Different Jobs with different gateways to becoming a pilot?

[exNavyOffRec]

Awesome community here.

Thank you everyone for the much appreciated advice.

Today I told explained to my recruiter how I felt about ROTC vs Enlisting in the reserve, and although obviously frustrated, he understood it was my decision to make.

There are three USAF ROTC "Host" schools near me, with multiple "cross" schools. I was in contact with all the Recruiting Officers today, and it looks like I will be joining a nearby ROTC unit next fall.


Thank you again gentlemen,

Mangzane

Just remember that just because you join an ROTC unit there is no guarantee you will be a pilot, join the unit understanding you will happy to be any type of officer.

 

[revan1013]

You can take the risk and try to go OCS with a guarantee (I use that term very loosely) for a pilot slot. Just don't enlist with the intention of going officer. It's a much longer road than you might think.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

You can take the risk and try to go OCS with a guarantee (I use that term very loosely) for a pilot slot. Just don't enlist with the intention of going officer. It's a much longer road than you might think.

I guess a rough way to put it is ROTC is near guarantee to be an officer, OCS is a near guarantee to be a pilot (if you apply for pilot).

 

[AK60]

As a prior enlisted USAF (Guard) pilot I guess I should throw in my 2 cents. Although, it will be for posterity's sake, since you seemed to have made up your mind. NightVisionPen is correct in that enlisting to become a pilot makes the most since if you're a going the guard route. However, I don't believe it's the terminal illness that the others make it out to be. I can think of two prior-E dudes off the top of my head, that were from my wing, who went off to be AD USAF and Marine pilots. This is on top of the multitude of others who are now flying in the guard.

Yes, being a sweaty, deploying, and going TDY makes it a pain to finish school. But I think the rewards were worth it. I got to serve my country, travel the world, enjoy stellar education benefits, and do some pretty cool shit. Yes, once you become an officer you'll probably get to do all of what I just said, but while my contemporaries were partying in the dorms, I was getting hooted up in Tokyo, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Iceland, UK, Italy and on and on. And, if I had never became a pilot, I'd still be happy and proud with what I had done as an enlisted bubba.

All that being said, you're making the smart choice. There is no guarantee that enlisting will get you a pilot slot, AD or Guard. And the vast majority of the guys in my UPT class were non-prior ROTC. Although they too were not guaranteed UPT slots, and had to compete for it. But if you can fog a mirror, and your not a complete douche your chances won't be horrible.

I'll add one caveat; do your HOMEWORK (in life and in school). Making snap life decisions based on what some guys on an internet message board says is bad form. For all you know I could be a fat, middle aged WOW player, living in my moms basement, who found a neat picture of a Pave Hawk on flickr and decided to create a persona on AW.

Hopefully somewhere in my rambling, incoherent post you were able to glean an insight or two.

 

[revan1013]

For all you know I could be a fat, middle aged WOW player, living in my moms basement, who found a neat picture of a Pave Hawk on flickr and decided to create a persona on AW..

How'd you find me out??? >_>