AFROTC Questions

Hi! I just have a few questions reguarding AFROTC. Thanks in advance!

1) What are some common majors for obtaining a flying job?
2) Common majors for dealing with satellites or space missles.
3) When given a scholarship, are given the major or the school you go to?

1. Every and any major, except for critical manning fields. DS graduated last May as a Govt and Politics major. He is at Laughlin AFB awaiting the start of UPT.
~~~ If you want to become a Test Pilot you must go engineer.

2. Couldn't answer

3. AFROTC is the only branch that the scholarship is not tied to the school, it is tied to the cadet. However, it is def. tied to your major, and if you decide to change your major you need their approval to keep the scholarship. Typically not hard to do if you are staying tech as a tech major, not easy if you are going tech to non-tech.

Understand even as a scholarship recipient you will have the make or break yr of attending summer field training after your sophomore yr. Not selected the scholarship can/may disappear and you can be dis-enrolled from AFROTC. OCS will not be an option either.

Pima said:

Understand even as a scholarship recipient you will have the make or break yr of attending summer field training after your sophomore yr. Not selected the scholarship can/may disappear and you can be dis-enrolled from AFROTC. OCS will not be an option either.

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Thanks! What does that mean? If you are not selected for field training or fail it?

Basically, between so. & jr. year AF cadets attend summer field training. Your selection to this IS dependant upon your advancement in AFROTC. If you are not selected to go to field training ... then basically you could be disenrolled from AFROTC.

If you are looking at the AF as a career; and you are disenrolled from AFROTC - you are pretty much SOL from attending OTS - basically due to the idea that, if you can't even get through at least 2 years of ROTC - how on earth are you possibly going to surviving the grueling 14-some week OTS course?

Just one more question! Upon graduating from AFROTC are you imediatley comissioned or are you required to attend OTS after graduating?

After you complete AFROTC, you get your gold bars (2LT). OTS is an ALTERNATE method of receiving a commission.

Thompson said:

Basically, between so. & jr. year AF cadets attend summer field training. Your selection to this IS dependant upon your advancement in AFROTC. If you are not selected to go to field training ... then basically you could be disenrolled from AFROTC.

If you are looking at the AF as a career; and you are disenrolled from AFROTC - you are pretty much SOL from attending OTS - basically due to the idea that, if you can't even get through at least 2 years of ROTC - how on earth are you possibly going to surviving the grueling 14-some week OTS course?

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It's far stronger than could be disenrolled. One almost certainly will be disenrolled. There would need to be some strong extenuating circumstances to avoid it based on what I've read on these forums. Of course you're right about OTS. If you don't get to, or through, SFT you will not be allowed to attend OTS.

kinnem is correct in this current environment unless you have a really great CoC willing to fight for you with AFROTCHQ in all likelihood it is all over.

The one thing to understand is although you will be immediately commissioned as an O1, it most likely will be months before you report for ADAF. Most report 3-6 months after commissioning, this means you will live back at home, and need to find a job. The reason why is all AFA grads will go before you go to your training school. The earliest our DS friends went was 1st of Aug.

If you want to go rated it is most likely that you will report to your UPT base, but be on casual status for many months. For example: Commission in May 17, report in Sept. for casual status, IFS in Feb. UPT in April, wing from UPT April 2019, FTU for about 6-9 months, operational sometime early 2020.

Understand your 11 yr pay back does not start until you wing. That means it will be 2030 before you can leave the AF.

You have a long time before you will be at that stage to decide, and a ton of hurdles to jump over, but it is never to early to decide if you want this bad enough to dedicate the next 15 yrs., almost your entire life as of now to become a pilot.

Forgot to state the only time as a flier your major matters for that career field is if you want to go to Test Pilot School (TPS). To be eligible to even apply you must hold a degree in engineering.

Again, there are so many hurdles to clear to even get to TPS, it is wise only to do this if you want to get a degree in engineering.

OBTW soccerchic, I am assuming by your moniker you are a girl. One difficulty females have for getting to UPT is sitting height. 2 girls in his class were offered UPT, 1 was DQ'd due to her sitting height, another was told she would go to UPT, but with the condition she would only go into heavies and no chance of ejection seat airframes (fighters) also because of her sitting height. Be cognizant that it is a factor for many girls, and they typically will not find out until the summer of their rising C400 yr when they go for their flight physical.

Thanks you all!
So just to clearify.. To become a test pilot you need to have an engineering degree and for a standard pilot, you can major in anything within reason??

soccerchic said:

Thanks you all!
So just to clearify.. To become a test pilot you need to have an engineering degree and for a standard pilot, you can major in anything within reason??

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Yes, or even beyond reason.

soccerchic said:

Thanks you all!
So just to clearify.. To become a test pilot you need to have an engineering degree and for a standard pilot, you can major in anything within reason??

Click to expand...

The actual minimum requirement for test pilot is a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics with a college GPA of greater than 2.5, plus 750 hours flying time in a MWS with an Instructor Pilot or Aircraft Commander rating.

Stealth_81

As far as the "standard" pilot goes, you also need to understand the selection process for these boards.

It is a rated board which means you can get Pilot, CSO, RPA or ABM. You can't just say pilot only. It is an all or nothing option to meet the board. Be prepared you might get an RPA slot or an ABM, which means you may never physically be in a cockpit.

Additionally, although you can major in anything AFROTC approves, it may not be a wise choice. TBAS will be given as a jr in college and unless you are really strong in math and science not having those courses in college can make you rusty and that can hurt your chances.

Our DS as I have stated majored in Govt and Politics, but he did well with the AFOQT and TBAS because he started flying when he was 17, and solo'd for his PPL. He had to take only 2 math courses in college, and he did that his freshman yr. He also had to take only 2 science courses, which again he completed his freshman yr, basically 2 yrs prior to his TBAS.

Another reason to look into getting your PPL is two-fold.
1. For the TBAS if you bring your flight log they will give you extra points towards the test score.
2. UPT students with a PPL starting FY13 do not have to go to IFS. IFS stands for Initial Flight Screening. UPT world is a pressure cooker, and if it means relieving any pressure it is to your advantage.

I know it is very expensive to get a PPL, I think we paid about 200 an hr. You can do it over yrs. We made a deal with our DS, we would pay 1 lesson, he had to pay the next. His birthday, graduation, and xmas presents paid for many of his hours. His summer jobs and some of his stipend paid for his share. It is doable. You don't need to do it in a yr or two, just keep plugging along, and even if you don't get it, the hrs will help for selection.

soccerchic - if you're still in high school and hoping to compete for a scholarship on your way to becoming a pilot, then your major may be very important. Unless your high school record is off-the-charts, you'll have a much better chance with a technical major that the AF needs right now. Your college record and your major may play heavily in the detachment's choice to nominate you for training that's needed to continue on to a pilot career or any officer commission. Everything is highly competitive.

Your best insight may come from your regional ROTC representative (high school) or detachment officers (if you are already in college).

One thing also to realize is several tech majors currently are not allowed to apply for rated slots. EE, nuclear are 2 that quickly come to mind.

I was going through this old thread and had another question. With the new law of allowing women in combat, if I applied for a flying spot could I potentially be assigned in ABM? Personally I'm all for the law, but I'm not interested in that spot in the field.

soccerchic said:

I was going through this old thread and had another question. With the new law of allowing women in combat, if I applied for a flying spot could I potentially be assigned in ABM? Personally I'm all for the law, but I'm not interested in that spot in the field.

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Potentially yes. Just like any male can be assigned ABM. There have been Air Force female fighter pilots since 1993. Not sure how many or how likely it is a female would get a pilot slot but its been happening for a long time. Nothing new here.

No offense soccerchic, but I think you haven't investigated the AF world very much.

http://www.seymourjohnson.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=15663

In case you don't want to read it, she is the 1st female fighter pilot, and now the 1st female wing king of a Combat Wing.

Here's another:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Malachowski

FiFi flew the Thunderbirds and with the Chiefs or Rockets at SJAFB operationally, she is now a squadron commander in charge of ALL FTU students in her squadron.

Back in 98 when I was getting my Masters, my thesis partner was an ABM member, a SHE!

This law may be new for the Army, but it is @ 20 YRS OLD for the AF. That ceiling was busted through before you were probably born!

The way AFROTC works is you apply rated and Pilot, CSO, RPA and ABM are your options. Highest OML wins.

As a woman, the only issue compared to men will be your sitting height. Nobody cares about your sex in the AF anymore. It is old hat now.

To add onto kinnem's post regarding the amount, I would say it is equivalent to the male/female ratio in the ADAF. I can't recall a fighter squadron since 97 that there wasn't a female or two in the squadron.

In the end, if you want to fly combat in the AF there are probably 100-200 women in front of you that are flying have flown combat missions.

Thanks! This clears somethings up. Sorry if my post was a bit confusing. I know that there are female pilots; however, I thought ABM was just for males.

I don't know why you would think that.

Are you thinking about ALO's? ALO's can be embedded with the Army, and their job is to call in air strikes from thge ground. ALO = Air Liaison Officer, it is not the same as the AFA ALO. That would be different from a combat perspective.

ABMs fly around for hrs and coordinate from the skies regarding airstrikes, troops, etc. They are deployed ALOT. ABM = Air Battle Manager.