Active Duty in the Air Force, is it possible to get into the Air Force Academy and how so?

Yes it is possible, assuming an enlisted Airman has a somewhat competitive academic and extracurricular/athletic profile from his high school years and then impresses his command enough to recommend him. The age limit to be appointed to the Air Force Academy is: not yet have reached the 23rd birthday on July 1 of the year entering the Academy; or not yet have reached the 22nd birthday on July 1 of the year entering the Air Force Academy Prep School. Most prior enlisted appointed to the Air Force Academy are appointed after spending a year at the Air Force Academy Prep School. If the desire is to be appointed to the Air Force Academy, enlisting is probably not the best plan. There is a much better chance of being appointed by enrolling in a college, community college or service academy prep program and registering for a curriculum similar to a first year Air Force Academy Cadet: Calculus, Freshman Composition, Chemistry, Political Science/History, Afrotc/Rotc/Nrotc and participating in athletics at some level: varsity, club or intramural. Usafa LEAD: http://www.academyadmissions.com/#Page/Airmen http://www.academyadmissions.com/img/assets/PDF/USAFA_LEAD_Handbook_2011-12.pdf The Air Force Academy website offers outstanding advice to students prepping for a service academy, rotc scholarship or any highly selective university. Open all links to the left of the dialog box. Be sure to open the "Leadership Preparation" link and read it carefully." http://www.academyadmissions.com/#Page/Preparation The selection process is nearly identical at the Air Force Academy, West Point, and the Naval Academy, so, whatever is stated on one service academy website or in its catalog with regard to admissions, course selection etc generally holds for the others. If you read the following answer and open the links it should help to explain the selection process and the path to an appointment: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Akhc017ydUhl4cmaSh5LBsHty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20101109140847AAZvjcJ http://www.nmmi.edu/prep/selfprep.htm http://www.northwesternprep.com/ Afrotc is available by cross enrollment agreements at many community colleges... For instance in Califirnia.... In the Los Angeles area: http://www.lmu.edu/academics/afrotc/crosstown.htm There are also Detachments at UCLA and USC with their cross town schools, many are the same as at Loyola. In the SF Bay Area, half the cross town schools listed below are community colleges. http://airforcerotc.berkeley.edu/_crosstown-schools.htm There is also an Afrotc Detachment at San Jose State with its own cross town schools Good Luck!