USNA to Air Force?

USNA20_13

5-Year Member
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Jun 18, 2011
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hey, i'm a rising junior midshipmen at Annapolis, and wanted to know how one would begin the process of cross-commissioning from the USNA to the Air Force?

i didn't get into USAFA (my first choice) in high school, so i chose USNA over USMA for the chance to fly.

but i still want to fly in the Air Force. i think the air force contributes a lot more to the air superiority mission than any other service, let alone having TONS more fighter/bomber/attack aircraft then the navy (which are way more advanced as well, in my opinion). both my dad and grandad were navy pilots who flew off carriers and the whole bit, but i don't want to be just good at landing ;). but seriously, i have tremendous respect for naval aviators, its just that the numbers in the recent wars since WWII greatly favors AF when it comes to airpower mission contribution, and for these reasons i still want to pursue air force aviation.

so now that you have the background, any suggestions on how to do this?
 
I vaguely recall people only being able to cross commission for a very limited list of reasons, and "I'd rather be an Air Force pilot than a Naval Aviator" was not one of them. The obvious solution: Fly Navy.

Other than that, I would imagine your company officer has more information than an internet forum.
 
I'm w/ Steve H. Why??? You know, even if you could, which is highly unlikely (there was 1 in this year's class of 1006 graduating Midshipmen, as you may know), why would you want to? The chances are ever escalating that USAFA grads will be flying from a computer in Wichita ... or Minot, ND ... or

This is purely speculative ... but reality is that defense budget cuts are inescapable. Or at the very least going to be reallocated. The politics of all this disfavor USAFA, seems to me. The "new" kid on the SA block, and providing services long which have been argued are either redundant and/or dupicatable while reducing overhead. And guessing it'll not be pretty. Besides, USN has many golf courses accessible to its members, and no greater thrill than driving a Titleist 3 deep into the Gulf of Tonkin fairwinds! :cool:
 
the AF being redundant? i just don't see it. their airpower capabilities (air mobility, global reach, S&R), spacepower capabilities (satellite S&R, GPS), and cyberspace capabilities (cyber warfare) are all undebatebly unmatched by any other service, and are all being used extensively in current and forseeable conflicts.

as to the "fly a computer" argument, i know that UAV's play a prominent role in S&R and will continue to do so, but it's not just AF. Army and Navy are claiming their piece of the pie. moreover; the second you put an enemy in the sky against our UAV's (which hasn't happened yet, as our enemy are insurgents with AK-47's at best), our predators are toast. there's no way that the US is going to give up its edge on air superiority that ONLY manned fighters can provide. this probably explains why the USAF is planning on ordering over 1700 F-35's, and the navy only about 300 :thumbdown:. Congress wouldn't have approved this if they didn't see Air Force's capability in airpower far more comprehensive then navy's.
 
hey, i'm a rising junior midshipmen at Annapolis, and wanted to know how one would begin the process of cross-commissioning from the USNA to the Air Force?

You're the first midshipman I have ever heard use the terminology "rising junior". You were a 2/C midshipman the second the Class of 2011 threw their hats into the air.

i didn't get into USAFA (my first choice) in high school, so i chose USNA over USMA for the chance to fly.

Did you apply for the Exchange Program? Spending a semester at USAFA would look good on your "resume" if you wanted to get a commission in the Air Force.

but i still want to fly in the Air Force. i think the air force contributes a lot more to the air superiority mission than any other service, let alone having TONS more fighter/bomber/attack aircraft then the navy (which are way more advanced as well, in my opinion).

The Air Force also has a lot more tankers and support-type aircraft, also. There are plenty of non-tactical aircraft in the Air Force. You can even be a Predator "pilot" - how exciting would that be?

You think the F-15 (first flew in 1972) and F-16 (also, early 70's) are more sophisticated that the F/A-18 Hornet (first flew in 1980)? Hardly.

both my dad and grandad were navy pilots who flew off carriers and the whole bit, but i don't want to be just good at landing ;). but seriously, i have tremendous respect for naval aviators, its just that the numbers in the recent wars since WWII greatly favors AF when it comes to airpower mission contribution, and for these reasons i still want to pursue air force aviation.

If there is a sudden crisis (which seems to be more common these days; rather than the long, protracted campaigns of the World War II era), it is usually the Navy that is tasked to respond first. Why? Because they can! They can park the carrier right off the coast of Libya, for instance. They can launch and, within minutes, be dropping bombs on target with virtually no advance notice.

In aviation, the culture in the Air Force and the Navy are radically different. The Air Force is very rule-driven. It's much "stiffer". We used to joke about all the restrictions placed upon Air Force pilots: "They can't do it unless they've done it before. They can't go there unless they've gone there before." :) On the other hand, the world of naval aviation puts much more responsibility and trust on the individual squadrons and pilots. You are expected to think out-of-the-box as a naval aviator. You are expected to make quick decisions. You don't have to ask permission for everything you do. I'm probably overstating it a bit, but the origins of this cultural disparity has much to do with the unpredictable nature that goes with flying out-at-sea. Even within the Navy there is a disparity in cultures between carrier aviation and shore-based aviation (i.e. P-3's).

so now that you have the background, any suggestions on how to do this?

My roommate got a commission in the Air Force. That was back in 1979, though. He had to first get approval from the Commandant, however.

He had several things going for him.

1) His father was a high-ranking Air Force officer.
2) He wanted to fly but did not have 20/20 uncorrected vision. The Navy did not give waivers for vision and there was no corrective surgery in those days. The Air Force gave waivers for vision.
3) He ranked 7th in the class.

[NOTE: He was required to take the Air Force's flight physical and failed because of a hearing deficiency. He still got his commission in the Air Force and ended up working in Intel. He was very disappointed.]

I would think that you have to make a compelling case as to why you want to serve in the Air Force. The reasons you cite, in my opinion, would probably not be enough. But, hey, give it a shot. What's the worse that can happen? - they could disapprove it.

Naturally, the question is always going to be, "What makes you so knowledgeable about the Air Force to think that it is more suited to you?" If you were an exchange student, at least you could speak intelligently and experientially on that topic.
 
USNA20_13,

JMPO, but let's play the pretend game. You get to X-commission into the AF, but do not get a UPT slot. Would you still want the AF over the Navy?

Please realize anybody who has ever been associated with the military flying world can tell you that not everyone who attend UPT will become a pilot, even SA grads bust/wash out of UPT. That is a fact, not a rumor or wive's tale.

If you say you would want to be in the Navy in that case, than the fact is you love the idea of AF flying, not the AF world. They are 2 different things.

Best wishes that you find the best path.
 
I have to ask, why did you even take an appointment to USNA when it seems you've been dead set on going AF aviation from the start? Why not go rotc route or ocs route and get your commission in the AF? heck, why not go to a civilian college for a year and reapply?

Maybe you should think about not signing your 2 for 7 papers and walk away from USNA and seek a commissioning in the AF through other means.
 
Well, who knows what the future holds? Not me. But if, when push comes to shove, and it seems that it increasingly will, USMA and USNA won't be sucking on the hind teet. As we're going to see, politics will drive much of this far more than will logic, and the shrinkage won't be evenly distributed. Conversely, it seems those inclined to being found on the back 9 and 19th hole may fare quite well at least for the next 2 years.
 
Am I the only one who thinks that a previous thread is somehow linked to this one (i.e. Navy vs. Air Force)? Please tell me that I am not the only one thinking of this.

Most of what "USNA20_13" is not fact.
 
It is very difficult to cross-commission -- harder today than it was in recent years. In 2010, only one USNA grad changed services and that was to the USA. I think in 2011, one grad was permitted to go USAF.

The USAF is a great service, as are the USN and USMC. There are many opportunities to fly in the USN. The platforms and missions are somewhat different but both allow you to be a combat pilot, if that is your true desire.

If you will truly be unhappy in the USN or USMC, then get out now. Seriously. I would NOT count on being able to cross-commission into the USAF.

For those wanting to cross commission, things they look for are: applying to the other SA and not being accepted, having family ties to the other service, having done an exchange at the other SA and doing very well, wanting a career field that is not available in your current service, and being ranked very high in your class. And, even then, it's a long shot.
 
Am I the only one who thinks that a previous thread is somehow linked to this one (i.e. Navy vs. Air Force)? Please tell me that I am not the only one thinking of this.

Most of what "USNA20_13" is not fact.

My thoughts exactly! USNA20_13 and that other poster are most likely the same person, and they are just having a bit of fun stirring things up. :rolleyes:
 
Yep. This thread was over, as Memphis pointed out, on his first post when he identified himself as a "rising junior at Annapolis" instead of a "2C at USNA". Not to mention his ridiculous arguments. IP addresses should not be too hard to check and might get rid of at least two of the multiple personalities.
 
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IMPO, if there really are 2/C Mids or Cadets from ANY of the SAs who seriously want to cross-commission, they should not sign "2 for 7s" (or whatever the other academies call them). Your odds of getting that "other" commission (~1 or 2 in 1000) are more than ten times WORSE than getting either BUD/S (~20 of 1000) or med school (~10-15 of 1000)
 
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