Should I join Marines Reserve or Air Force Reserve?

Question

I am a high school senior and looking for colleges or places to train myself to be an airline pilot. I heard that if I join Marines Reserve, the government will pay for all of my college tuition ( I want to go to Embry Riddle Aero Uni). Yet, I don't know if Marines will be a good place for me because I am a tiny asian girl( about 5 ft tall). I heard Marines have the toughest training. Thanks!

Answer 1

You won't people to talk about you even when you are not around the good stuff and It will stay with you all your life Its not like the Army or Air force when people here you say MARINES they will look at you with different eyes , So If you can hack it go for the best,
USMC 1969-1971 Vietnam, Vet

Answer 2

As a former Officer (USMC) I of course would at first recommend the Marines, However, to become a pilot you would need a 4 year degree (ER is fine), then get accepted into OCS, then 6 months at the Basic school in Quantico, THEN flight school, if you have a flight contract. your height would be a problem as you have to be at least 5-7 or 5-8 (can't remember, but they have a mock up cockpit that you sit in, and measure if you can reach controls, etc.) after 2 yrs flight training, then 3 in the fleet (active), you could go into the reserves. remember it takes a long time. The air force would have similar requirements (apply to the Naval academy and the Airforce Academy NOW, although your grades better be good!) Will they pay for college, sure if you get a NROTC scholarship, keep your grades up due 2 summers at OCS etc. Talk to ALL the services, the US Army has a great Warrant officers program for becoming a Helo pilot

Answer 3

Both services fall under REAP, which will pay part of your flight costs, but the Marines offer significantly less incentives because they want people who want to fight, not people that only came for the college. The Marines also have a program called Platoon Leader, and it is the only voluntary program that you can get out of in the whole military. You train as an officer in the summer, but you only get something like a $400 stipend. Not much, but its something you might want to look into.
The marines will give you significantly more self control and motivation, which is very important when learning to fly. Being unmotivated costs you hundreds of dollars a week, up to tens of thousands potentially.
Also, Embry Riddle is way, way, way overrated. I dont know if that was enough "ways" because its hard to express exactly how overrated it is.
Embry riddle students have the highest average debt of any school IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
The ratings you receive there are exactly the same as any other school. University of North Dakota and Northwestern Michigan college are excellent programs, even though they dont have turbine training available, but only the super rich can afford to get those anyway, at $180,000.
Compare that with about $50,000 to get your instructor rating at northwestern, including room and board. Oh, thats in a 2007 cessna with a G1000 avionics suite also (Which is standard equipment on several new jets), and you wont find that anywhere else. The cirrus aircraft that ER uses have a inferior G430.

Answer 4

that's a decision that you should make for yourself.

i'm a small [not tiny though lol... 5'2] girl.. .and i'm in the air national guard. it's like the air reserves. only, the benefits are slightly different. i have 100% college tuition paid for for any state college... and there's other assistance for private. plus i get the GI bill and GI bill kicker... basically... i get about $200 a month when i'm NOT going to school and about $7-800 a month when i DO go to school.

i only have to work one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year. and whenever they need me.

personally, it was the best decision for me.

however, my one friend just became an airline pilot... [he's 22] and he's in the reserves, [but he's actually thinking of switching to the guard...]

it's a decision that you REALLY have to look into yourself.

marine training is EXTREMELY difficult [from what i've heard].



if you have ANY questions... feel free to send me a message. i'll be more than willing to talk about the air national guard with you.


but like i said. just make sure its the right decision for you

Answer 5

Being a ex Marine and former officer, I can tell you that the Marines are the best place to start if you want to fight, but it is not the place to go to train. The Air Force or Navy have better training and aircraft of the type you would want to fly. You may be too short though, call an officer recruiter. Note that only the Army has non commissioned officer pilots and getting a commission requires a bachelors degree.

If you want to become a privat pilot, not a military pilot, the road to airline pilot is a long, expensive, difficult one. I am a private pilot.

Answer 6

marines to have the hardest training. i joined the air force full time enlisted and its probably the best decision ive ever made. the air force is the only military branch with a credited college, Community College of the AIr Force. its easy to earn a degree when you earn credits from boot camp and technical school (where you learn your job) but if youre looking in to becoming a airline pilot, for most pilot jobs, you need to be an officer. which requires a degree. the air force is the most select branch.

Answer 7

Maggie

Neither.
If you simply want to become airline pilot, do NOT join the military simply as a means to that end! Do it only if you want to SERVE YOUR COUNTRY and don't think of it simply as a way to get "free flight training" so you can become an airline pilot. In all reality, it's not truly "free" and the openings for military aviators are fewer and more competitive than they have ever been. If you somehow manage to even get accepted into the service as a pilot candidate, pass flight school and their wash out rate, you will be committed for a decade (maybe more if they up the commitment to aid pilot retention). You could also get killed in the line of duty. Plus, 65% of major airline new hires are now civilian trained pilots (source Air Inc http://www.jet-jobs.com ).

If you just want free flight training, enlisting in the military won't be worth your time and could cost you money at the highest paying years at the end your career because you won't be hired by a major till you are in your 30's. Seniority is everything, the sooner you start the better! The regional airlines have the lowest requirements in decades and many are hiring people with a mere 500-600 hours now. You could easily land yourself a career two years after starting training, get hired by a regional, move on to a major well before age 30 and have you flight training loan paid off before you would even be done with a military commitment.

Also, as a female, you will find some resources to help fund your flight training like the Ninety-Nines & Women In Aviation:
http://www.ninety-nines.org
http://www.wai.org

Re: ERAU
You don't have to have a degree in aviation to be an airline pilot. When I was in H.S., I thought ERAU would be the place to go (take their sales pitch with a grain of salt!) but I couldn't afford it. Instead I did their extended campus program and did my flight training at my local airport for less than half the price they wanted. In hindsight, I should have gotten a degree in a subject OTHER than aviation. You can go to any university, major in any subject and be an airline pilot. In fact, you could get your bachelors (or associates) and do your flight training and get hired by a regional airline at age 21.

While the Answers community can be a good resource, I think you really need more than can be found here. (Some posts are just plain BS.)

Try the webs most popular pilot forum at http://forums.flightinfo.com

And these sites for aspiring airline pilots
http://www.pilotcareer.info
http://www.jetcareers.com

Additionally, if you want lots of input on military flying, go to the source- http://fourms.military.com

Answer 8

i would have to say the air force....if you're looking for college assistnance i think most branches offer some sort of college assistance!! the airforce i think is just a better fit...ive been in the Army for 6 years and currently serving my 2nd tour in Iraq, and I LOVE being a Soldier, but if i was more knowlegable at the time i would have gone with the airforce, but it's more a personal choice, it's what you wanna do, and how you wanna serve your country....no matter what branch you choose, you'll be a HERO in the eyes of all!!

Answer 9

Hi maggie. If you would like to go to embry riddle i would suggest that you apply for an ROTC scholarship. they have rotc there at embry and you will have to serve a tour of duty after graduation. even if you dont qualify for a pilot because of your height(?) you can still have a great career in aviation. ROTC will pay your tuition and give you a little spending money each month. dont join any reserve military units at this time. hope u get into embry and rotc. good luck.

Answer 10

it's really up to you. if you love flying in the air with high tech equipment the airforce is mainly for you. but let's say you're airsick, that will be a problem. marines get to have tanks, vechicles, and guns that fight on the ground. Plus drones might take over the air force, which maybe safer for pilots controling them