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Easiest branch to become a pilot.
- Thread starter Devan
- Start date
Here you go young man... get a clue here. I suggest you read this thread:
http://www.airwarriors.com/communit...ters-forever-a-4-skyhawk-tribute-thread.4965/
http://www.airwarriors.com/communit...ters-forever-a-4-skyhawk-tribute-thread.4965/
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Life lesson, kid. What comes easily, you value cheaply. What you have to fight to earn, you value above all else. I'm proud of both sets of gold wings that I earned.
Fight to fly, fly to fight, fight to win. Doesn't sound easy, does it? Don't want to do that? Then plan to fly a desk, because it means that a whole lot of aspiring aviators just as talented as you, or more so, will beat you out when it counts. Because they want it more. I don't think you have a clue what you're talking about getting into. That said, you're only a high school senior. So that's not entirely your fault, especially if you can buck up and learn. You're just young.
Want to fly for the military? First, get a thick skin and learn to accept blunt criticism. Consider this step one in that process. Second, stop asking for the easy way. Take a gut check and ask yourself whether this is truly your passion, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to earn it. You will sacrifice a hell of a lot in any service. Then come back, answer as many questions as you can using the search function (individual initiative is a minimum requirement in this job), and then get back to us.
Want the easy road? Waste your youth not working hard at work worth doing.
Fight to fly, fly to fight, fight to win. Doesn't sound easy, does it? Don't want to do that? Then plan to fly a desk, because it means that a whole lot of aspiring aviators just as talented as you, or more so, will beat you out when it counts. Because they want it more. I don't think you have a clue what you're talking about getting into. That said, you're only a high school senior. So that's not entirely your fault, especially if you can buck up and learn. You're just young.
Want to fly for the military? First, get a thick skin and learn to accept blunt criticism. Consider this step one in that process. Second, stop asking for the easy way. Take a gut check and ask yourself whether this is truly your passion, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to earn it. You will sacrifice a hell of a lot in any service. Then come back, answer as many questions as you can using the search function (individual initiative is a minimum requirement in this job), and then get back to us.
Want the easy road? Waste your youth not working hard at work worth doing.
The dude isn't talking about what the easiest path is so he can slack off, just which one he has the highest chance of being selected in (I think). Chill out.
The easiest to get your foot in the door is probably the USMC. I got a flight contract after my first semester of my freshman year of college. Not that your first semester GPA alone is a good data point, but I had a ~2.8 GPA and around a ~230 PFT. I broke my ankle and had to reapply, and after much glossing over of books and studying of 45 pound plates had a 2.5 GPA and a high 1st class PFT. (Note: this was mid-late 2000s)
That being said, with the attrition you see at OCS, and less so TBS, it is the probably the hardest to stay in once selected and requires the most out of you prior to flight school.
The easiest to get your foot in the door is probably the USMC. I got a flight contract after my first semester of my freshman year of college. Not that your first semester GPA alone is a good data point, but I had a ~2.8 GPA and around a ~230 PFT. I broke my ankle and had to reapply, and after much glossing over of books and studying of 45 pound plates had a 2.5 GPA and a high 1st class PFT. (Note: this was mid-late 2000s)
That being said, with the attrition you see at OCS, and less so TBS, it is the probably the hardest to stay in once selected and requires the most out of you prior to flight school.
Bronco
Lurking Member
I read the title of this thread and knew immediately I HAD to read it... not because I knew this kid had royally f***ed up asking that question and was going to have his a** handed to him by you fine people (because that's a given)... but because I knew there would be very valuable lessons to be read. As I prepare mentally and physically for my upcoming OCS date, I sincerely appreciate these words of wisdom...
Those stats you quoted are not applicable anymore. I know ground officers who wanted to go air with 3.5 GPAs, and 9/9/9 ASTB, 270+ PFTs who were shot down with in the last 2 years. The war changed standards and what was acceptable then may not apply now or in the future.
Yep... shrinking budgets and bipolar training pipelines (as far as manning) will do that.
Read the above comments and taken them to heart. Getting selected is only half the battle.
That being said, easiest way into the cockpit would probably be army. Fight for a flight officer spot and apply to WOFT as many times as you can. As you get farther into college, you'll become more competitive for the warrant officer program. If you don't get selected before you grad, hopefully you've locked down a commissioned flight spot.
As other have stated, will you feel as accomplished when the peers you were in school with graduate and move on as commissioned officers, probably not. But, you'll be in the air and it will have been easier than going through USMC OCS and TBS before you get to Pensacola.
That being said, easiest way into the cockpit would probably be army. Fight for a flight officer spot and apply to WOFT as many times as you can. As you get farther into college, you'll become more competitive for the warrant officer program. If you don't get selected before you grad, hopefully you've locked down a commissioned flight spot.
As other have stated, will you feel as accomplished when the peers you were in school with graduate and move on as commissioned officers, probably not. But, you'll be in the air and it will have been easier than going through USMC OCS and TBS before you get to Pensacola.
Not sure how Army Warrant OCS grads would assess that last bit (good luck getting selected without a degree as a non-prior, that's usually reserved for BTDT guys) although I did hear it's pretty gentlemanly. Being a flying warrant officer in the Army is a much different job than being a pilot in any of the other branches.
Disagree. My brother applied 2 years out of college after working a steady job with a good final GPA in school and his package got turned down. Enlisted in the Army and spent 2 years as an MP. Got promoted quickly and finished at the top of his class in all his schools. Only then did he get accepted as a Sgt. Majority of his WOCS class was prior enlisted as well across most of the services. But go figure, the guy who was honor grad of his WOCS class was a 19 year old non prior.
Getting into flight school for an Army enlisted is probably easier than Coast Guard, Navy, Marine or Air Force. But getting an Army flight slot as a civilian is probably more competitive than any of the other services.
I do know for a fact that Army flight school is easier than Navy/Coast Guard/Marine flight school. I don't know about the Chair Force.
As far as a sense of accomplishment, there are so many more factors (airframe, deployments, your own goals, etc..) that tie into it than just being commissioned or warrant.
Flying a helicopter is a bit different in the Army vs Navy, but the biggest differences are outside the cockpit. Navy O-1 through mid level O-3 is about the same as Army WO1 through CW3. The difference is that warrants don't have people working for them, where as a Navy officer might have a division. This is similar to an Army 2LT/1LT having a platoon or section. A medevac company has an O-4, 4 O-3s, 4 O-1/2s, and about 16 warrants flying. That is one of the most commissioned officer heavy companies. Contrast that to the Navy... no warrants. The same sort of things need to be done, but the warrants generally don't do personnel stuff.
CW3 and up vs O-3 and up the paths diverge greatly inside and outside the cockpit. The warrants are akin to flag staff officers, advising, while the commissioned officers make the decisions. After mid grade O-3, officers spend much less time in the cockpit. They become FAC 2/3 and their minimums are nearly cut in half.
I do know for a fact that Army flight school is easier than Navy/Coast Guard/Marine flight school. I don't know about the Chair Force.
As far as a sense of accomplishment, there are so many more factors (airframe, deployments, your own goals, etc..) that tie into it than just being commissioned or warrant.
Flying a helicopter is a bit different in the Army vs Navy, but the biggest differences are outside the cockpit. Navy O-1 through mid level O-3 is about the same as Army WO1 through CW3. The difference is that warrants don't have people working for them, where as a Navy officer might have a division. This is similar to an Army 2LT/1LT having a platoon or section. A medevac company has an O-4, 4 O-3s, 4 O-1/2s, and about 16 warrants flying. That is one of the most commissioned officer heavy companies. Contrast that to the Navy... no warrants. The same sort of things need to be done, but the warrants generally don't do personnel stuff.
CW3 and up vs O-3 and up the paths diverge greatly inside and outside the cockpit. The warrants are akin to flag staff officers, advising, while the commissioned officers make the decisions. After mid grade O-3, officers spend much less time in the cockpit. They become FAC 2/3 and their minimums are nearly cut in half.
