Fighter pilot

[Boondock]

so after graduating i either want to stay in the maritime or be a fighter pilot. I am 17 and have my private pilot's license, so i was wondering if anybody knows the best route to become a pilot for the military? when i visited there were two plebes who wanted to do the same thing i just did not have time to talk to them.

any thoughts or comments will be much appreciated!!

[Pima]

Boondock, so did you recieve an appointment to the Merchant Marine Academy? If so, do you intend to stay in the MM, or go the fighter pilot route. My understanding: there aren't any fighters in the MM. Try AF or Navy...

[jamzmom]

Boondock, I have to say, I love your name. A huge congrats on obtaining your pilot's license. Quite a feat for such a young age. At the Academy, you will have many opportunities to fly. KP produces many Navy Pilots. Keep in mind that as a graduate of KP, you will choose your service from Army, Navy , Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard, in reserves or active duty, and can commision directly to INTEL, NOAA & some other duties that are too indepth for me to go into here.

A recent space shuttle mission had a KP grad in charge. Read more about it here : http://www.usmmaparents.com/usmmaparents/

I've met Helo pilots for CG & guys of a very young age who are Navy pilots. All KP grads. The world is your campus & I hope that you'll do some research on how many pilots KP produces.

[Boondock]

Pima: no i have not recieved an appointment...yet. I plan to be a fighter pilot if i can get a slot, if not i'll be almost just as happy in the maritime buisness.

jamzmom: thanks for the compliment. My dream is to fly F-35s for the Marine Corps but i'll fly for whoever will take me. that is another reason the MMA attracted me because it is not restricted to a certain branch. Any who, do you know the route to take to become a military pilot at the academy? should I already be talking to a recruiter??

[kp2001]

Originally Posted by Boondock

Any who, do you know the route to take to become a military pilot at the academy? should I already be talking to a recruiter??

No need to talk to anyone yet. Once you're all settled in at the Academy you can start to talk to the Marine Corps liason as well as the Navy liasons in order to let them know your interest. The Marine Corps option at the Academy is well known, they will take your interest and run with it, and you'll run with them, literally :)

The route to take to become a pilot out of Kings Point is to simply let them know you are interested. Once you become an upperclassman you will probably take the aviation test (forget the name of it at this time) and as a senior you'd also take the flight physical. Before that you can spend your internship (required of all m/n) with a wing getting some flights and seeing how a real squadron works.

Basically becoming a pilot out of KP is fairly straight forward and there are people there who will guide you through the process. It will simply be a decision of USMC vs USN vs USAF. You do realize the AF has the new Joint Strike Fighter which is an incredible airplane right?

[Pima]

BD, PIMA's H here. (AD AF, 2600 hrs in ftrs, currently flying the F-15E). I applaud you for knowing what you want at such an early age. I was in your shoes back in my day, chasing the dream...
My advise to you: keep doing what you're doing now. You made a great choice to get your private license, it's a huge factor for future consideration for a pilot slot, and puts you way ahead of the competition when you get to pilot school (UPT for the AF). Most of the guys I know in my community had private experience as well, so it helped their chances.
You'll want to do your best on the Qualification tests (AFOQT for the AF, I don't know what the other services call it). Like a SAT, but with extra sections testing your logic and cognitive skills (reading flight instruments, maps, etc.) Doing well in the pilot and Nav sections ups your chances for a flying slot, and your flying experience will again help you here (of course, this inofrmation may be dated, I took the AFOQT years ago. I recommend talking to a recruiter about it, and to sister service recruiters as well).

What else can I recommend: determination. Push hard for your dream, and when you reach the end of your rope, push more. Never give up, and show those in charge you will never give up. Study hard, be involved, and keep the dream....

Hope to see you get your dream. I'll be long gone by the time you're through with school and flight training, but I'll raise a toast to you getting you're wings. Bullet

[Boondock]

Wow. thanks for all the info! ya'll have been extemely helpful and have confirmed for me that the USMMA is where i want to go!

Pima: Cheers to you as well

[jamzmom]

Good luck to you Boondock. Keep hanging out here and perhaps we can talk Pima's hubby back to tell us more if he gets some time he can give? Such cool stuff and its gotta give you some exciting thoughts for your future.

What else can I recommend: determination. Push hard for your dream, and when you reach the end of your rope, push more. Never give up, and show those in charge you will never give up. Study hard, be involved, and keep the dream....

Follow that bit of advice!

[Pima]

Pima's H here (I go by Bullet. Long story on how I got that callsign), if you have more ????s

[jamzmom]

Bullet, sure hope you share that “Bullet” name story sometime. Many thanks to Pima for sharing you here. You guys are awesome. I’ve got a question, just formulated from the many I’ve seen asked on the subject - generally from the kids. Say they get to the point of being accepted into flight school towards the end of their academy days, what is the average timeline to eventually land in a pilot’s seat. I’m guessing that each service must vary in the length of their training programs & what they're flying?

Btw, thank you for your service. Takes a special person to do what you do. I’ve got one kid that flies private & one sailing thru KP. My Mom mind screams “danger danger danger” most days then other days, I’m glad they are living their dreams. All I wanted was a Doctor in the family to care for me in my old age. LOL