Airforce route

[drunkenbeagle]

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.

Air Force ROTC paid me to go to college, but probably still possible without a scholarship to do that. Way back when I was in school, you could do 2 years of ROTC with no obligation. So, I agree, I would be talking to whatever ROTC detachments are near you now. Unlike recruiters, they aren't out looking for you.

 

[zomzom]

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.

I’m not paying for my degree right now, so getting my associate degree is free for me. There are a few reasons why I can’t join the military right now, so while I’m waiting, I might as well get my associate degree done. I’m not doing it for a higher pay or anything like that. I’m studying business mainly as a backup, and hopefully I won’t ever have to use the degree.

 

[scoobs]

Go Guard.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Go Guard.

While the Guard doesn’t provide a direct path to flying, it preserves the most options.

SMP program features simultaneous Guard enlistment and ROTC participation. Not sure if other branches have similar programs.

 

[Springer]

While the Guard doesn’t provide a direct path to flying, it preserves the most options.

SMP program features simultaneous Guard enlistment and ROTC participation. Not sure if other branches have similar programs.

Is there still a two year ROTC? I did the two year program with the only difference being is that summer camp was two months longer. We also had the flight instruction program in the last 6 mths of college contracted with the local flying school. Thought it was the easiest way to get to AF UPT.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Is there still a two year ROTC?

I think they killed that, now you need your last three years AFROTC for automatic commission.

That said, they still welcome late arrivals but they have to go through OCS or whatever the AF calls it. I think late arrivals can still get financial benefits.

It’s hard to keep up.

 

[scoobs]

While the Guard doesn’t provide a direct path to flying, it preserves the most options.

SMP program features simultaneous Guard enlistment and ROTC participation. Not sure if other branches have similar programs.

Are you required to go AD?

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Are you required to go AD?

The Army offers direct to Guard or Reserve options for ROTC students.

I think there’s one ROTC scholarship where Guard/Reserve is locked in from the beginning without AD requirement and there’s also an option to request Guard/Reserve at contract time without AD requirement. In the latter case, there’s limited slots and it’s related to field of study. For example, I think nursing majors are almost always approved.

Then, there’s some oddities when it comes to aviation in the Army and AF. If you are simultaneously ROTC and Guard, obtaining a Guard pilot training slot trumps the ROTC contract.

There are cases where ROTC students in the Guard delay graduation as they try to get to get a Guard slot.

In general, ROTC path is designed for commission followed by active duty. While active duty, there’s opportunities to go Guard/Reserve.

It gets messy and confusing, Officers in charge of ROTC program/s are the best source of info as recruiters are often poorly informed.

 

[///AMG]

It’s possible there is some nuance in the AF or Army side, but there is almost none that i am aware of in USN/USMC NROTC. It is a commissioning program to fill active duty designators, period. Yes, there have been onesy twosey cases in the past when the active duty suddenly didn’t need as many people as they thought, and people were offered positions in the reserves typically reserved (no pun intended) for former active duty people. But i cant think of an example of that mechanism trickling down to the commissioning/accession level…..more like guys who just winged out of flight school who all of a sudden have no home to go to on the active side because of budgetary cuts, going to fly like VR/transports in the reserves. Even there, uncommon would be an understatement.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

It’s possible there is some nuance in the AF or Army side, but there is almost none that i am aware of in USN/USMC NROTC. It is a commissioning program to fill active duty designators, period. Yes, there have been onesy twosey cases in the past when the active duty suddenly didn’t need as many people as they thought, and people were offered positions in the reserves typically reserved (no pun intended) for former active duty people. But i cant think of an example of that mechanism trickling down to the commissioning/accession level…..more like guys who just winged out of flight school who all of a sudden have no home to go to on the active side because of budgetary cuts, going to fly like VR/transports in the reserves. Even there, uncommon would be an understatement.

The only NROTC-to-Reserve cases I recall were medical (nursing). One involved a pregnancy. You can’t go to OCS pregnant but you can be commissioned following NROTC while pregnant.