does a person have to have a congressional nomination to be a candidate for the air force academy?

Answer 1

Yes,

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Academy
"To gain admission, candidates must also pass a fitness test, undergo a thorough medical examination, and secure a nomination, which usually comes from one of the candidate's members of Congress."

Answer 2

All armed forces academies need a congressional nom. and you ahve to be fit physically. i dont think the citadel needs one though. AF Acad. is very academically smart also, so a very good gpa and sat score with a good transcript should help.