Is the military for me?

T

theAC

New Member
Hey, my name's Loren and I'm a high school senior. I've been admitted by the University of Illinois to their flight program and i'm planning on attending next year. However, i have a bit of a dilemma about which route to take my career. I've been thinking long and hard about whether or not to try it the military way or go the civilian way. First of all, part of me looking into the military is because i want to give something back to my country, not just as a 10-year penance to fly for the airlines. If i wasn't interested in the service aspect of it i wouldn't consider it. This is a hard decision for me though, because i really want to fly. I've been considering AFROTC and i know that i have to make a commitment before i find out if i even earned a flight slot. Although i would still feel pretty honored to be an officer minus the flying, i know a part of me would be disappointed and unhappy because i wouldn't be doing what i really find exciting, when i could be doing it in the commercial sphere.

So... i got pretty good grades in high school without anything to really motivate me, so i'm anticipating doing even better in college knowing flying jobs are on the horizon and all. A good GPA, good scores on the AFOQT, combined with earning my ratings up through commercial, maybe even CFI, should theoretically give me a relatively good shot at a pilot slot if i enroll in AFROTC..... or will it? see thats the thing, i really don't know what the chances are, and i'm probably stressing out way too much about it way too early on, but i'm just trying to plan out what to do well in advance so i can consider all the options.

i'm sure you're all tired of hearing this same old thing from naive high school kids like me, but thanks for listening and thanks for any advice.

Loren
 
Loren-
Good thing you live in Illinois! There is a program called the Illinois Veteran's Grant that will pay for your colleg at a state school for four years OR as long as you are a reservist in the ILNG. The point being that should you decide after the military to go to med school or law school, AND you are a member of the Illinous Guard, they will pay for your state schol tuition. I went to school this way for my undergrad.

I also did the Army ROTC thing and it was a terrific experience, especially when combined with service in a drilling Guard unit.

Since I was an Army guy, my knowledge on this part is limited, though I have heard that if you get commissioned in the Air Force and already hold comm/instrument ratings, your chances of a pilots slot are quite good.

I'm not sure if the AF has what the Army calls GRFD contracts, which are Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty contracts. It doesn't keep one from being deployed, but when not deployed you are a traditional reservist, and you would spend several months (perhaps even over a year) in training. That sort of experience is tremendous for a young person's resume.

I'd avoid military service if the intention is ONLY to fly. The service makes its decisions based upon its needs, not your desires. However, under any circumstance I always encourage people to serve. Sometimes it's a rough time for people and can be a difficult life. However it is always rewarding personally, and rarely does damage to post military career plans.

The military allows you to become a part of something larger than yourself. Also, when was the last time a you watched a good movie about accountants or housepainters?

Good luck!

-LC
 
One general comment I would make is that I don't think anyone can go wrong starting in the military. Not always the best place to stay for everyone, but I don't think starting there has been bad for anyone I knew.

Not having the flight slot up front is a risk, but even if you didn't get it up front, there is always a possibility to compete for pilot training later. If you fly bug-smashers on your own (get a CFII, etc), you definitely improve your competitiveness. Talk to real military guys though...I've heard too many recruiter horror stories....
 
theAC said:
First of all, part of me looking into the military is because i want to give something back to my country, not just as a 10-year penance to fly for the airlines. If i wasn't interested in the service aspect of it i wouldn't consider it.
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That is the right attitude you need to be happy having gone into the military. If you really want to fly then go ahead and give it a shot. There is nothing wrong with trying to get something back out as long as you are serving the country.

Even if you don't get selected to fly for the military there is nothing stopping you from learning on your own. Many bases have military flying clubs that are much cheaper than the big flight schools.

Best of luck
 
Military Aviation...Best Deal going.

Loren -
I am currently an F/A-18 pilot that came up through the ranks in the Marine Corps - started out spinning wrenches on UH-1Ns and AH-1Ws. My father is a retired AF pilot currently flying in the corporate world. I say this just so that you know where I am coming from.

Based on your desire to serve your country, I would recommend that you go into the military. It is a hard life, but a rewarding one. As far as the training goes - it is the best in the world.

Military flight training is very demanding. The things you are going to do in military aircraft are very different from anything you will do in the civil aviation community. Different and much more demanding. Because of the demands on military pilots, the standards are very high - only those meeting the standards get to wear the wings. Everybody else is sent off to different occupational fields.

With your past experience and ratings coupled with a strong to desire to complete a military flight training program, you shouldn't have a problem earning a set of wings. I have several friends that went to school at service acadamies (Navy, Citadel, VMI) whose first time at the controls of an aircraft was FAM-1 in a T-34C - a much more complex airplane than the C152 you probably started in. They made it through and went on to fly the world's best multi-role combat aircraft off aircraft carriers. They did that through a lot of hard work.

Best of luck to you.
 
Count me in the motivational comments...the Military is "Da BOMB!!" (no pun intended).
 
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