don't know how much it helped my package, but I know it didn't hurt it either.
 
ea6bflyr

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Your first step should be to apply to NROTC
https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/
or the service academies:
Navy: http://www.usna.edu
Air Force: http://www.usafa.af.mil/
Army: http://www.usma.edu/
USMMA: http://www.usmma.edu/
You should do this during the FIRST SEMESTER of your senior year.

There are several ways to get a commision in the services. For the Navy, you can go to the Naval Academy, ANY NROTC, or get your degree and apply for OCS. Remember that the Academy and NROTC are the Primary Commissioning sources with OCS filling the shortfalls.

As stated above, you first need a degree, then a commission and then finish flight school to earn your wings. With NROTC and the Academy, you will earn your degree while working toward your commission. And IF you get a scholarship, Uncle Sam will pay for your schooling.

Good Luck
ea6bflyr
 
N

nyy

Registered User
Maybe i should go for ROTC so that i have something to fall back on just in case i dont get chosen as a pilot? but then im required to do 4 years of service anyway, and i really dont want to serve unless im flying
 
rare21

rare21

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
nyy said:
Maybe i should go for ROTC so that i have something to fall back on just in case i dont get chosen as a pilot? but then im required to do 4 years of service anyway, and i really dont want to serve unless im flying
Click to expand...

uh oh bad juju
 
skidkid

skidkid

CAS Czar
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Uhhh how hard is it to get jets?

There I did it I couldnt stand watching you all waiting.
 
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