I want to be the best pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. Navy or Airforce?

That was before any of these kids were born :smile:

If Memory serves:::::::::They had the annual tailhook convention in vegas one year and a few overzealous drinkers made innapropriate comments, made some drunken groping at females and were bad eggs all around. quite a few paid dearly with careers and I think some brig time as well. As always a few bad apples.....:eek:

I would be surprised if anyone who was around back then isnt already retired or flag rank.
 
You would be surprised then, I think. :shake:

The shenanigans had been going on for quite some time at other Tailhooks before the infamous event. I'm not a carrier aviator, and never attended (I almost went to the "bad" one, but our trip got canceled, thank goodness). If the stories I heard from roommates and classmates about previous Tailhooks were even half true, then it's another reason why I was glad to be a P-3 guy...

Re: Navy vs. USAF pilots. To me, it's apples and oranges, chalk and cheese. Over a beer, each group will generally admit to a grudging respect for the other, and there is definietly a hierarchy within the pilot communities of both services. Single seat fighters on top, followed by dual seat, and down the list it goes.

There is a long-standing rivalry between the USAF and the Navy. If you look on Wikipedia and type in "Revolt of the Admirals" you'll get an idea why the rivalry got ugly, and why there is still some lingering doctrinal animosity between the services. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Admirals

After my disassociated sea tour as ship's company in USS Carl Vinson, I used to tell people that I was damned glad we had carrier pilots, but I would not want my daughter to marry one. :yllol:
 
xchefmike said:
until you witness some of the unbelievable carrier ops firsthand you will never understand. Also catch a COD flight out to the ship one dark night and you will forever be a true believer.
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I'm sure that they are better skilled at landing on carriers than AF pilots, and I would absolutely love to see one land, but I am concerned with what type of air craft, and how the pilots handle them, yet a lot of that depends on the pilot.
 
Flyboy, all joking aside, deciding between USNA and USAFA (and their related pilot programs) is a lot like deciding between a Ferrari and a Lamborgini. Either way, you can't go wrong.

What you have to decide is what environment you want to fly in. Air Force pilots excel in the traditional roles of airpower. Naval Aviators do, too, but they also add the at-sea component, which I would see as an added challenge.

Granted, the Navy environment is tougher in that you are away from home more, and in a bunk rather than a bed, but the benefits can outweigh the costs.

What you MAY want to be REALLY considering is... if you want to be a pilot more than an Air Force or Naval Officer? Tell me, if you went to USxA, and for some God-awful reason you could NOT fly, what would you want to do? If the answer is not "Serve as an officer anyway", then you may need to take a few steps back and re-evaluate what you are considering.

I'm not trying to turn you off. I'm simple trying to make sure you don't jump to Step 10 and miss Steps 1-9. :smile:
 
Sound advice. Nice job Zaphod.

Flyboy, you can read my posts on the AFA side answering your questions about flying. What is said above is more important. I always consider myself an officer first, an aviator second. Set your dreams high, and shoot for them always, but look at all the options.

Bullet
 
pilot...definitely

Zaphod said:
Flyboy, all joking aside, deciding between USNA and USAFA (and their related pilot programs) is a lot like deciding between a Ferrari and a Lamborgini. Either way, you can't go wrong.

What you have to decide is what environment you want to fly in. Air Force pilots excel in the traditional roles of airpower. Naval Aviators do, too, but they also add the at-sea component, which I would see as an added challenge.

Granted, the Navy environment is tougher in that you are away from home more, and in a bunk rather than a bed, but the benefits can outweigh the costs.

What you MAY want to be REALLY considering is... if you want to be a pilot more than an Air Force or Naval Officer? Tell me, if you went to USxA, and for some God-awful reason you could NOT fly, what would you want to do? If the answer is not "Serve as an officer anyway", then you may need to take a few steps back and re-evaluate what you are considering.

I'm not trying to turn you off. I'm simple trying to make sure you don't jump to Step 10 and miss Steps 1-9. :smile:
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I would definitely want to be a pilot rather than a navigator or flight officer..nothing wrong with that, but i was born to fly not to navigate :cool:
 
So what happens if you can't do aviation at all?
 
LineInTheSand said:
Then he sees what 30 ft seas look like from where it really matters...
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Bingo. :thumb:

Unless a person is ready to deal with an outcome like that, they shouldn't be applying to a SA, IMO.

So..... You ready to deal with that outcome, flyboy?
 
I completely agree,:thumb: as I just stated on the AF side...
 
I'm really glad I came across this thread. As an appointee to the Naval and Air Force Academy, I feel like I'm in a huge dilema about which academy I should attend and which service will provide me with the best opportunity to fly. Flying has been one of my biggest passions but I feel like there is one thing standing in my way. I'm only 63 inches tall. I've done a lot of research about height requirements for flying in the Navy and Air Force and have found that the Navy has a lower height requirement than the Air Force. (Navy-62in, AF- 64in) My question is for those pilots out there, is it possible to get a waiver for height to fly in the Air Force?
 
Pima speaking,

I remember Bullet having a friend who had to get a waiver for the opposite reason, and I think he got it b/c of the seat height, not his actual height (long legs, short body)..

Also remember as Zaphod said not everyone gets a flying slot and not everyone grads from UPT...you will be an officer 1st and owe a committment for that, make your decision on which branch is the one you want to serve in, not who will give you a waiver or a better plane. Determining on any other factor could mean you are very unhappy for many years.

I know you are young, but I would hate to see you making a decision based on flying only. The SA's have lots of great opportunities to offer besides flying, so on thought make sure you have a back-up if you don't get a slot
 
Zaphod said:
Bingo. :thumb:

Unless a person is ready to deal with an outcome like that, they shouldn't be applying to a SA, IMO.

So..... You ready to deal with that outcome, flyboy?
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If I am appointed and do accept, whatever branch it may be, I know that i am a serviceman to the united states first, and then an aviator. If flying doesnt work out for me, an believe me, i will fight to the death to make sure it does, then i might go into engineering.
 
I'm afraid engineering isn't an option for physically-qualified USNA grads.

So.....

If you don't get aviation, you're going to end up driving ships.

You ready for that?
 
Haha. The Marine Corps is increasing numbers in the following years to about 270-290 men and women from each graduating class. NFO and subs actually drafted people from SWO this year to meet their quotas.

If you don't get aviation...You could be drafted into something else. It's all about the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.
 
Zaphod said:
I'm afraid engineering isn't an option for physically-qualified USNA grads.

So.....

If you don't get aviation, you're going to end up driving ships.

You ready for that?
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that's true. what about in the air force? if i cant fly, does that mean i have an office job?
 
that why they call it the "chair force"

index.php



click on the link:shake:
 
that's true. what about in the air force? if i cant fly, does that mean i have an office job?
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Perhaps that isn't a good question to ask on a Navy forum - but a good question nevertheless.

Here is a good link from the Air Force website:
http://www.airforce.com/careers/officer/careers.php

This describes officers careers. The more I learn the more in awe I am of our nation's military - there is something for everyone. Some folks just want to be out in the dirt - they love the adventure of hiking with a ruck sack and jumping out of "perfectly good airplanes" - they may gravitate to the Army. Others like the adventure of floating on the "big pond" - a sitting duck and lots of big toys - they may graviate toward the Navy. Then others are flyers or those who like the toys that support flying. Many are techno-geeks and thank goodness we have them - they may find a niche in the Air Force.
One thing is for certain - in this war - there are no givens. Some Airmen and Sailors are on the ground in the line of fire - there is no "safe" job.

Flyboy - check out the Navy and Air force websites - educate yourself, ask questions and learn..... If your goal is to become a fighter pilot then pursue it with passion.
 
I regret I can't answer that last question, flyboy. There are plenty of non-flying officer billets in the USAF.

Who knows? You may end up flying a missile silo in the Dakotas in January!

"Turn your key, sir."

"TURN YOUR KEY!" :biggrin:
 
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