Do I need engineering to go Air force?

[Fl4546]

Of course the options of the Air Force and Naval Academy are there, too. . . .

I'll apply to Airforce Academy as well, it's just when I visited KP they said something like you can transfer to any branch in the military as a pilot so it seemed a little more free but looking at these answers it seems if I wanted to go air force I would be committing without knowing my role.

 

[Fl4546]

Very possiblee. Navy and USMC flight give you more options if for some reason you're not medically qualified since you don't have to commit till you find out you have been accepted which is 1st class(senior) year. AF flight I believe you have to commit by 3rd class(sophomore) year. Your eyesight could go bad in that time and if you don't qualify medically, you could very well end up babysitting missile silos in Podunk.

Okay okay, let's say I get the pilot slot and go active duty. Would I have any say in where I go or would I be stuck in a random state for years on end.

 

[Capt MJ]

The way it works, generally, with military assignments, such as type of aircraft or base location, is the military member indicates their preferences. The needs of the service rule the final assignment decisions, but it may or may not match your preference, or not entirely.

“Stuck in a random state” may be how it seems from the individual’s perspective, but if the type of aircraft you have been trained in is located in squadrons across the country, and one of those air bases is in Random ST, you might find yourself there.

If you are doing what you love and are
excelling, you won’t feel stuck.

I was stationed in Naples, IT, which many call “the armpit of the Med.” I loved it. Learned the language, got out and explored, found the special and unique things to do and see, had a sense of humor about the not-so-good stuff. If you handle unexpected locations like that, it makes a difference.

 

[KPEngnr90]

Navy and USMC flight give you more options if for some reason you're not medically qualified since you don't have to commit till you find out you have been accepted which is 1st class(senior) year. AF flight I believe you have to commit by 3rd class(sophomore) year. Your eyesight could go bad in that time and if you don't qualify medically, you could very well end up babysitting missile silos in Podunk.

Okay okay, let's say I get the pilot slot and go active duty. Would I have any say in where I go or would I be stuck in a random state for years on end.

Well the first place you're going is Pensacola FLA for flight school and then I presume if you make it through flight school you will be assigned to a squadron. You get to fill out something called a dreamsheet on where you want to be stationed. When I got out of KP I asked for a destroyer out of San Diego followed by Pearl Harbor and Long Beach Ca. I ended up getting my first choice.

 

[NeverSayNever]

Okay okay, let's say I get the pilot slot and go active duty. Would I have any say in where I go or would I be stuck in a random state for years on end.

"Stuck" is a relative term. You have some say in what you want to fly based on your performance, preference and the needs of the service. What you fly will determine where you get stationed. For example - in general - we only have 2 master jet bases in the US Navy - one on each coast. If you were assigned helicopters - there are only a handful of bases that have helo squadrons.

Air force is similar - not every airplane flies out of every base.

Air National Guard is a different animal and I know at least one person on this forum cracked the code on how to go ANG after graduation. ANG is probably the best deal going if you want to have military flight training and NOT be committed for 10 years.

 

[NeverSayNever]

I'll apply to Airforce Academy as well, it's just when I visited KP they said something like you can transfer to any branch in the military as a pilot so it seemed a little more free but looking at these answers it seems if I wanted to go air force I would be committing without knowing my role.

If you go USAFA you won't know your role either until your Senior year. The one thing that is certain is that you will be in the Air Force or Space Force.

Nobody has explained to me yet why the AF wants such an early commitment from KP mids. From the gouge I got back from my mid, after they attended the meeting with the AF rep - it sounded like it was asking for an additional level of scrutiny beyond academics/regiment. It was explained to them that the AF would be watching them closely during their time at KP almost like BigBrother.

 

[KPEngnr90]

Of course the options of the Air Force and Naval Academy are there, too. . . .

You actually have more post grad options out of Kings Point. USMMA grads aren't beholden to "NEEDS OF THE SERVICE" like the other academies. ie If for some reason you wash out of BUDS or flight school or get medically DQ'd before flight school a USNA grad will get sent out to the fleet as a blackshoe and bam your dreams of flying are crushed and you're on a surface ship relegated to a career path you had no desire to do in the first place and then your doing your 5 and dive biding your time till you can get out and get your civilian career going. Same with USAFA. If you get DQ'd your career choices are limited since you're beholden to "Needs of the Service" That could mean anything including babysitting missile silos in the middle of Nebraska. If the same were to happen to you outta Kings Point you can just go back to being a Naval Reservist and make 6 figures sailing on your 3rd Mates or 3rd Engineers License or go to grad school or any job ashore in the maritime industry. Since you sail only 6 months a year you could probably sail and attend grad school or law school and pay for it with the money you make at sea. Pretty common actually. I went active duty in the Navy after Kings Point on a destroyer in San Diego. My roommate and good friend aboard ship was a USNA 90 grad. In the Spring of 2016 he called me to tell me he was dropping his boy off at Kings Point that summer. I asked him why KP and not Annapolis. His answer........."Better post grad opportunities"