Airforce route

Z

zomzom

Active Member
Hi everyone! I wanted to ask for some advice.

I’ve been changing my plans a lot, but I’m currently thinking about finishing my associate degree first, then enlisting in the Air Force and working on my bachelor’s while I’m serving. After my time in the Air Force, I was thinking about using the 9/11 GI Bill for flight school and working toward becoming a pilot.

Do you think this path would work, or is there something I should consider doing differently? I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Thank you!
 
Yeah, it will work. What I like about your post is you didn't say, "I must be an airline pilot at Delta". So many jobs in aviation are possibilities. As you take your time and work through it you'll see many doors open career wise. Don't be afraid to ask questions here and tell us how things are going. It's a long road. Best of luck.
 
I'm sure you have considered this, but there is also a path to become a pilot in the Air Force, which can easily translate later to airlines/corporate/135/whatever.. Several paths to be honest. Not for everyone, but since you are considering military service already, it is a much more efficient path to your end goal. They pay you pretty well to learn to fly too. But they also have you by the balls (or other anatomical parts) for quite a bit longer than a single enlistment, of course. Nothing wrong with your plan, but something else to think about as well.
 
zomzom said:
Hi everyone! I wanted to ask for some advice.

I’ve been changing my plans a lot, but I’m currently thinking about finishing my associate degree first, then enlisting in the Air Force and working on my bachelor’s while I’m serving. After my time in the Air Force, I was thinking about using the 9/11 GI Bill for flight school and working toward becoming a pilot.

Do you think this path would work, or is there something I should consider doing differently? I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Thank you!
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Tell us more. Age, financial status, relationship status, parenting status, areas of interest?

Normally, I’m a finish-what-you-started kinda guy but the AF and other branches may not value an associates degree at all.

There are lots of success stories of folks obtaining a degree while serving and using educational benefits thereafter. That said, your educational pursuits are secondary to the demands of the military.

Beyond that, many folks join the military with a plan like yours and end up married with a kid and in debt. They are trapped, to some extent.

@///AMG was suggesting AF ROTC as a path to becoming an AF pilot. ROTC (any branch) may also be a good path outside of military aviation. You complete your degree and gain invaluable experience as an officer. You will be able to fund your own pilot training while you serve.
 
Also consider that military service (I was Army, non-aviation), could interfere with continuing education. I knew guys who took classes here and there, but no one earned a degree as an enlisted soldier until they were already E-6+ which takes a lot longer than just going to school full time.

Have you considered the Air National Guard? My buddy went to college for some sort of aviation, got minimal qualifications (I'd have to ask him, SEL, commericial, IFR maybe?) and then got hired by his local guard unit, went to OCS, and airforce flight school. He got enough experience with the guard flying multi-engine turbines that he quit ATC and went to a regional for like 2 years and now he flies widebodies at a major and is close to retiring from the guard. He's 42. [edit: he went to the regionals 12 years ago]
 
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GolfChuck said:
I knew guys who took classes here and there, but no one earned a degree as an enlisted soldier until they were already E-6+ which takes a lot longer than just going to school full time.
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In practice, 4 years ROTC and 4 years active (non-aviation) is probably the fastest, cheapest, and most predictable path.

If you’re enlisted and have a wife, a kid, a mortgage, and no control over deployments, that degree will be elusive.
 
GolfChuck said:
Also consider that military service (I was Army, non-aviation), could interfere with continuing education. I knew guys who took classes here and there, but no one earned a degree as an enlisted soldier until they were already E-6+ which takes a lot longer than just going to school full time.

Have you considered the Air National Guard? My buddy went to college for some sort of aviation, got minimal qualifications (I'd have to ask him, SEL, commericial, IFR maybe?) and then got hired by his local guard unit, went to OCS, and airforce flight school. He got enough experience with the guard flying multi-engine turbines that he quit ATC and went to a regional for like 2 years and now he flies widebodies at a major and is close to retiring from the guard. He's 42. [edit: he went to the regionals 12 years ago]
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Im 100% civilian, so I was going to stay out of this. However, I have flown with alot of guys who had success with the path you describe. Air National Guard enlisted while finishing degree. Finish Degree, reapply for a flight slot in the same Air Guard Unit. Get Hired to be a pilot then sent off to flight school with an airplane and mission already established. Then later still have some flexibility to join civilian airlines while still being in the guard. That has always seemed like a really good path to me... and they make great airline pilots too because they often have had their hands in civilian and military aviation prior to becoming and airline pilot.
 
Kingairer said:
Im 100% civilian, so I was going to stay out of this. However, I have flown with alot of guys who had success with the path you describe. Air National Guard enlisted while finishing degree. Finish Degree, reapply for a flight slot in the same Air Guard Unit. Get Hired to be a pilot then sent off to flight school with an airplane and mission already established. Then later still have some flexibility to join civilian airlines while still being in the guard. That has always seemed like a really good path to me... and they make great airline pilots too because they often have had their hands in civilian and military aviation prior to becoming and airline pilot.
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Jump in.

It sounded like @zomzom was referring to a regular enlistment in the Air Force (full-time) vs part-time enlistment in the ANG or AF Reserve.

(There are also active duty folks in both the ANG and the Reserve).

Previous comments suggested that pursuing a degree while active duty (full-time) is challenging.

The ANG is an excellent route to help fund a degree. Get the degree and pursue ANG and/or AF piloting opportunities.
 
If you have an associates already, unless you’re in a high deployment field finishing a bachelors should be easily doable while enlisted. Aside from the GI Bill you get up to $250/credit hour up to $4500/yr in tuition assistance while on active duty. Know plenty of people who did it. I spent 6 years enlisted AF if you have any questions. I got out in 2014 though so things have changed I’m sure. I also didn’t pursue education so can’t help in that regard but for general af enlisted stuff I will if I can.
 
Pilot Fighter said:
Tell us more. Age, financial status, relationship status, parenting status, areas of interest?

Normally, I’m a finish-what-you-started kinda guy but the AF and other branches may not value an associates degree at all.

There are lots of success stories of folks obtaining a degree while serving and using educational benefits thereafter. That said, your educational pursuits are secondary to the demands of the military.

Beyond that, many folks join the military with a plan like yours and end up married with a kid and in debt. They are trapped, to some extent.

@///AMG was suggesting AF ROTC as a path to becoming an AF pilot. ROTC (any branch) may also be a good path outside of military aviation. You complete your degree and gain invaluable experience as an officer. You will be able to fund your own pilot training while you serve.
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I’m 18, no husband, no kids. I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon either. I just want to focus on school and my career for now. I’d like to finish my bachelor’s while I’m in the military so the path doesn’t take too long. I’m open to any branch and still trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I know becoming a pilot is a difficult and expensive road, so I’m just trying to plan ahead.
 
DE727UPS said:
Yeah, it will work. What I like about your post is you didn't say, "I must be an airline pilot at Delta". So many jobs in aviation are possibilities. As you take your time and work through it you'll see many doors open career wise. Don't be afraid to ask questions here and tell us how things are going. It's a long road. Best of luck.
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Thank you !!!
 
zomzom said:
I’m 18, no husband, no kids. I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon either. I just want to focus on school and my career for now. I’d like to finish my bachelor’s while I’m in the military so the path doesn’t take too long. I’m open to any branch and still trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I know becoming a pilot is a difficult and expensive road, so I’m just trying to plan ahead.
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I'm civilian, but I finished my degree at an Embry Riddle extended campus at Carswell JRB. It was a half semester program and each class was from 5:30PM-10:00PM. Each class was once per week and 3 credit hours. It was designed for people who did what you are looking to do. There were a couple of civilians, but the core group was enlisted people finishing their degrees. This was nearly 20 years ago, but it seems like this is still a thing. You can look here and filter by military base:

Locations

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers one university experience across multiple locations — from residential U.S. campuses to worldwide and online options.
erau.edu erau.edu

It was also super cheap (compared to the main campus) and they gave me credit for my pilot certificates, DSST tests, CLEP, community college, etc. Going this route will save you a ton of money and maybe allow you to spend more in the flight training portion. It is also accelerated and went by fast. Good luck.
 
CoffeeIcePapers said:
I'm civilian, but I finished my degree at an Embry Riddle extended campus at Carswell JRB. It was a half semester program and each class was from 5:30PM-10:00PM. Each class was once per week and 3 credit hours. It was designed for people who did what you are looking to do. There were a couple of civilians, but the core group was enlisted people finishing their degrees. This was nearly 20 years ago, but it seems like this is still a thing. You can look here and filter by military base:

Locations

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers one university experience across multiple locations — from residential U.S. campuses to worldwide and online options.
erau.edu erau.edu

It was also super cheap (compared to the main campus) and they gave me credit for my pilot certificates, DSST tests, CLEP, community college, etc. Going this route will save you a ton of money and maybe allow you to spend more in the flight training portion. It is also accelerated and went by fast. Good luck.
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Thank you so much !!
 
zomzom said:
I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon either. I just want to focus on school and my career for now.
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If you are interested in marriage/dating at all in the future I would suggest you don't push the concept of dating aside completely. Schooling and a career are important but smothering other goals in life with your career can backfire hard.

This is unfortunately speaking from personal experience. You will be surprised how fast 10 years can fly by when you focus on your career.
 
zomzom said:
I’m 18, no husband, no kids. I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon either. I just want to focus on school and my career for now. I’d like to finish my bachelor’s while I’m in the military so the path doesn’t take too long. I’m open to any branch and still trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I know becoming a pilot is a difficult and expensive road, so I’m just trying to plan ahead.
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You have a solid plan but I have one question: why get the associate degree privately and on your own dime when you can enlist now, get the associates degree while you're in the service, and even finish the bachelor degree if you can? You may or may not be able to juggle AF and college - so "practice" by knocking out your general, AS type courses before tackling the last couple years. Who knows, perhaps you do well enough you get a scholarship from AF or something. Also, not sure how it is now but there used to be clubs for General Aviation and military members could rent planes, learn to fly and it was much cheaper than civilian costs.
 
WacoFan said:
You have a solid plan but I have one question: why get the associate degree privately and on your own dime when you can enlist now, get the associates degree while you're in the service, and even finish the bachelor degree if you can? You may or may not be able to juggle AF and college - so "practice" by knocking out your general, AS type courses before tackling the last couple years. Who knows, perhaps you do well enough you get a scholarship from AF or something. Also, not sure how it is now but there used to be clubs for General Aviation and military members could rent planes, learn to fly and it was much cheaper than civilian costs.
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Why get the associate’s degree at all? Unless it’s tied into a vocational cert not sure military cares.
 
Have you started college yet at all?

If you are committed to serving in the Air Force or the military, then talking to a ROTC unit on campus might be a possible pathway for you.

Assuming you just started your freshman year in college - While it is too late to receive any scholarships for this academic year you can compete for scholarships to complete the remaining three years of your bachelors degree. Commission as an officer in whichever service.

I commissioned into the Navy and was not a pilot. I was a black shoe ship driver. My obligated service was completed 4 years after commissioning but I had a useless double major Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and physics.

I started flying my first year in the Navy as an ensign getting part 61 flight training thru civilian flight schools wherever I was based.

Over then next ten years I flew my dinky rented 172 wherever I was stationed - Southern California, New England, Hawaii, Virginia Capes, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Japan where I flew out of Kadena’s aero club.

I finally decided to pursue professional aviation after 10 years in the Navy. Using all of the retention bonuses the Navy paid me to stay in the Navy to fund all of my civilian flight training to get out of the Navy. got my multiengine and commercial ratings and rolled right into new hire training after leaving the Navy.

It wasn’t always clear what I needed to do. But in the end - ended up flying regional turboprops, RJs, and Airbus narrowbodies - over a 25 year airline pilot career after 10 years as a non-aviator naval officer.

I never ended up at Southwest which was where my goal was set when I started flying at my first regional airline. My last airline went bankrupt and went out of business tossing me out on the street. I’m flying a 777 now. It’s alright. It pays the bills - it’s temporary. I’m looking forward to retirement in 5 years as a First Officer. It wasn’t the way I envisioned my career turning out but I’m quite content how it turned out and wouldn’t do anything different. But I’m quite happy that I’ll never fly a 737 in my aviation career.



Anyways TLDR - I’d research what your ROTC options are if you are currently in school at a university. If you’re willing to put up with all the BS you have to do for ROTC - you will eventually get picked up for a ROTC scholarship at some point to complete your bachelor degree. You commission as an officer. Then you can do whatever you want in terms of your own flying career whether you are an aviator in the military or not.
 
woodreau said:
Have you started college yet at all?

If you are committed to serving in the Air Force or the military, then talking to a ROTC unit on campus might be a possible pathway for you.

Assuming you just started your freshman year in college - While it is too late to receive any scholarships for this academic year you can compete for scholarships to complete the remaining three years of your bachelors degree. Commission as an officer in whichever service.

I commissioned into the Navy and was not a pilot. I was a black shoe ship driver. My obligated service was completed 4 years after commissioning but I had a useless double major Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and physics.

I started flying my first year in the Navy as an ensign getting part 61 flight training thru civilian flight schools wherever I was based.

Over then next ten years I flew my dinky rented 172 wherever I was stationed - Southern California, New England, Hawaii, Virginia Capes, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Japan where I flew out of Kadena’s aero club.

I finally decided to pursue professional aviation after 10 years in the Navy. Using all of the retention bonuses the Navy paid me to stay in the Navy to fund all of my civilian flight training to get out of the Navy. got my multiengine and commercial ratings and rolled right into new hire training after leaving the Navy.

It wasn’t always clear what I needed to do. But in the end - ended up flying regional turboprops, RJs, and Airbus narrowbodies - over a 25 year airline pilot career after 10 years as a non-aviator naval officer.

I never ended up at Southwest which was where my goal was set when I started flying at my first regional airline. My last airline went bankrupt and went out of business tossing me out on the street. I’m flying a 777 now. It’s alright. It pays the bills - it’s temporary. I’m looking forward to retirement in 5 years as a First Officer. It wasn’t the way I envisioned my career turning out but I’m quite content how it turned out and wouldn’t do anything different. But I’m quite happy that I’ll never fly a 737 in my aviation career.



Anyways TLDR - I’d research what your ROTC options are if you are currently in school at a university. If you’re willing to put up with all the BS you have to do for ROTC - you will eventually get picked up for a ROTC scholarship at some point to complete your bachelor degree. You commission as an officer. Then you can do whatever you want in terms of your own flying career whether you are an aviator in the military or not.
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This is a logical and pretty seamless path to a BA/BS and a career. As described above, if you aren’t able to have a military aviation career at least you’ll be able to afford to keep flying and training.

A quicker path to a cockpit would be joining the Army, flying as a warrant officer, most likely helicopters. Plenty of WO’s get their degrees while serving.

The only path I don’t like is enlisting, working towards a degree, working towards a commission, working towards a flying slot. So many opportunities for things to go wrong.
 
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