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Howdy everyone, Current applicant, student pilot and college student looking for a little gauge or recommendations per the community. I'll just jump right into details: Age: 22 Major: Bachelors, mechanical engineering (2.7 GPA) Minor: Applied Mathematics AFOQT (T/2): 96 Pilot 83 Navigator 83 Academic Aptitude 90 Verbal 68 Quantitative PCSM: 82 @ 21 hours (C172s, a shock to many), 98 @ 201+ LORs: Retired UPT Instructor Retired Army O-6 AD Air Force O-2/Close Friend I got some excellent feedback speaking with a Guard fighter unit some months back, and the general consensus there was "more hours, increase your PCSM". Essentially was told fighter units would look at my app if I had a 90 or higher. That's attainable, events notwithstanding. I'm currently on the waitlist for finishing my PPL with a local instructor per Part 61. With that, I'm not getting too many callbacks from Guard units. I'm currently in the process with an AD recruiter going up for the upcoming OTS boards, so I just wanted to gauge my chances or room for improvement. I fully understand my GPA is the standout concern and there's not a lot I can do about it at this stage, unfortunately. In fact, I learned a while back one squadron threw out my app due to it and not having much other information on me. If anyone else is in a situation like mine, I'd advice you to get out in front of it, own it and show your other strengths. The world we live in certainly is competitive and they're looking for anything less than desirable to cull the pile of papers on their desk. Honest opinions, thoughts, recs, shoot. Feel free to ask any questions or state concerns if I'm not painting a good picture. Thanks all.

Hi all. Requesting feedback on my chances at a Reserves or Guard unit, and currently considering both fighters and heavies. AFOQT: Pilot 89 / Nav 98 / Acad Apt 95 / Verbal 94 / Quant 92 PCSM: 89 (with another 12 hours, this should bump up to 93, so I plan on getting those additional hours shortly) Flying: PPL, 88 hours, will start working towards instrument soon GPA: 3.57 (BA Economics), Also have master’s Prior Service: Previous active duty USAF officer (4 years, O3) in Contracting, deployed once (Baghdad) Age: 33 (turned 33 in Jan) LORs: 1 from previous squadron commander, 1 from coworker, 1 from good friend. I believe all are strong and highlight various qualities that I think units would look for. Misc: A couple ‘extracurricular' facts. Curious if anyone recommends including them in my cover letter as unique background that units may look for. I don’t want to come across as needlessly arrogant, but also don’t want to leave any stone unturned: - I have my skydiving license (48 jumps). - I currently work at the F-35 Joint Program Office (contract specialist). Job involves negotiating various F-35 requirements and putting them on contract / awarding them. Awarded a $150M contract for durability testing on the F-35B last year, and also negotiated the F-35’s automatic ground collision avoidance system (same AGCAS as F-16, updated for F-35 implementation). It's a crazy pace, but a very interesting place to work for sure. - My grandfather was a fighter pilot in the early days of aviation, and was later the commander of the Pakistan Air Force…got my love of flying through him. - Hobbies – photography, videography, personal finance guru, fitness. I’m genuinely considering both fighters / heavies at this point. I'm having difficulty deciding - the more frequent flying you get to do in heavies is very attractive to me, but then I would love flying fighters too I believe. A few people have understandably mentioned my age will probably make me a no go for fighters, but I’d still be interested in additional feedback on that point. Thanks, all!

Here are my scores, as well as my interesting background. AFOQT: 98/61/40/33/50 PCSM: 97 Flight hours: 1300 Flight Ratings: PPL, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, ATP (ERJ 170/190 type rating) Age: 22 College: 3.80 GPA, B.S. in Aviation Management, A.A.S. In Aviation Flight LORs: PPL instructor, Retired navy captain, prior Civil Air Patrol Squadron commander Volunteer work: Civil Air Patrol (Transport mission pilot, Billy Mitchell award recipient) My background: I was at Navy OCS last February with a pilot slot (SNA-Studnet naval aviator). I was there for about a month before I got discharged for 2 medical reasons. The first was eyesight due to astigmatism. I got PRK surgery March 2018 on my own dime and it’s been over a year, no complications. The other medical issue was my sitting height. I’m 6’3” with a sitting height of 39.4”. The navy has 4 aircraft pipelines; strike, E2/C2, helicopters, and Maritime. You needed to be eligible for a minimum of 2 of 4 pipelines, and my sitting height was too tall for the T45 goshawk, which canceled out the strike and E2/C2 pipelines, as well as the UH-57 which canceled out the helicopter track for me. Because I was only eligible for one pipeline (maritime) I could no longer be a student naval aviator. The base commander said I could choose any other naval officer job, such as SWO or Supply, but I decided to discharge and continue flight instructing to be a regional airline pilot, which is what I’m doing right now. I don’t know if this experience helps or hurts. It could help because it shows that I’m not giving up on becoming a military pilot, but it could hurt because I really want to serve and the interviewees might ask why I just didn’t do another naval officer job then. I plan on taking the AFOQT over again, but I will be applying with my current scores and just see where it goes.

Hi! My name is Bonne, I am a 16 year old dutch highschool student that dreams about being an air force pilot (F16) since i can walk, because i live close to an airbase. Since i am 12 I dream about becoming a F35 pilot on the other hand. Though after doing some research, things can get crazy along the way... But in order to get there i first need to apply and be accepted. Physically i am great, just a small thing with my eyes, I wear glasses, my left eye needs +3.25 and my right needs +0.5. Can i still get accepted? And if not, can I after i get a lazertreatment? I'm worried about my chance to get my absolute dreamjob, so if you can, please help me out! Thank you so so much in advance!! -Bonne.

I'm currently a junior and high school and I've had the eagerness to become a fighter pilot since I can remember. A little bit about me: weighted 4.5 GPA, soccer for all 3 years so far including have been captain of my team, involved in student body leadership, top 10% of my class, and plenty of community service. My question is what is the best way for me to become a fighter pilot? I know currently there is a shortage of fighter pilots in the air force, but a navy pilot has told me that if I took the navy route I'd have a higher chance at fighters because that's mainly what the navy flies. Is that true? Should I go OCS, ROTC, or try to go to an Academy? If I got a ROTC scholarship should I take that route? Would having a PPL be something I should do or should I wait because the military has their way of training pilots? If I went ANG I know I'd be guaranteed fighters and a base, but I'd imagine the competition for a spot at a base would be hard coming from civilian life, no? Would it be better to go ANG or active? I know there is a difference between the lifestyle of an air force pilot and navy pilot but I would do either. Any response is greatly appreciated.

I just applied to my first squadron, and I'd like to know how you guys think I stack up. Here are the numbers: GPA: 3.75 AFOQT: 92/77/50/60/43 PCSM: 67 Flight Hours: 27 Age: 28 LORs: 3; from current and former AF officers Obviously I need to get more flight hours and get that PCSM up. Flying and graduating college are my top priorities right now. I expect to have my PPL by the end of the year, and about 80 hours around that same time. I will continue to build hours until I get picked up by a unit. I know I'm cutting it close with my age; I'm going to keep pushing until I get hired. Thanks everyone.

I'm currently a sophomore in college. I've wanted to be a pilot in the military since forever. I just want to here from you guys on how I've been able to set myself up so far. GPA: 3.52 Major: Aviation Flight Management PPL carrier and almost done with my instrument rating

Hey guys, Just wondering about my chances of becoming a pilot once I graduate from my MBA program. Undergrad degree in Finance: 3.67 MBA: 3.7 Two internships at Wells Fargo Have worked for the past 4 years in leadership roles, organizational roles etc. Letters of Rec from multiple bosses (can get more if needed). AFOQT scores were all 89. Age: 23 If you guys need any more information just let me know! What do you think of my chances? Thanks.

Hello All, I know there have been a lot of threads like it, but I think I have a few questions that make this post stand out. First of all, here are some basic facts about me: Gender: Male Age: 24 Degree: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering GPA: 3.2 Flight Time: 1 Hour (I plan on getting more) Fitness Level: Active, slim build. It has been my dream since I was younger to be a pilot in the USAF. During my freshman year of college, I was in AFROTC. After freshman year I dropped AFROTC due to it affecting my grades in engineering, and me doubting my chances of getting a pilot slot due to medical conditions. I regret this decision, and I want to correct it and chase my dream by either going Guard/Reserves or attending OTS. During college, I worked at an avionics/aviation research lab for about two years. The lab was at the local airport, and we had two fighter-trainer jets (L-29 Delfin's) and also a military helicopter. I got the chance to fly in all of these, and even pilot the L-29's from the back seats several times. Most importantly, the lab was constantly bringing in Air National Guard fighter pilots for studies. I worked with and got the contact info of a few of them, and I believe they would be willing to write me letters of recommendation. The things that are concerning me is a past juvenile record incident, as well as my medical history. When I was 13 years old, my friend and I were having an airsoft gun war outside of his house. One of ours friends from school was walking by on the street, and we very stupidly thought it would be hilarious to fire a few pellets down range at said friend. This was a terrible mistake and I regret it. I don't know what I was thinking. My friend and I both got brought down to the police station, I got charged with battery (as a juvenile, obviously), my mom signed a paper, and I went home. That's the last I ever heard of it. While I wholeheartedly regret this decision, I cannot change the past. I wanted to get your opinions on how this will affect me getting a pilot slot/top secret clearance. I want to fully disclose what happened because I refuse to lie on any forms. I already lied on some medical forms in the past during AFROTC, regretted it, and fessed up and corrected the forms. I don't want to make that same mistake again, so I will be disclosing this incident. On to my medical history. Around 11 years old, I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and ADHD. I don't think I had anxiety or depression, but when my parents divorced I was forced to see a doctor and that's what they diagnosed me with and gave me medicine for. I will admit that I showed symptoms of ADHD, and the medication I got for it helped me. A year before I started college, I got off all of this medication. In addition to this, I was born with a few knuckles missing in each finger on my left hand (thumb is fine). The fingers are all shorter on my left hand. My right hand is totally normal. This birth defect does not affect me at all, not even a little. While I cannot bend the fingers the same way on my left hand, I still have full grip control and dexterity. In fact, I type at a well above average speed, play guitar, have flown aircraft, and do everything else anyone else could do. Now, let me explain reasons why I don't think these medical problems affect me. I got off the medication a year before college. I did well in college and never had any problems getting good grades. I got a 3.2 GPA in engineering, which I know isn't the most amazing GPA ever, but I am proud of myself for it since I worked hard. I have done very well in all of my jobs, and any of my past or present employers would be willing to testify to that. I am a very driven and motivated person, and I know that will shine through. As far as my hand goes, I can prove to the flight doctor that my hand is fully functional by doing whatever tests he or she asks of me. In addition, in AFROTC, I passed my DODMERB medical exam without even needing a waiver for my hand. I believe this is because I was able to prove to the doctor my hand would not hinder me. She asked me to do basic tests with my hand, and I did all of them with no problems. Hopefully the fact that I passed that medical test is a testament to the fact that my hand will not cause me issues when piloting an aircraft. That is about it. I apologize for the wall of text, but I didn't want to leave out details. I plan on blowing the AFOQT out of the water when the time comes. Can I please get your opinions on my chances on successfully overcoming the adversities I discussed (past juvenile record, past medication, and hand deformation), as well as just my overall chances of getting a pilot slot?

Hi there, I was wondering what the chances are for a Marine Corps Aviator to get a jet / tailhook slot during Primary Flight Training in Naval Flight School. Does anyone know how exactly Marine Corps / Navy select their slots. I know the Air Force has one drop night where everyone gets T-38 or T-1, but I'm unsure how Naval Flight School works. I found so much info about AFROTC and how exactly flight school works in the AF, but there isin't that much information about Naval Flight School, especially about how selection works. I know that with every UPT class there are at least a few T-38 drops available. So if you want one, you can really work hard to get it. But I'm a little worried that with the Marine Corps, there may not even be jet drops, but I have no idea and there is honestly no information available. So if anyone can help me out, I would really appreciate it. Thanks guys.