I agree with 6K.
I will add that currently the reason you see many going for their PPL is due to two facts (later on)
1. As a cadet, be it USAFA or AFROTC. They will take an exam known as the TBAS. If they even have the minimal hours it will give them a boost in their score. The TBAS is part of their score that goes into their larger score. Think of it like the WCS for an appointment, there are certain % assigned to certain aspects, just now for the rated board when they are cadets.
~ Do not confuse this with the WCS, just showing that selection boards will not end just because you received an appointment.
2. After being selected for UPT they can get IFT (Initial Flight Training) waived if they have a PPL. In other words they will go straight to UPT and not the short TDY to Pueblo CO before starting UPT.
~ That is what they currently do, nobody know what it will be like next year, the year after that, or to say the very least 5 years from now.
My 2 cents... it can help or it can hurt you. From my experience, it can help more than it can hurt you. Most people with some prior flying experience before attending SUPT have a leg up in the T-6 phase because they have some sense of airmanship.
I agree. The pace at UPT is faster than one might think. Even so at IFT, aka IFS. Basically it can go like this:
They arrive at Pueblo on Weds. Class starts Thursday. Bold exam Fri. Fail that and you get a chance to retake on Monday. However, the class will still move forward. Monday is more academics. Tuesday is academics and a sim. Wed. another exam
~~ The students that passed the exam on Friday, were able to spend the entire weekend studying their academics that would be starting on Monday. The student that failed is now behind the 8 ball compared to their peers because they will be studying to pass the previous exam.
The student with flight hours can have a leg up in the very beginning, but I think overall it does average out later on, because flying is not just academics and briefings as 6k stated in their post.
Good luck.
PS, JMPO, I think that the only way a PPL can help is from a different aspect.
~ The candidate that is taking the most rigorous course load, strong class rank, strong ACT/SAT, involved in sports/clubs, volunteers/works and has found the time to get a PPL, may show the ALO and MOC committee just that little more umph when they decide their rack and stack.
However, if you said to me that this is the shining star in their resume, than I think you need to reevaluate.