Delta Fares

Seventeen and want to become a pilot. Help?

I'd prefer to be a pilot for the US Air Force, but its an officer job. Im enlisting this summer, and I doubt I could work on a piloting degree while enlisting because [to my knowledge] it would require actual flight time. Plus, most pilots are graduates of the USAF Academy. It's farrr too late for me to apply unless I plan on going after my 4 years of enlisted service. I know almost for sure that i could get a job working around planes though. Would that help with anything at all? I'm not sure if I really want to serve 4 enlisted years, go to school, then rejoin the USAF as an officer and hope that I get chosen. By the time I did that i'd be about 27 and competing with people around 23. But if my enlisted job had to do with planes, wouldnt I have more experience and a better chance? Plus an USAF brat childhood? I definitely wouldnt mind piloting for commericial airlines. I know however that this costs THOUSANDS of dollars to do. Thousands of dollars that i dont have. Im not sure if there are colleges that teach you to fly. I always thought it was more private schools that did that. But if there are do you think id be able to use my GI Bill and such? Does anyone have any experience in either of these scenarios? The scenarios being: 1] Piloted for the US Air Force, or any of military branch [preferably from the US but others are encouraged to reply!!] 2] Commercial pilot If you fall into category 1, what did you do to get selected to even become a pilot? What things would you recommend I do? If you fall into category 2, how long did it take you to actual begin flying for commercial airlines? Commercial meaning like American Airlines or United or other major human transportation corps. About how much did it cost you? For both categories, do you have any advice I should follow? Maybe some warnings? What was the screening process like? Do you know anything now that you wish you had known beforehand? Any advice from anyone is welcomed. I really think I want to be a pilot. If that fails then im going for a flight attendant. Please help.

Public Comments

1. Get an AFROTC or NROTC college scholarship. Learn some flying during college summers. After graduation and commissioning, try for flight school.
2. In order to be an Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard pilot, you have to get a 4 year college degree before you can apply for pilot training. This means either doing it before entering the military and applying for officer candidate school when you graduate, or getting into one of the military academies. The only other option, where a degree is not required is to join the Army and get into the Warrant Officer program. They are the only branch of the service tthat trains non-commissioned officers as pilots. The Army has fixed-wing as well as rotor-wing (helicopter) aircraft. I highly recommend that you look into it. Free flight training, getting military flight experience, and being able to get a college degree on the GI Bill would probably be far better than how I did it. To answer your specific question, getting a job working around planes is somewhat helpful, but won't assist you much in becoming a pilot. However, if you became an aircraft maintenance technician, this would be a good fall-back throughout your life if and when you are able to become a pilot. I've seen a lot of interesting flying jobs that required the applicant to also be an aircraft mechanic. It's also useful if you ever want to own your own plane. Due to the Equal Opportunity Ammendment, ex-military personnel are often given hiring preference at the airlines, whether they were military pilots or not. So, no matter what, military service cannot hurt you unless you muck it up and get thrown out. I couldn't qualify to be a military pilot myself (eyesight), so I went the civilian route. I did it on my own, paying for all the flight training myself. I did get a student loan so that I could get a 2 year college degree, and I did my private license and built some flight time while I was finishing school and working some part-time jobs to pay for flying. After Igraduating, it took another 2 years of working full time to get all my ratings up to commercial, instrument and flight instructor (I actually got a loan for a plane to do it in). I then worked as a flight instructor for 3 years before I was hired by a regional airline. I stayed at that company for 4 years (I was captain for 3) but wasn't getting any major airline interviews since I didn't have a 4 year degree, so I switched to doing other types of flying. I'm currently a corporate pilot and eventually finished a BS degree, but am now almost too old to be considered by the majors. I hope you find this helpful. Good luck
3. Are you really good at math ? If not don't even try.
4. Having worked in the military as an aviator, I would seriously have you reconsider trying to follow your dream to be a pilot through the military route. I worked as a commercial pilot for many years, and then was contracted into the US Army to fly aircraft in Iraq. I have seen both sides of the coin, and though it might seem like the education and experience you would get as an aviator in the military would be more beneficial... it is not the case. You will get a tremendous amount of experience as a civilian pilot, and there are MANY opportunities to work in the military as a contract pilot if you would really like to experience that kind of lifestyle. I would beware of ANY recruiter that promises you ANYTHING about being an aviator. The investment required to become a civilian pilot is nothing compared to the hardship that the military might make you endure, and ultimately, the chance that you will get to fly planes is slim... especially considering you won't have a four-year degree when you sign up. Find an experienced (as in, old) flight instructor who can help you learn the ins & outs of aviation... and enjoy yourself. There are a ton of jobs out there for pilots, and some really interesting stuff overseas and in conflict zones. Don't fell into the trap that so many young guys do... where they join the military to be a pilot, only to be told later they will be fueling planes, not flying them. Cheers... good luck.