Air Force Questions?

Question

I am a freshman in high school and am lightly considering a career in the AF. I get good grades, pretty much straigh A's. how hard is it to get in the AF? someone told me that you have to have perfect eyes to get in...i don't know if my eyes are perfect...when can you enter the AF? anytime? is it better to enter when you're young? does anyone have any regrets about joining? I want to join to serve my country, and frankly, flying F/A-18s sounds like a hecka lotta fun :). so how fast can you be a pilot? or do many people who want to get in to be a pilot end up not making it? how long do you have to go to school?
sorry so many questions. i'll probably get directed to a web site...
any info would be helpful! thanks!

I really appriciate you bringing me down like that, J&C H. Yes, I do know the rules of capitalization.
You claim to be a teacher. No teacher would demote someone like that.

And thanks everyone for the posts.

Excuse my lack of ignorance please. I am new at this. I will read up on things more, i guess, before I post a question next time.

Answer 1

~~how hard is it to get in the AF? ~~
Not TOO hard to enlist, though certainly more selective than all the other branches right now. To be an officer is a little tougher. Talk to your recruiter about ROTC scholarship applications

~~someone told me that you have to have perfect eyes to get in...~~
Someone told you wrong. Your vision must be CORRECTABLE(glasses/contacts) to below 20/50 for ground based jobs. If you want to be a pilot your vision in BOTH eyes must be naturally better than 20/50

~~when can you enter the AF? anytime? is it better to enter when you're young?~~
I *believe* the current requirement is that you initially join before the age of 28. I'm not entirely sure. The sooner you get in, the younger age you'll be able to retire at, so I wouldn't dilly dally TOO much.

~~does anyone have any regrets about joining?~~
No.

~~I want to join to serve my country, and frankly, flying F/A-18s sounds like a hecka lotta fun :). so how fast can you be a pilot? or do many people who want to get in to be a pilot end up not making it?~~
The air force doesn't have FA-18s. You'd probably want to fly the F-15, 22, or 35 if you're going to be an air force pilot. To be a pilot takes two years of pilot school (depending on air frame) AFTER you get your commission as an officer. However, less than 17% of officers become pilots, and NO enlisted pilots in the AF... though, i'm not going to lie, i'm not a pilot and i prefer it that way.

~~ how long do you have to go to school? ~~
Your bachelors degree should take 4-5 years, and if you get a pilot slot that will take 2 more years

EDIT: for J&C H...
You have a comma splice and need to learn the difference between "then" and "than" before you treat others to abuse about their grammar.

Answer 2

If you want to fly F/A-18s you might want to look at the Navy. The Air Force has no such aircraft.

We fly things like the Raptor, Electric Jet (F-16), the Wart Hog and of course the heavies. I believe you're eyes do need to be 20/20 to get into the pilot's school but there are literally a 1000 or more other jobs. The Air Force has nearly any job you can think of. If a city needs it the Air Force probably has it. Jobs range from anesthesiologists to zoologists with postal service and street sweeping in between.

If you are set on being a pilot, don't forget the big birds. Multi-engine jet is what the airlines are looking for. Remember: Fighter pilots make movies, bomber pilots make history. You have probably heard of Chuck Yeager, unfortunately you probably haven't heard of Paul W. Tibbets. It's OK if you haven't but look it up.

One thing you should know, many jobs in the Air Force are 9 to 5 jobs just like you would have as a civilian. There are others that are 24/7. All the jobs I had were 24/7. Most shops I was involved with worked everyday including Christmas and any other holiday you care to name. It is the cost that must be paid to constantly watch the skies.

Any military service is a big commitment. If you are going in because you feel a need to be part of something bigger than yourself, if you feel a need to give back, if you hear someone screaming about their rights and you wonder if they even know about their responsibilities. If you are that sort of person you will do fine. If you want to be in the military to get an education or kill people it is the hardest job you will ever hate.

I spent 22 years in uniform. I retired a Master Sergeant. I joined because of the draft and I stayed for the right reason. I consider the "why" of my service to be for the right reason. Even with that, I look at my country and I wonder why I did it. Oh yeah, if you expect any appreciation from your fellow citizens you are barking up the wrong tree. I was in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. I returned to be spat upon and called a “Baby killer”. In 2003 I received my first individual "Thank You". It was from a kid whose dad had died in that jungle.

I did my damdest to give you both information and feeling. I hope I succeeded. I do accept email at my profile. If I can provide more all you need do is ask.

Answer 3

Ok, I joined the U.S Navy with the same ambitions, to fly, to serve my country and all that. In order to fly you have to have a college degree, because it makes sense that they are not going to trust a person out of high school with a million dollar jet. The jets cost more then that, but you know what I'm saying. You don't have to have perfect vision because they will issue you some BC glasses at boot camp, if you don't have the eye vision. Yes its a good idea to get in early so you can retire early, but note this. It will be a commitment, you won't be able to turn back after you sign the contract. They will own you. I regretted my enlistment the first time because it was my first job in my life and so did many others. Try working at a couple of jobs first before making the final decision, your still young. A lot of people in the service regret it, and there are a lot that don't.
Finally look up the definition of recruiter. That is there job and they will try almost anything to recruit you. So remember that, they will be your buddy.
Hope this all helps.

Answer 4

Your only a Freshman and you have at least 3 years before you need to worry about it.

If you want to become a pilot, you will need at least a BS or BA college degree. Officer candidates that are selected are generally those with Engineering or Science type degrees. Cross stitching or Drama Degrees won't get you selected.

So.... #1. You can either go through college yourself, get your degree, then apply for OTS/OCS #2. Its been a while but i think it's during your Junior year and prior to Christmas in your Senior year, make application for the AF Academy and/or ROTC Scholarship programs.

But just because you have a degree still won't get you your wings. Just as a test, ask your friends what job they would want if they joined the AF. I would bet at least 90% of them would say "Pilot". You will be going against some top qualified people from the entire United States.

The military has lessened the restrictions on having corrective eye surgery and I think they do allow for a small deviation in your eye prescription, but generally, you have to have pretty good vision.

Again, as a Freshman, you still have time to decide what you want to do after graduation. Go out and have fun. A few things to watch for....... The military has weight standards - watch your weight. Stay out of trouble...such as Underage Drinking. Keep your grades up. Get Involved in sports, school clubs. If your school has a JROTC program or there is a Civil Air Patrol program in your area, get involved with that.

Finally....... in a few years, decide what you reallly want to do with your life. Four years from now the Military might not be what you want to do.

Answer 5

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE U.S. NAVY??????

Take Cod liver fish oil capsules for your eyes, skin - has all the A & D you will need.

also take Beta Carotene capsule. Consider Bilberry for night vision.

Take a super B Complex (has C), garlic caps, 1 magnesium tab, 1 potassium tab.

Lift weights - be able to do 50 pushups.

Lay on bed, feet on floor, do 500 situps/crunches during day - split 100 5x over the day.

Probably need protein too - meats, can of Whey mix for shakes.

Memorize science tables, learn that math/calculus junk.

If you have extra money, start taking flight lessons.

Or utilize Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" and fly different aircraft.

http://www.fastgamedownloads.net/DownloadFlightSimulator.html?gclid=CNrHzI6PsI4CFRUHWAodLXfugA

Great Grades? Go to best engineering school with full scholarship, then Air Force qualify, or US Navy birds also.

Take advance level high school classes, or take college level.
Get study guides in big book stores, do not use Cliff notes - ther are better synopses on the shelves. Read more of current events magazines to know political changes.
Wall Street Journal, others - know business.

Be a vacuum cleaner of knowledge. I want to see you in uniform on "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

Get a college education to qualify to be a pilot. You get good grades? In what? Certainly not English. Your sentence structure is horrible, You do know about capital letters starting a sentence don't you?
Get educated first. I suggest you start with the basics.
Prometheus, how can I ever thank you? Your arrogance shows that you were indeed an officer. I did not say I was perfect, after all I was only a Senior Master Sergeant and not an Officer. And even a person as arrogant as you would know that this person needs help.

Answer 7

My Dad was in the Air force back in the 60's he was a flight engineer on C-124's they stopped using engineers so he became a mechanic joined the air national guard working on C-130's retired with over 24 years of service.

I will add he never wanted us kids to join. he lost a job or two because of the requried 2 week trips every year. I know they say an employer can't fire you for doing your trips but that is BS since it's kind of hard to fight something like that with no income.

in the end I think he enjoyed the AirForce because he has a love of Airplanes.

Here is one link

http://public.dover.amc.af.mil/

Answer 8

Read more books. half your paragraph was about the Navy(the only service with F/A-18 Hornets).

You need to graduate college before you enter the competitive arena of becoming a pilot. You can wash out for many reasons at any time. No guarantees at all!

Service Accademies are the best method for College. See you HS Counselor about applications and nominations.

Study hard and read more on the service of your choice History!

Ret. USAF SNCO, Former Recruiter

Answer 9

The eyesight thing is important if you want a particular flying job.

You do need to be smart, but trust me... there are some idiots in every branch and if you get in...you'll get accepted; don't worry.

Take time to consider it. You have to be 18 unless your parents say its ok. Wait till you've graduated highschool and made a decision about college. Also, talk to the recruiters. They know all you need!

To find a recruiter nearby you can look at the website. http://www.airforce.com/ <---that is their official recruiting site

best of luck!

Answer 10

Pilots are Officers: a 4 year college degree is required. If you do not have 20/20 or better uncorrected vision, you will NOT be a Pilot.

there is an age limit for Aviation.. I think it's like 26. Many aspire. few make it.