WT Forums

i all, I hear some of you pilots graze here . I'm in the same virtual squadron as nightstalker who just posted here, btw. Basicly, what im asking for is any helpful information about being a pilot via OTS selection. How select are they? What do I have to do to be selected? I ask this because im currently slated to ship on Sept. 23rd and will be on active duty (working on your planes...heh). As I understand it, only something like 5% of pilots come through OTS, and about 3% plucked from AD. Admitedly, this makes me a bit queezy. Can any of you guys provide your points of view as men who have gotten through this already? Even moreso if there is anybody who has gotten his wings through OTS. Thanks very much.

I have a similar thread located here

http://www.dynamictruth.com/cgi-bin/ult ... 1;t=000135

Edited by - 25th_bigGUNS on Aug 19 2003 8:05 PM

Edited by - 25th_bigGUNS on Aug 19 2003 8:05 PM

Pilot slots from OTS go up and down, it just depends on when you apply. The nice thing is that you will know if you get a slot before you go... I was prior maintenance, and I chose rotc because I thought it would give me the best shot at getting a pilot slot. And Im at UPT now, so I guess it was a good decision. Do you already have a degree? I knew a few guys who did masters programs and 2yrs of rotc to get to upt.

"One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine, is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." -- Junior Soviet Lieutenant

Oh no, im just out of highschool. So I have nothing to show for myself yet , but I also have plenty of time to work on it. Ill get my degree while im in maintenance. Still trying to decide 4 vs. 6 year enlistment.

bigGUNS, you actually have all options open to you still. You can choose to get your college degree while enlisted (tough, but a guy in my UPT class did it) and then go OTS, or you can apply for an ROTC scholarship and go the "civilian for a few years" route (another guy in my UPT class did that) or you can even apply for USAFA, although you will most likely go to the prep school first so it will take you 5 years instead of 4. One thing I've learned about the military, if someone tells you "no, that's not possible," keep asking until you find someone who will make it work for you. There are ALL kinds of great programs and ways to get from one place to another in the military, you just have to do some sluething. Best of luck to you! There is nothing better than flying for a living!

Now Poke are you sure about that statement. Personally I liked it when I could play with sucking chest wounds and chest pains. lol

seriously though what did you get to fly?

Since your just out of HS, I would go straight into a commissioning program if at all possible (ie afrotc or afa). Once you enlist, you run the risk of not getting selected for a commissioning program all together, not having the time to go to school due to deployments, and a myrid of other things that can keep you from living your dream. Basically, once the AF has trained you to do a job, they want to keep you there. But poke is right, if you really want to make it happen, anything is possible. "if there's a will there is a way or a waiver".

"One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine, is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." -- Junior Soviet Lieutenant

Or if you're Jewish, "Where there's a will, there's a loophole".

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

Nice <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

"One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine, is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." -- Junior Soviet Lieutenant

The original quote from a book is something to the effect of "It never ceases to amaze me how much time and effort the Jews have dedicated over history to finding loopholes in all their laws".

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI