The score that will be most influential to you getting a pilot slot is know as the PCSM score and here are some articles that know more than me about it:
While it’s true that the Air Force, Guard, and Reserve use the “whole person concept” in selecting pilot applicants, there’s no denying that objective indicators…
bogidope.com
In Part 1 of our two part series “The Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) Score Explained” BogiDope explained the background, importance and how to study…
bogidope.com
The second article notes that civilian rated hours will not account on a hour-by-hour basis and will instead fall into these brackets for points to be awarded. The article states that each bracket may increase a PCSM by 4 or 5 points.
0 hours
1 – 5 hours
6 – 10 hours
11 – 20 hours
21 – 40 hours
41 – 60 hours
61 – 80 hours
81 – 100 hours
101 – 200 hours
201 hours and up
You have options at USAFA to obtain these hours. USAFA has an awesome flying team that is competitive to join and will require a private pilot's license (PPL). I believe that the soaring team can also build hours if you hold the highest instructor rating within the team. A friend of mine in the class of 20 boasted the highest PCSM score, largely due to his hundreds of hours soaring. And finally the most reliable option is to pay for lessons before or after you arrive. Local airports around the country have programs to get you started.
There are some challenges flying as a cadet if you are not on the flying or soaring team. Motivation and time is one. It can be very difficult to find the time on the weekends between classes and mandatory football games to squeeze the hours in. Cost is another, as the cadet salary isn't the largest in the world and flying is an expensive hobby. Transportation just another problem, as you cannot have a car until junior year. BEFORE YOU GET DISCOURAGED!!! With enough determination and focus you can tackle these problems and get after it. Taking down challenges like these are what the academy is about!