Military Service

[BurntAsh]

The reason I am asking this instead of at a recruitment office is because I know a recruitment office will tell you every little thing your petty heart desires and I would like to hear it straight from the horses mouth instead. For those in the military or know someone in the military, what are the chances of me joining and flying a plane either cargo or fighter jet and how long does something like that take? how long do people usually have to give to the service? are my chances better in the navy or the air force? I know that you pretty much gotta be an officer. Assume that i enlist with a private pilot license (maybe a few more too) and for example maybe 60 college credits so far (im somewhere around there)

[Outlaw]

What are the chances? Depends on you of course. I don't have the details, but alot of the pilot wanna be's I knew in the A.F. waited for training slots for at least a year in Nuke missile launch jobs. It's a long road if you have to wait your turn. I do know it takes craploads of determination and confidence. Generally its 8 year obligation from academies and not sure about ROTC or OCS. Don't expect only a 4 year obligation, you may wait that long to get out of a trainer. But all that probably changed too. get those details from the con man er.. recruiter. Navy? No clue, except determination and confidence.

Clear as mud?

[pbharris]

replace the kinda gotta be an officer - with absolutely must be an officer - although i knew on Warrent officer who flew helicopters.

[countach44]

ROTC is 8 year obligation. 4 year minimum active duty, meaning the other 4 years can be reserve or active.

[BurntAsh]

ya, you gotta be an officer and to be an officer you gotta have a BA/BS i think which i dont have, and if i did have i wouldnt have a reason to go into the military really. i just wish i knew how the time period worked, like 6-12 weeks of BMT, then you go to school again and get your degree and then become an officer and jump in that jet or cargo plane. thatd be sweet if i were to be flying military planes within the first couple of years it would be something id seriously think about getting into. im afraid of joining and then basically getting my ass beat and being int here for 8 years and not getting to fly shit.

[boblucci]

why dont you just go to the requiter and tell him just what you told us?

If you dont like his answers ask to speak to someone who actually flies the planes and see what it took for them to get to where they are.

Might as well speak to the people that actually do what you want to do.

[countach44]

You could probably ask the recruiter to set you up with an interview with a pilot.

[ASCI_Blue]

Unless you have perfect or nearly perfect vision you will never see a fighter jet. Also the fighter jet pilots tend to go to the Air Force/Navy academies to learn how to pilot/be officers. On top of that more of them have college degrees BEFORE joining so you're looking at a minimum of 8 years (depending if you already have a BA or not) to be a pilot.

Cargo I don't know about.

On the whole if you already have a BA you wouldn't need the military, that's a bit of a joke of a statement. Where do you think airlines get their pilots from? Spend ~10 years flying F-15's for a piss poor wage and move to the private sector for the rest of your life at 200k a year. That's a winner to me.

[BurntAsh]

years of staring at a computer has crippled my vision to like 20/40 its probably worse, thats what it was last time i got a check. ill have to see what happens in the next 4 weeks. even then id probably wait another a year or morec getting all my licenses

[quote author=boblucci link=board=14;threadid=9981;start=0#msg90544 date=1100574701]
why dont you just go to the requiter and tell him just what you told us?
[/quote]

That's kinda like asking a farmer about the dangers of fertilation or animal rights.. a recruiters job is to tell you the positive sides, the off chances - I doubt he'll get an honest answer that way, the right way would be what he's doing, tracking down a pilot or someone who has that information otherwise.

but hey that's just my 2cents