The best route for becoming a military aviator

[Bushpilot]

Alright, I am a second year student at ASU and I am also a licensed pilot. I had considered going to a military academy to become an aviator however, my parents would not give me the necessary signatures as I was 17 at the time. Anyway, I am interested in military aviation in general but am having very little luck deciding where to go and what to do.

I have looked at many options. First off, I looked at the Air Force as the answer. Honestly, who would have more fighter slots than the Air Force. However, Navy pilots have to fly technologically inferior airplanes and do the same job as the Air Force.

I then had a sudden urge to look at the Air National Guard. This option looked pretty good. I can fly a specific aircraft in which I can apply for. If I for some reason drop our of flight school, there is no military commitment and there is no relocating. However, something just doesn't feel right about that route.

The next major question I have is what type of "politics" are involved between the academy graduate pilots, and the other pilots? Is there a difference between what they fly, how much they fly, etc just based on where they graduate.

Lastly, who flies the most out of all the services? Just to confirm I am looking at fighter aircraft and yes, I know that all depends on how well I perform in UPT.

 

[Brett327]

Alright, I am a second year student at ASU and I am also a licensed pilot. I had considered going to a military academy to become an aviator however, my parents would not give me the necessary signatures as I was 17 at the time. Anyway, I am interested in military aviation in general but am having very little luck deciding where to go and what to do.

I have looked at many options. First off, I looked at the Air Force as the answer. Honestly, who would have more fighter slots than the Air Force. However, Navy pilots have to fly technologically inferior airplanes and do the same job as the Air Force.

I then had a sudden urge to look at the Air National Guard. This option looked pretty good. I can fly a specific aircraft in which I can apply for. If I for some reason drop our of flight school, there is no military commitment and there is no relocating. However, something just doesn't feel right about that route.

The next major question I have is what type of "politics" are involved between the academy graduate pilots, and the other pilots? Is there a difference between what they fly, how much they fly, etc just based on where they graduate.

Lastly, who flies the most out of all the services? Just to confirm I am looking at fighter aircraft and yes, I know that all depends on how well I perform in UPT.

Lots of questions - many of which will be answered in the many threads here at AW. Use the search function and read up to educate yourself, then come back with questions after that. If you're looking for USAF or ANG info, baseops.net might be a better source, as this is a Navy-centric site. Happy searching.

Brett

 

[torpedo0126]

I then had a sudden urge to look at the Air National Guard. This option looked pretty good. I can fly a specific aircraft in which I can apply for. If I for some reason drop our of flight school, there is no military commitment and there is no relocating. However, something just doesn't feel right about that route.

My best friends at JSUPT have been Air National Guard and AF Reserve studs. Once they commission, they basically start the UPT process right away and know what they are going to fly. They said while they can't just suck at life, it takes some of the pressure off because they know their career path for awhile.

2 of my friends are contracted to C-130s, and they have orders to Corpus for advanced. Apparently reserve units prefer to send them to Corpus for the T-44 as opposed to keeping them for T-1s with the AF...they are VERY excited about that.

 

[HeyJoe]

Alright, I am a second year student at ASU and I am also a licensed pilot. I had considered going to a military academy to become an aviator however, my parents would not give me the necessary signatures as I was 17 at the time. Anyway, I am interested in military aviation in general but am having very little luck deciding where to go and what to do.

Nobody here can change your luck if that's your issue. however it's not as simple as thinking/wanting to be a fighter pilot. You are joining an Armed Service and you need to start thinking about what that means. Then you can decide whether Navy BDCP or Marine Corps PLC is best to get you a guaranteed path to flight school or an ROTC path that isn't a guarantee.

I have looked at many options. First off, I looked at the Air Force as the answer. Honestly, who would have more fighter slots than the Air Force.

It's not as simple as that. They also have mucho UAS slots and majority of USAFA guys heading to flight school. Head over to BASEOPS.net and check out their posts on track nights and see who is getting selected for what. It's an eye-opener.

However, Navy pilots have to fly technologically inferior airplanes and do the same job as the Air Force.

And you're in a position to know? That is one of the most absurd posts I've ever seen and I'm tempted to hurl your thread into the stupid questions thread to protect you from backlash that is sure to come. The most technologically advanced aircraft you'll be considered for when you graduate will be the F-35 Lightning II and Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps will all be flying it.

I then had a sudden urge to look at the Air National Guard. This option looked pretty good. I can fly a specific aircraft in which I can apply for. If I for some reason drop our of flight school, there is no military commitment and there is no relocating. However, something just doesn't feel right about that route.

Check Swanee's posts. Nobody knows more than him about rushing the Air National Guard and he had an O-6 dad in the guard coaching him. It's like rushing a fraternity and you might possibly get into a unit in Alaska, but a lot of Guard units are transitioning to UAS platforms. It's a long shot at best if you're not connected or can blow away those applicants who have inside track.

The next major question I have is what type of "politics" are involved between the academy graduate pilots, and the other pilots? Is there a difference between what they fly, how much they fly, etc just based on where they graduate.

It's all based on your performance, period.

Lastly, who flies the most out of all the services? Just to confirm I am looking at fighter aircraft and yes, I know that all depends on how well I perform in UPT.

Virtually impossible to answer now and even more so in the timeframe you'd be worried about. Like Brett advised, start digging into the htreads and get smarter on what you are considering to commit your life to in the future.

 

[KCOTT]

However, Navy pilots have to fly technologically inferior airplanes and do the same job as the Air Force.

mega face palm...thanks for insulting our aircraft =(

I then had a sudden urge to look at the Air National Guard. This option looked pretty good. I can fly a specific aircraft in which I can apply for. If I for some reason drop our of flight school, there is no military commitment and there is no relocating. However, something just doesn't feel right about that route.

yeah, it sounds like the easy way

The next major question I have is what type of "politics" are involved between the academy graduate pilots, and the other pilots? Is there a difference between what they fly, how much they fly, etc just based on where they graduate.

nobody cares where you commission from, at least I don't

Lastly, who flies the most out of all the services? Just to confirm I am looking at fighter aircraft and yes, I know that all depends on how well I perform in UPT.

Air Force, I heard they have a great UAV program, too

 

[A4sForever]

..... Navy pilots have to fly technologically inferior airplanes and do the same job as the Air Force......

Right ... which would mean we're 'better' pilots than AF jocks ...

For confirmation: ask the F-15 boys @ NELLIS FWS and RED FLAG and/or the F-16 drivers out of LUKE and/or the F-15 instructors/STUDs out of EGLIN ... ask 'em how many times they got their asses handed to them by ol' technologically inferior 20 year old airplanes flown by even older, technologically inferior NAVAIR Reserve Bums ...