Two Questions

dani2016

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
18
First, I was wondering if anyone knew the height requirements for pilots?

also another unrelated question, does it make a difference going to private school or public school? I have gone to private school my whole like until 9th grade (im now a sophomore) but have been thinking of going back to private school. Would it be better for me to consistently stay in the public high school or go back to private school for my last two years?
 
For your second question, I wouldn't say it depends on your school, but your class rank and which school sends more kids to college. I've been told that they like schools who have a high 4 year college rate.
 
It used to be 5'2", but the basic criteria is that you are able to see over the cockpit ledge.
As to your school question, bear in mind that you get out of school about what you put into it. Seriously, you would be well advised to compare what course offerings are available at the schools you are considering, what per cent of graduates go to college, and what is the graduation rate of those who went to a four-year college. I have seen candidates who graduated from small country schools who have done very well at NAVY, while some from very good prep schools struggled - so back to point one. Also be certain that whatever school you do attend has solid courses in the math and science area - you will get a heavy dose in those disciplines at NAVY!

Best wishes.
 
My niece is an AF pilot, I think she's 5'2, but it was her sitting hieght almost kept her from being PQ
 
Sitting height is an important factor that can be overlooked. Once again, it comes down to being able to see outside the cockpit. It can be partially overcome with cushions, but then you can run into problems reaching the pedals. It's always something...

Best wishes.
 
my 6-3 son says it depends on how you fit in the seat ... he's all leg ... so he's hoping to make it ...
 
Piggy backing off of the last two responses, the measurements are strange. They measure your sitting height, knee to butt, shoulder to finger tip and some other oddities. It isn't purely based on your height, or lack there of in some cases.
 
They have lots of considerations to take into account, especially for those going jets. Knee to seat distance is important to aviators who are going to be sitting on an ejection seat - you have to be able to tuck everything (knees mainly) far enough back that they don't hit any solid objects during an ejection. Had a classmate damage a knee on the ride up the rail on the ejection trainer; it took him out of the training sequence for several weeks.
 
BTW, a major consideration for SWOs and Aviators is color perception - gotta be able to distinguish between red and green or you could be in for some really bad days.
 
It gets even more complecated than that because each platform has different anthro (body measurment) requirements so you could get pilot and then be limited to only a couple or, in one case I know of, a single platform.
 
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