A Difficult But Far Off Decision

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Maertyn

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I do not need to make this decision now, or really any time in the near future, but I want to start thinking about it now. What I know is that I want to be a pilot in the military. What I don't know is where. Originally I had been leaning towards the Air Force Academy because I think the Air Force is probably best known for their planes. But I have also been looking at other options like the Naval Academy. I think that I might have a better chance in USAFA because of more pilot spots available, but I do not know if that is the case. I also think it would amazing to be able to take off and land on an aircraft carrier in the Navy. I understand that some of the factors I am taking into consideration, like where I would sleep at night, should not affect my decision. If anyone with any experience could weigh in, it would be greatly appreciated.

-J
 
Maertyn said:
I do not need to make this decision now, or really any time in the near future, but I want to start thinking about it now. What I know is that I want to be a pilot in the military. What I don't know is where. Originally I had been leaning towards the Air Force Academy because I think the Air Force is probably best known for their planes. But I have also been looking at other options like the Naval Academy. I think that I might have a better chance in USAFA because of more pilot spots available, but I do not know if that is the case. I also think it would amazing to be able to take off and land on an aircraft carrier in the Navy. I understand that some of the factors I am taking into consideration, like where I would sleep at night, should not affect my decision. If anyone with any experience could weigh in, it would be greatly appreciated.

-J
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You have to take in many considerations which planes you might want to fly and everything, how ever I think you first step would be to just apply to Naval and Air Force Academy and possibly West Point (Helicopter), if you get into more than one, then you have a hard time deciding
 
You had also think about how happy you will be doing another job for a few years that isn’t flying planes if you don’t receive a pilot slot or wash out. Your first priority better be serving your country in whatever job you are told to perform and if that’s not the case consider going the pilot route on your own dime the civilian way. Good luck in your endeavor.
 
Where you sleep at night should be part of your decision; that is part of your 360 degree assessment.

Figuring out what service culture feels like a good fit to you is definitely part of the process. The Navy serves on, under and over the water, out of sight of land, for long periods of time. That is not everyone’s cup of tea. Both are challenging, worthwhile ways to go. Continue your research on post-SA career paths, figure out how to visit SAs of interest and get a feel for the cadets and midshipmen, post health crisis.
 
Sock said:
You have to take in many considerations which planes you might want to fly and everything, how ever I think you first step would be to just apply to Naval and Air Force Academy and possibly West Point (Helicopter), if you get into more than one, then you have a hard time deciding
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I have heard that Army helicopter pilots are mostly Warrant Officers (enlisted) at the moment, but that may be incorrect.
 
CGA applicant 2024 said:
I have heard that Army helicopter pilots are mostly Warrant Officers (enlisted) at the moment, but that may be incorrect.
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Fun fact, actually, in the US, Warrant Officers are generally neither O commissioned officer grade or E enlisted. They are a separate category, W. Except for the Chiefs, which I think are considered a commissioned officer but still have the W pay grade designator, I think.

Other countries do things differently, and there are slight differences between branches, but unless things have changed drastically since I was in, this is the general US model for handling them.
 
CGA applicant 2024 said:
I have heard that Army helicopter pilots are mostly Warrant Officers (enlisted) at the moment, but that may be incorrect.
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Our youngest is a Firstie at WP and is due to head to Ft. Rucker in June to begin the flight training process. ~105 from a class of 1100+ were selected this year. I do believe there are more Warrant Officer pilots than commissioned officers.
 
In the Army, warrant officers do most of the flying, but the unit leadership are still officers, which means that they do fly (although not as much).
USAFA has the most pilot slots, of the service academies. The AF also has more focus, as a service, on flying. Navy also has a significant number of pilot slots. The kinds of aircraft each service has vary widely.
Do you have a notion of what kind of flying you would want to do (many people reconsider later on, but having an initial idea is good.)
 
raimius said:
In the Army, warrant officers do most of the flying, but the unit leadership are still officers, which means that they do fly (although not as much).
USAFA has the most pilot slots, of the service academies. The AF also has more focus, as a service, on flying. Navy also has a significant number of pilot slots. The kinds of aircraft each service has vary widely.
Do you have a notion of what kind of flying you would want to do (many people reconsider later on, but having an initial idea is good.)
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I haven't really thought about it yet. That is probably due to lack of research, so I'll let you know when I have learned a little more about different kinds of pilots.
 
If anyone has any questions on the rotary-wing side of Air Force flying I'd be glad to answer them.
 
There were a lot of a factors involved when my son chose Air Force over Navy when it came to being a pilot. One of them was that even if you are the worlds greatest pilot, if you cant land on a carrier, you wont be a fighter pilot. The other is while there are many Navy pilots, the AF has more fixed wing planes than the Navy so if you dont want to fly helicopters, the AF is better place to go.
 
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