JROTC Flight Academy

[CropDuster49]

Long time lurker...First time poster

My son was accepted recently to the JROTC Flight Academy program for this upcoming Summer. He is currently a Jr. with aspirations to attend USAFA. He has also applied for summer seminar so hopefully there is no conflict with the Flight Academy schedule if he's lucky enough to also be selected for a week at the Academy.

Any posters have any experience with this program? Did it lead to student confirming or changing their mind regarding moving toward military service and / or career in aviation. With the investment the Air Force is sinking into the program, is this program viewed as almost a stepping stone to USAFA?

 

[FireflyMom]

Long time lurker...First time poster

My son was accepted recently to the JROTC Flight Academy program for this upcoming Summer. He is currently a Jr. with aspirations to attend USAFA. He has also applied for summer seminar so hopefully there is no conflict with the Flight Academy schedule if he's lucky enough to also be selected for a week at the Academy.

Any posters have any experience with this program? Did it lead to student confirming or changing their mind regarding moving toward military service and / or career in aviation. With the investment the Air Force is sinking into the program, is this program viewed as almost a stepping stone to USAFA?

My DS attended the inaugural AFJROTC Flight Academy last summer, was an absolutely outstanding program! He applied for USAFA last year as a senior but did not get an appointment. I think it was a blessing in disguise as he was able to attend at Liberty University and earn his PPL. He had so much fun but it was also stressful as there were many a stormy day in Virginia and they could not fly as much as some of the other sessions at more inland colleges. He is also a candidate again this year for USAFA, has received 2 noms so far. We are hoping with that experience, as well as he is currently a self prep at NMMI doing exceptionally well, that it will all strengthen this years application for him. All of this has only bolstered his desire to become an officer in the air force. I hope this helps!

 

[fullspeedahead]

Long time lurker...First time poster

My son was accepted recently to the JROTC Flight Academy program for this upcoming Summer. He is currently a Jr. with aspirations to attend USAFA. He has also applied for summer seminar so hopefully there is no conflict with the Flight Academy schedule if he's lucky enough to also be selected for a week at the Academy.

Any posters have any experience with this program? Did it lead to student confirming or changing their mind regarding moving toward military service and / or career in aviation. With the investment the Air Force is sinking into the program, is this program viewed as almost a stepping stone to USAFA?

I am not a member of JROTC or CAP but I am working towards my private pilots license. Flying for the first time really gives you a perspective about aviation that you’ll either love or hate. There have been instances where people who thought they would love flying go up for the first time and absolutely despise it and end up changing their careers. Most of the time, including my case, people will fall in love with being in control of an aircraft and will inevitably invest hundreds of hours in flying to pursue the career of their dreams. The flight academy will be an amazing experience for your son and USAFA and the other SA’s will definitely appreciate the training that he has completed. After the flight academy I highly recommend pursuing a private pilots license because it shows how interested you are in aviation and what you are willing to do to become an aviator. It will be expensive, but it will definitely set you up for success in aviation.

 

[CropDuster49]

Long time lurker...First time poster

My son was accepted recently to the JROTC Flight Academy program for this upcoming Summer. He is currently a Jr. with aspirations to attend USAFA. He has also applied for summer seminar so hopefully there is no conflict with the Flight Academy schedule if he's lucky enough to also be selected for a week at the Academy.

Any posters have any experience with this program? Did it lead to student confirming or changing their mind regarding moving toward military service and / or career in aviation. With the investment the Air Force is sinking into the program, is this program viewed as almost a stepping stone to USAFA?

I am not a member of JROTC or CAP but I am working towards my private pilots license. Flying for the first time really gives you a perspective about aviation that you’ll either love or hate. There have been instances where people who thought they would love flying go up for the first time and absolutely despise it and end up changing their careers. Most of the time, including my case, people will fall in love with being in control of an aircraft and will inevitably invest hundreds of hours in flying to pursue the career of their dreams. The flight academy will be an amazing experience for your son and USAFA and the other SA’s will definitely appreciate the training that he has completed. After the flight academy I highly recommend pursuing a private pilots license because it shows how interested you are in aviation and what you are willing to do to become an aviator. It will be expensive, but it will definitely set you up for success in aviation.

Thanks for the feedback. As part of the Academy he will actually receive his private pilots license (assuming he's capable) as well as up to 12 College Credit hours. While the cost of the program is covered 100% where it's going to hit me is getting myself back current so I can enjoy flying along with him.

 

[CropDuster49]

My DS attended the inaugural AFJROTC Flight Academy last summer, was an absolutely outstanding program! He applied for USAFA last year as a senior but did not get an appointment. I think it was a blessing in disguise as he was able to attend at Liberty University and earn his PPL. He had so much fun but it was also stressful as there were many a stormy day in Virginia and they could not fly as much as some of the other sessions at more inland colleges. He is also a candidate again this year for USAFA, has received 2 noms so far. We are hoping with that experience, as well as he is currently a self prep at NMMI doing exceptionally well, that it will all strengthen this years application for him. All of this has only bolstered his desire to become an officer in the air force. I hope this helps![/QUOTE]

Congratulations & thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear your DS had a good experience. Mine is beyond excited. Good luck with USAFA this year. Sounds like he has put in the work to be in a good position.

 

[tejanath29]

I am currently a senior and am applying for the class of 2023. I also attended Liberty University for flight academy and earned my private pilot certificate this past summer through the program. I also had the privilege of attending USAFA's summer seminar the week before I attended flight academy. All of my high school career I've wanted to commission through USAFA, and these two summer programs only substantiated my application and helped me find stronger reasons on why I should become an airman. Many of the cadets from the 2018 flight academy are also candidates hoping to garner appointments at service academies. Living amongst top tier cadets who are competitive applicants and being able to understand different views allowed me to approach applications with more information and background. Because of flight academy, I was able to meet USAFA alumni, USAFA re-applicants, the Director of AFJROTC, and more Air Force Officers who were able to shed their knowledge on Air Force careers and ways to strengthen my USAFA and AFROTC scholarship application. One way that flight academy helps is that if an applicant wants to join USAFA's flying team, the process would be relatively easier as an incoming 4th class cadet who has his/her private pilot certificate.

 

[fullspeedahead]

Long time lurker...First time poster

My son was accepted recently to the JROTC Flight Academy program for this upcoming Summer. He is currently a Jr. with aspirations to attend USAFA. He has also applied for summer seminar so hopefully there is no conflict with the Flight Academy schedule if he's lucky enough to also be selected for a week at the Academy.

Any posters have any experience with this program? Did it lead to student confirming or changing their mind regarding moving toward military service and / or career in aviation. With the investment the Air Force is sinking into the program, is this program viewed as almost a stepping stone to USAFA?

I am not a member of JROTC or CAP but I am working towards my private pilots license. Flying for the first time really gives you a perspective about aviation that you’ll either love or hate. There have been instances where people who thought they would love flying go up for the first time and absolutely despise it and end up changing their careers. Most of the time, including my case, people will fall in love with being in control of an aircraft and will inevitably invest hundreds of hours in flying to pursue the career of their dreams. The flight academy will be an amazing experience for your son and USAFA and the other SA’s will definitely appreciate the training that he has completed. After the flight academy I highly recommend pursuing a private pilots license because it shows how interested you are in aviation and what you are willing to do to become an aviator. It will be expensive, but it will definitely set you up for success in aviation.

Thanks for the feedback. As part of the Academy he will actually receive his private pilots license (assuming he's capable) as well as up to 12 College Credit hours. While the cost of the program is covered 100% where it's going to hit me is getting myself back current so I can enjoy flying along with him.

That’s pretty awesome I am sure he will have a blast this summer! My school system doesn’t offer JROTC but I would have absolutely loved doing this program to achieve my PPL. Flying has been an amazing experience so far and I have paid for all the lessons myself by working two jobs for over 30 hours per week. Hopefully I will be at USAFA or USNA next year so I can continue flying! Best of luck to your son on USAFA and best of luck to you on flying as well!

 

[CropDuster49]

I am currently a senior and am applying for the class of 2023. I also attended Liberty University for flight academy and earned my private pilot certificate this past summer through the program. I also had the privilege of attending USAFA's summer seminar the week before I attended flight academy. All of my high school career I've wanted to commission through USAFA, and these two summer programs only substantiated my application and helped me find stronger reasons on why I should become an airman. Many of the cadets from the 2018 flight academy are also candidates hoping to garner appointments at service academies. Living amongst top tier cadets who are competitive applicants and being able to understand different views allowed me to approach applications with more information and background. Because of flight academy, I was able to meet USAFA alumni, USAFA re-applicants, the Director of AFJROTC, and more Air Force Officers who were able to shed their knowledge on Air Force careers and ways to strengthen my USAFA and AFROTC scholarship application. One way that flight academy helps is that if an applicant wants to join USAFA's flying team, the process would be relatively easier as an incoming 4th class cadet who has his/her private pilot certificate.

That is awesome and good luck on your application. Your experience is exactly what my son hopes to gain. I'll make sure he reads your response. Did they randomly assign locations or did you have a choice in the location?

 

[tejanath29]

I am currently a senior and am applying for the class of 2023. I also attended Liberty University for flight academy and earned my private pilot certificate this past summer through the program. I also had the privilege of attending USAFA's summer seminar the week before I attended flight academy. All of my high school career I've wanted to commission through USAFA, and these two summer programs only substantiated my application and helped me find stronger reasons on why I should become an airman. Many of the cadets from the 2018 flight academy are also candidates hoping to garner appointments at service academies. Living amongst top tier cadets who are competitive applicants and being able to understand different views allowed me to approach applications with more information and background. Because of flight academy, I was able to meet USAFA alumni, USAFA re-applicants, the Director of AFJROTC, and more Air Force Officers who were able to shed their knowledge on Air Force careers and ways to strengthen my USAFA and AFROTC scholarship application. One way that flight academy helps is that if an applicant wants to join USAFA's flying team, the process would be relatively easier as an incoming 4th class cadet who has his/her private pilot certificate.

That is awesome and good luck on your application. Your experience is exactly what my son hopes to gain. I'll make sure he reads your response. Did they randomly assign locations or did you have a choice in the location?

We were able to rank our schools in order of preference. However, the location was primarily based off of when the cadet's academic school year ends and begins. HQ AFJROTC wants to make sure that the cadet isn't missing school or creating any complications while at the program. When I went to Liberty University, I was in the second session which started a couple of weeks after the first session. There were 54 cadets who went to liberty in total even though one would assume that the 120 cadets would be evenly distributed amongst the 6 partnering universities that we had last year.

 

[Sock]

I am currently a senior and am applying for the class of 2023. I also attended Liberty University for flight academy and earned my private pilot certificate this past summer through the program. I also had the privilege of attending USAFA's summer seminar the week before I attended flight academy. All of my high school career I've wanted to commission through USAFA, and these two summer programs only substantiated my application and helped me find stronger reasons on why I should become an airman. Many of the cadets from the 2018 flight academy are also candidates hoping to garner appointments at service academies. Living amongst top tier cadets who are competitive applicants and being able to understand different views allowed me to approach applications with more information and background. Because of flight academy, I was able to meet USAFA alumni, USAFA re-applicants, the Director of AFJROTC, and more Air Force Officers who were able to shed their knowledge on Air Force careers and ways to strengthen my USAFA and AFROTC scholarship application. One way that flight academy helps is that if an applicant wants to join USAFA's flying team, the process would be relatively easier as an incoming 4th class cadet who has his/her private pilot certificate.

Everything on this forum is awesome. I never knew about the flight academy program during the summer, I wish I would have known back in September. I am currently a Junior in high school obtaining my private license and it does involve a lot of studying. Im having a great time flying though. I am also in Civil Air Patrol which helps as well. I am going to apply to USAFA, USMA and USNA. I have already applied to USAFA and I believe all the paper work from the summer programs transfers to the application for the school itself for both USMA and USNA, so if it does then I have also applied to them as well. Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to serve and feel that my calling is in the air. I would think that USAFA would have a better flight program than USNA but I did not if anyone had better statistics. As well, what if I have my license by the time I get to the academy what does that mean? Do I have a higher chance to become part of the flight time? I hope if I get into USAFA class of 2024 that I could join the flying team but also did not know if this is highly competitive? If anyone could answer all of this it would be great, thanks!

 

[CropDuster49]

Found out yesterday my son will be going to Purdue for the program this Summer. It worked out well, and help offset the disappointment of not getting selected for USAFA Summer Seminar. He will be going out to USAFA during his Spring Break and be allowed to shadow & stay with his C3C older brother for a day in the life. This will help him have more of a feel of Academy demands than just Parent's weekend visits.

 

[lpoudel860]

I was a cadet at Liberty University and graduated with the first class with a pilot's license. I recently received an appointment to USAFA and the Flight Academy program definitely gave me a very good edge on other applicants. However, all the other cadets from the Flight Academy I know who applied are still waiting to hear back-so while many people I know viewed this program as a "golden ticket" into USAFA, it surely is NOT that. Even though it is an amazing experience, an applicant from the Flight Academy also needs to be all the things any other applicant to USAFA needs to be(fitness, leadership, community, grades, etc.) But the program did introduce me to flying and reaffirmed my desire to be a pilot in the Air Force-all three of the essays I wrote in my application to USAFA were in relation to the Flight Academy. If it comes down to it and there is a conflict, I would definitely choose the Flight Academy over Summer Seminar(that's what I did).

For the Flight Academy itself, I was part of the first class-so, as part of the "guinea pigs" it was an amazing experience, but there were a lot of errors and inconsistencies that hopefully they have fixed. Scheduling was a problem at Liberty University because there were a lot of cadets trying to fly, and weather was not our friend. The Air Force has invested a ton of money and people into this, and in my experience at Liberty, the faculty were 100% invested into the program. I ended up with about 55 hours of flying time during my time in the program and it was one of the best experiences in my life. Just be prepared for a lot of stress-flying, ground lessons, and studying for hours a day, and going from knowing practically nothing about flying a plane to a licensed pilot in 8 weeks is NOT easy!

 

[CropDuster49]

I was a cadet at Liberty University and graduated with the first class with a pilot's license. I recently received an appointment to USAFA and the Flight Academy program definitely gave me a very good edge on other applicants. However, all the other cadets from the Flight Academy I know who applied are still waiting to hear back-so while many people I know viewed this program as a "golden ticket" into USAFA, it surely is NOT that. Even though it is an amazing experience, an applicant from the Flight Academy also needs to be all the things any other applicant to USAFA needs to be(fitness, leadership, community, grades, etc.) But the program did introduce me to flying and reaffirmed my desire to be a pilot in the Air Force-all three of the essays I wrote in my application to USAFA were in relation to the Flight Academy. If it comes down to it and there is a conflict, I would definitely choose the Flight Academy over Summer Seminar(that's what I did).

For the Flight Academy itself, I was part of the first class-so, as part of the "guinea pigs" it was an amazing experience, but there were a lot of errors and inconsistencies that hopefully they have fixed. Scheduling was a problem at Liberty University because there were a lot of cadets trying to fly, and weather was not our friend. The Air Force has invested a ton of money and people into this, and in my experience at Liberty, the faculty were 100% invested into the program. I ended up with about 55 hours of flying time during my time in the program and it was one of the best experiences in my life. Just be prepared for a lot of stress-flying, ground lessons, and studying for hours a day, and going from knowing practically nothing about flying a plane to a licensed pilot in 8 weeks is NOT easy!

Congratulations on appointment! Thanks for the really good feedback on your experience.

 

[DSM]

Do you have to in JROTC to join the Summer program. I am in CAP.

 

[FMHS-79]

Do you have to in JROTC to join the Summer program. I am in CAP.

Not trying to be terse, but while there are many individuals who have opted to spend part of their day trying to assist those who are interested in attending a service academy or pursuing other commissioning options, but questions are typically better received when it is evident that the inquirer has looked at primary sources for the information.

That said, a quick google of "jrotc summer flight" yields the AU Flight Academy page which lists the following application requirements:

Cadets currently enrolled in Air Force Junior ROTC programs in their high schools, who have a minimum 3.0 GPA may apply. Cadets must be in good standing in their unit, take an AF designed aptitude test, provide instructor and school endorsements, among other factors. ​

I hope this helps.