Academy Advice

ENJJPT is very competitive to get.
1. Unlike other UPT bases it wings less than 200 every year. Other bases wing over 300 per year.
2. I don't believe it is for engineering majors only. Test school does mandate that you have an engineering major.
3. I do believe that you have to be no lower than the top 10% of the class to be somewhat competitive in getting an ENJJPT slot.

ENJJPT is not just for USAFA grads, but all rated commission officers can apply. IE. Not only does this apply to ROTC and OCS grads, but also let's say a CSO applies for UPT (xtrain) he can go request ENJJPT.
 
xposted with Stealth.

I agree with him that it use to be everyone would get a fighter, but recently as he has said they have been all over the place. Yes, your chances are greater, but if the AF says that they need more heavies than they can fulfill out of the other UPT bases than you can get a heavy.

Stealth's DS did not go to ENJJPT, he went to Del Rio. As he stated never give up.

Now for the OP.
I would die in something that's not a fighter.
So many people say this even when they get to UPT. It is funny because after a year at UPT everything changes, all you want is the wings!

I have never met a pilot that does not believe their airframe is the absolute best and their mission is the most crucial. IE...KC pilots are refuelers...those pointy nose planes need them to refuel. No refueler = 16s going back to base earlier than needed. C130s drop not only pallets with parts and supplies, but people too. They give the Army a ride to where they want to go. If you don't have them than that impacts the military mission.

Hence, when I said keep an open mind, keep an open mind because every single military member has an integral part regarding the success of the mission. This starts from the enlisted member working life support to the pilot dropping a GBU.

OBTW, I think the guys flying AF One and Two think that their job isn't too shabby as a heavy pilot!

I've heard it's hard but I get my work done and make all A's what usually causes people to wash out??

Keep getting A's. However, understand every SA is on the level of an Ivy League education. It is not just about getting A's, it is about the whole package. If all you are is book smart and nothing else than you will not be an ideal candidate. They want those ECs because being something like an Eagle Scout shows long term dedication and time management. Being an Eagle Scout and in a sport all 4 yrs shows even more because now you also illustrate team skills. Being an Eagle Scout, Captain of a sport, and let's say President of NHS shows, commitment, dedication, team building skill and leadership, while maintaining a 4.0.

Why do some wash out? There are a lot of reasons, but here are the most common in my opinion.
1. UPT is a pressure cooker. You will get up at 5 a.m. go to academics, than a sim or maybe a flight. Get home @5 p.m. make dinner, and chair fly/study until 10-11 at night. This is your Monday- Friday schedule. Friday night through Sunday @noon is down time. Sunday you hit the books again.
~ You will be tested on some level almost daily for @54 weeks.
2. UPT is not just academics, it is handling the stick.
~ You can be the smartest person in the room, but when it comes to landing a T-6 with cross winds it is a whole different story...it is about your ability with the stick.
3. See #1. It is a pressure cooker. Chances are you will bust a ride (flight) or a sim. If you cannot dust yourself off and perform like it was just a bad day and will not happen again...i.e. believe in yourself, than you will be okay, but if you mentally start doubting yourself than chances are you will bust that re-do (aka an 88 ride) and have to do an 89 (last chance ride) which will make you feel even more under the gun. Fail that ride and you are out. It is about mentality dealing with failure.
~ Pilots, be it fighter or heavies are Alphas. They all fought to get there and prior to UPT, they were the cream of the crop in every aspect. (see above about being an A student, Team Captain, etc. etc. etc.)
~ You will live with IPs telling you constantly that you all are the worst class they have ever seen. You will watch others wash out. It is mentally wearing.
~~ Fencers and my DS's class started with 28 students. After the T6 phase they had 21 left. When they started the T38/T1 phase they added in 7 wash backs, and were back to 28. When they winged @7 months later they winged 21.

You are young, and before you go down this path I suggest 2 things.
1. Medical
~ You will do a DoDMERB exam for USAFA or AFROTC. That exam is not like an FAA FC1 physical. FAA is much longer and more in depth. If you have any medical issues start addressing them now.
~~ For DoDMERB they will look back starting at the age of 13.
2. If you can financially afford it, start taking flight lessons. See above regarding handling the stick.
~ Reading books is great, but it has nothing to do with real life experience.

Best of luck.
 
Thanks for the further clarification concerning ENJPT. My limited knowledge was from what DS told me and my cousin who went to ENJPT a few years ago. As Pima said, all commissioning sources can apply. Cousin went to Embry Riddle ROTC, got in ENJPT and flew F-16. Now he's in a different airframe but still in AF and loves the "non-fighter"aircraft he is in now.
 
If this is true it is the first I've heard about WOB getting ENJPT. I thought only Engineering (Fuzzy?) majors were allowed to go ENJPT. I know my DS wants to apply for ENJPT but wasn't selected for WOB. I certainly hope this isn't the case as WOB tryouts seemed more of a popularity contest than any kind of tryout....

The joke with the WOB team is that they can teach a monkey to parachute. The peer selected criteria is heavily based off academic performance (#1 and #5 ranked 2016 graduates for instance were WOB's). A rising WOG to WOB for instance is ranked #2 in his class. They have to be smart in order to pull off 20+ hours a week at the airfield. They cannot chose someone who is not doing well for fear of them having to drop the program to meet the grades. This happens often for student athletes (needing to drop their sports to focus on grades). The WOB train for 3 years and compete. If someone drops, that is catastrophic for the teams chances to win a medal. My son's team won Nationals on 4 way (1st time ever if I got my story right). Therefore all members needed to be there for all 3 years for that to happen.

Another criteria is social skills and one of them is creativity and wit. Impromptu skits are part of the process too. So you have to think on your toes. Therefore if you look at the personality of the members (I've hosted close to 40 in my home) they are extroverts, creative, witty, and smart.

Just as the Thunderbirds are the representatives of the Air Force, the WOB are the face of USAFA. They are out in public often at shows and need to be very friendly so being an extrovert and likable is an atribute. As I mentioned, my son wanted to go to USAFA because of WOB. So it is a recruiting tool.

Finally, considering all of the hours that are dedicated to learning the sport, these small groups that spend >20 hours a week training in close quarters have to get along and need to like each other. Some might like to call it a popularity contest (more often when they are not picked) but it is rather a very involved selection process that they intentionally keep close to their chests.

So after reading Stealth's post and personally knowing a lot of the students that are in the program, it makes sense that they are statistically selected for ENJPT. They are smart and at the airfield 20+ hours a week. Evidently those members make great fighter pilots. As I mentioned, several have been Thunderbirds in the past.
 
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OP the "pipeline" is elastic and always changing. For the foreseeable future this air force will need pilots, especially now that the f-35 is coming online. There will still be many fighter pilot slots by the time you roll thru
 
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