CSO or Pilot

[F22>F35]

Hi y’all, I was wondering which one (in your opinion) is harder to become. This won’t affect my decision but I’m just trying to get some more information on CSO because I’m in between the two in what I want to do should I join the Air Force.

thanks!

 

[Physicsguru]

If you're a pilot, you can fly anything. If you're a CSO, you're limited to two seaters. Mind you, I was a Navy back-seater, so I preferred being the brains of the airplane.

I'll let one of the USAF folks address the career aspects.

 

[Tex232]

Pilot has traditionally been the most sought after so you could maybe say the most "difficult". Navigators usually get little to no stick time so if you want to have a career in the cockpit after you leave the service, then pilot is the way to go. Occasionally, student pilots who wash out of the pipeline are offered the opportunity to become CSO’s. Also, correction to what @Physicsguru said, you're not necessarily limited to two seaters as a navigator. Depending on what airframe you get, you could end up in heavies or bombers which also have CSO's.

 

[Army Al]

The AF will allow you to upgrade from CSO to pilot. But, never the opposite. For AF career advancement, being a pilot will always have the edge over CSO. NO CSOs as the Chief of Staff in its AF history.

 

[AROTC-dad]

Mod Note:
Moving this thread to the "Life After the Academy" forum.