USMA vs. USAFA

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bigmoe

5-Year Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2010
Messages
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My son will be deciding between USMA and USAFA. He went to USMA SLS and loved it. Air Force is pursuing him but Army is too, he is leaning USMA, but he thinks being a pilot would be a great opportunity. What critical decision factors should he consider when making this life-changing decision?
 
Well, you don't exactly fly planes in the Army, but you can fly helicopters. So if your son likes flying in general, he could go to USMA and branch aviation.
 
Depends what he wants. If he wants to fly, then USAFA is the way to go. If he doesn't then USMA is.
Granted, you can fly in the Army, too, but I'm pretty sure there are more aviation slots out of USAFA than USMA. And aviation's a pretty competitive branch here.
 
Honestly, he needs to evaluate the WHOLE service, and the opportunities therein.

So he thinks being a pilot would be cool. Great.

What if he ends up not wanting to fly?
What if he doesn't pass the flight physical?
What if he got a flight slot in the Air Force and ended up a UAV pilot?

While it's great to look at what you WANT to do, it's sometimes more worthwhile to look at what you DON'T WANT to do. Look at your options in each service if your grand plans don't pan out. See where you might end up and factor that in.
 
He can not go wrong either way - both are great schools. I had the same choiice and chose West Point. I have NEVER regretted the decisions. He must make his own decision based on his priorities but unless your PASSION is flying jets I would advise West Point.
The Army and Air Force are GREATLY DIFFERENT lifestyles. In the Army the enlisted men do the fighting under the command of officers. In the Air Force the fighting is normally done by the officers. This causes a vastly different culture.
 
scoutpilot said:
Honestly, he needs to evaluate the WHOLE service, and the opportunities therein.

So he thinks being a pilot would be cool. Great.

What if he ends up not wanting to fly?
What if he doesn't pass the flight physical?
What if he got a flight slot in the Air Force and ended up a UAV pilot?

While it's great to look at what you WANT to do, it's sometimes more worthwhile to look at what you DON'T WANT to do. Look at your options in each service if your grand plans don't pan out. See where you might end up and factor that in.
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I would definitely take this post's message into consideration. I was originally planning to apply to the Air Force a long time ago. However, I thought about all the branch options available in the Army and Air Force. I found a great number of branches in the Army appealing, while in the Air Force, I only saw piloting. Being a pilot is a common dream for those who want to serve their country. Your son must realize that aviation is a highly competitive field; he should consider all of his options before choosing a life-path based on one ideal.
 
Thanks for the advice

Thanks for this advice, all of you. My son has a lifetime decision to make, I look to give him facts and let him make his decision. I do not want to influence him.
 
bigmoe said:
Thanks for this advice, all of you. My son has a lifetime decision to make, I look to give him facts and let him make his decision. I do not want to influence him.
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Good for you! :thumb:

Personally, I will say this...flying is one of MANY cool things you can do in the Army. Flying is one of the FEW cool things you can do in the Air Force (that is my opinion).
 
scoutpilot said:
Honestly, he needs to evaluate the WHOLE service, and the opportunities therein.

So he thinks being a pilot would be cool. Great.

What if he ends up not wanting to fly?
What if he doesn't pass the flight physical?
What if he got a flight slot in the Air Force and ended up a UAV pilot?

While it's great to look at what you WANT to do, it's sometimes more worthwhile to look at what you DON'T WANT to do. Look at your options in each service if your grand plans don't pan out. See where you might end up and factor that in.
Click to expand...


Hi all, I just registered on these boards, but I've been reading them for a while. I just recently had to make up my mind between USMA and USAFA and the above is pretty much what tipped it for me one way or another.

I was being recruited for USAFA soccer, but taking a step back, I couldn't really see myself interested in much besides flying and if something were to happen, I would've been stuck figuring out what I wanted to do.

I received my appointment to WP about a month back and have since decided to accept as the Army has not only aviation, but multiple branches that I am interested in.

As a quick general thank you, this board has been quite helpful, and I'm only sorry that I waited until now to register.
 
I was in this same dilemma two years ago.

Casey said:
I couldn't really see myself interested in much besides flying and if something were to happen, I would've been stuck figuring out what I wanted to do...as the Army has not only aviation, but multiple branches that I am interested in.
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scoutpilot said:
I will say this...flying is one of MANY cool things you can do in the Army. Flying is one of the FEW cool things you can do in the Air Force (that is my opinion).
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I chose USMA over USAFA. Bigmoe, I would find out what your son's other interests are besides flying and see which service has the best opportunities overall.
 
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