AFROTC/NROTC

One final point, you can do everything right, get pilot spot, pass medical, pass UPT and then fly a AWACs or C-130. What are you going to do then. No one can promise you that you will make it as a pilot or what plane your will fly.

As it is in every UPT class, maybe 4 or 5 get a fighter. Even then those 4 or 5 include guys from the National Guard (who are guaranteed the plane) along with foreign pilots. That means in some instances maybe 2 AD pilots get a fighter plane
 
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In order to fly fighters there are a lot of hurdles on the way (I am assuming you mean fighter when you say "jets". Keep in mind that KC-135s, C-17s, B-52s, and E-8s are all jets). As has been said before, medical and other issues can derail you. So, say you get through college, get selected for a pilot slot, pass IFT and then complete UPT, you still are competing with your UPT classmates for the very top spots in your class in order to select a fighter. Also, it happens sometimes where there is no fighter available when a UPT class ends, so no matter how hard you worked and tried, it is not going to happen if one isn't available.

Another question for you is: Why do you want to fly fighters only? You should do some research on what a fighter pilot's work day is like. Lots of kids have this idea that they will go out and fly all day and do cool stuff all the time. That is really not the case and fighter pilots have less flight hours than almost all other kinds of military pilots. My son graduated USAFA in 2011 and went right to pilot training. Now, 7 years later he has about 1200 hours in the F-16 and 250 hours in other aircraft. That is 1450 hours in 7 years. Break that down by months and weeks and you'll see that he has actual flight hours of just over 4 per week. Yet, he works 50+ hours a week. All of his other time is briefings, debriefings, sitting in the vault reading to keep up on weapons and tactics, writing reports, writing PRFs for the people under him, and planning flights for pilots needing upgrades or certifications. All of those other duties are done by all pilots in the AF, so you see that a majority of the job is the same no matter what you fly. Something to keep in mind.

Stealth_81
 
Stealth's post is spot on when it comes to any pilots' life!

Bullet (my DH) served proudly for 21+ yrs as a WSO (fighters) Fighter missions are only about 90 mins., thus it takes a long time to accumulate hrs. compared to my DS (C130J pilot ---missions are many hrs!).

In the beginning your job will be to learn to fly the airframe, but as you go along, and if you are a good pilot and officer there will be upgrades. For example, you will become an Instructor Pilot (IP), sounds like you will fly a lot more, right? WRONG! By the time you hit the IP gate, you are also at the point that they are going to send you to Professional Military Education aka PME and for an O3 it is known as SOS. On top of that HQ AF may ding you with a non-flying deployment because your number is up. You can't say no to this, because they own you for 10 yrs.

I would say if I had to compare my DS's life to my DH's, DS flies a lot more as a heavy pilot than DH did in the fighter world. I am not talking hours, I am talking flight missions. The reason why is that in the fighter world they go out and train and come back home for dinner that night. The fighter world does not usually do what is called a short TDY (go out for a week with the jet) In the heavy world, they do that too regarding flying for the day, but it is not uncommon for them to go away for at least a week every month due to their mission. Thus, they fly a lot more impo.
~ Hint here to why one reason they go away so often...AF bases have different airframes at each base. Fly an F15E going to Nellis for Red Flag and it has to be diverted mid-flight to Vance AFB due to an issue, well those pilots are going to have to wait until the part and mechanics arrive. Those parts and mechanics will arrive via the heavies. The heavy pilot now needs to sit and wait until they fix the plane. AF mechanics are specialist, a T38 mechanic at Vance is not qualified on the 15E.
~ Another hint. How do you think all of those Army paratroopers jump out of perfectly good airplanes, or those tanks get over seas?

I am not saying one is better than the other in any manner. I am saying that the lifestyle is much different and if you are entering thinking that you will fly a lot, impo than heavies are a better way to go. However, if you go heavies expect to be gone a lot more than fighters.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Navy has a variety of aircraft beyond the "pointy nose jets" (fighters) and Helos. Lots of Naval Aviators fly propeller planes like the E-2 Hawkeye (Navy AWACS) and P-8 Anti Submarine Warfare Jet (737 derivative). As for Helos - Navy helos are not just Passengers/cargo. A very large number are tactical - Anti Sub and anti Surface Warfare type missions as well as Search & Rescue. Actual Pipeline (Jets/Props/Helos) happens later in the game while in flight school and the needs of the Navy can vary greatly from week to week.
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If I finish AFROTC and don't get a pilot slot is it possible to switch to this course.
 
Do you mean switch from Air Force to Navy? Very, very, very little chance, if even allowed at all. So worth considering, if you don’t get jets, which branch has roles you’d be happy with instead?
 
Same answer. Branches don’t take kindly to their people switching over to another in the middle of their commitment. Now, if your commitment has ended, it’s fair game.
 
+1 to MidCakePa. Once you complete AFROTC then you're in the Air Force as an officer, my friend.... for at least 4 years.
 
For all prospective academy and ROTC candidates who have “becoming a pilot” as their primary motivator: Remember that you’re signing up to become an officer who might be a pilot, not a pilot who happens to be an officer. It’s a very important and not-so-subtle distinction.
 
MidCakePa said:
For all prospective academy and ROTC candidates who have “becoming a pilot” as their primary motivator: Remember that you’re signing up to become an officer who might be a pilot, not a pilot who happens to be an officer. It’s a very important and not-so-subtle distinction.
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This IMHO this is a really important post.

From my time at USAFA some 39 years ago (1979-1983) it seemed like the most miserable people there were those that just wanted to be a pilot. They seemed to have the hardest time dealing with the 4th class system (being a doolie) and then dealing with the grind and the discipline as an upperclassman. I was one of the lucky few (about 20%) allowed to enter USAFA with eyesight that was worse than 20/50. I went in knowing I might not meet the medical qualifications to fly (no such thing as PRK or LASIK back then) -- I already had my pilot's license when I entered so I knew I could fly, and that I loved flying. I guess, in retrospect, I was lucky to have this mindset that the goal was to graduate and become an officer . . . I was just so grateful to be there at USAFA and I worked extremely hard to stay there. In the end my eyesight was too bad to even qualify as a navigator my graduation year . . . so I went into the acquisition and engineering career field that led me to putting stuff on spy planes and "space stuff" (spy satellites and rockets) for a great career. Could not have planned or predicted it. What's my point? It is great to want to be a pilot, but you can be a pilot going to Embry Riddle Univ. or other civilian training programs. You are doing ROTC and SA to prepare you to serve your country as an officer. Being a pilot while serving would no doubt be awesome. (I would have donated my eye teeth to fly if that had given me the opportunity.) But, in the end, you have agreed to serve in the capacity you are able to serve within ... Know that there are some awesome non-flying opportunties as well. Best wishes to all.
 
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