hey, i'm a rising junior midshipmen at Annapolis, and wanted to know how one would begin the process of cross-commissioning from the USNA to the Air Force?
You're the first midshipman I have ever heard use the terminology "rising junior". You were a 2/C midshipman the second the Class of 2011 threw their hats into the air.
i didn't get into USAFA (my first choice) in high school, so i chose USNA over USMA for the chance to fly.
Did you apply for the Exchange Program? Spending a semester at USAFA would look good on your "resume" if you wanted to get a commission in the Air Force.
but i still want to fly in the Air Force. i think the air force contributes a lot more to the air superiority mission than any other service, let alone having TONS more fighter/bomber/attack aircraft then the navy (which are way more advanced as well, in my opinion).
The Air Force also has a lot more tankers and support-type aircraft, also. There are
plenty of non-tactical aircraft in the Air Force. You can even be a Predator "pilot" - how exciting would
that be?
You think the F-15 (first flew in 1972) and F-16 (also, early 70's) are more sophisticated that the F/A-18 Hornet (first flew in 1980)? Hardly.
both my dad and grandad were navy pilots who flew off carriers and the whole bit, but i don't want to be just good at landing
. but seriously, i have tremendous respect for naval aviators, its just that the numbers in the recent wars since WWII greatly favors AF when it comes to airpower mission contribution, and for these reasons i still want to pursue air force aviation.
If there is a sudden crisis (which seems to be more common these days; rather than the long, protracted campaigns of the World War II era), it is usually the
Navy that is tasked to respond first. Why? Because they can! They can park the carrier right off the coast of Libya, for instance. They can launch and, within minutes, be dropping bombs on target with virtually no advance notice.
In aviation, the culture in the Air Force and the Navy are radically different. The Air Force is very rule-driven. It's much "stiffer". We used to joke about all the restrictions placed upon Air Force pilots: "They can't do it unless they've done it before. They can't go there unless they've gone there before."
On the other hand, the world of naval aviation puts much more responsibility and trust on the individual squadrons and pilots. You are expected to think out-of-the-box as a naval aviator. You are expected to make quick decisions. You don't have to ask permission for everything you do. I'm probably overstating it a bit, but the origins of this cultural disparity has much to do with the unpredictable nature that goes with flying out-at-sea. Even within the Navy there is a disparity in cultures between carrier aviation and shore-based aviation (i.e. P-3's).
so now that you have the background, any suggestions on how to do this?
My roommate got a commission in the Air Force. That was back in 1979, though. He had to first get approval from the Commandant, however.
He had several things going for him.
1) His father was a high-ranking Air Force officer.
2) He wanted to fly but did not have 20/20 uncorrected vision. The Navy did not give waivers for vision and there was no corrective surgery in those days. The Air Force gave waivers for vision.
3) He ranked 7th in the class.
[NOTE: He was required to take the Air Force's flight physical and failed because of a
hearing deficiency. He still got his commission in the Air Force and ended up working in Intel. He was very disappointed.]
I would think that you have to make a compelling case as to
why you want to serve in the Air Force. The reasons you cite, in my opinion, would probably not be enough. But, hey, give it a shot. What's the worse that can happen? - they could disapprove it.
Naturally, the question is always going to be, "What makes you so knowledgeable about the Air Force to think that it is more suited to you?" If you were an exchange student, at least you could speak intelligently and experientially on that topic.