How to become a Commercial Pilot through the Air Force?

In short.....don't be an airline pilot. Reasons: -!00k plus to get through school -15k/yr starting salary at a commuter airline (no you don't jump right into a 747 for united) -everything is union which can be great but also means that no matter how great you are you will always be waiting to move up. It also means that you can basically never switch airlines once you achieve a decent position. A 747 Captain at one airline would have to start all over as an FO at another if they decided to switch companies....sux. -BORING! The majority of the flying process in large jsts is totally automated now. Takeoff is manual, but once your climbing then autopilot, and possibly automatic approach/landing take over. Pretty much kills the whole fun aspect of it. At the end of the day just get your private license and rent a little sport plane to cruise in when the cash allows.

The only reason you should want to join the US Air Force is because you want to serve your country! If you join just to get several hundred thousand dollars worth of flight training shoved up your posterior one nickel at a time at the taxpayer expense, forget it. They have ways of weeding out people like you way before they get selected for flight training.

I was just talking to an officer recruiter during a round of golf. I decided to ask him about USAF pilot slot requirements. For pilot positions this May, there were over 1800 applicants from AETC, ROTC & the Academy. There were 29 chosen for pilot training. What do you think your chances are? Good luck.

Look into the pay first. All my pilot friends all got major pay cuts, and the industry is really bad. Maybe look into private jet V I P pilot services where you can make great money.

Let's be brutally honest here. Your chances of becoming a pilot in the US military today are about the same as being struck by lightning. The military IS NOT the cheap and easy way to become an airline pilot. If that's your ultimate goal, then forget the military altogether and direct your studies towards a commercial pilot's certificate and eventually an ATP. You can start taking flying lessons today if you could figure out a way to pay for them. You can fly solo at 16 and get a private pilot's license at 17. Training for a private pilot's license will cost you about $10,000, and it would cost up to $100,000 or more to get to the point where you would be eligible to find a job as an airline pilot.

1.) forget all the people who say commercial aviation is a path you shoudnt take. But, you MUST understand that it is actually a **** career, and because of that, you must LOVE flying because it is more than a job; it is a hobby and passion. 2.) Only about 30% of pilots these days come from the USAF, and fewer grads are being selected 3.) selection into the aviation program in the USAF is VERY selective. If you dont make it, you are stuck serving till you contract expires. 4.) Now i suggest you check out the Civil Air Patrol. It has exactly what you are looking for. It offers military exposure, aviation exposure, and leadership opportunities. It is also the USAF auxiliary. There are members from my squadron who have gone off to the top military academies and flight schools and CAP walked them through it. www.gocivilairpatrol.com 5.) You can start training for your PPL at this age; civil air patrol has programs to help you get hours in also (im soloing in a glider at the end of this month)

Buster seems to be unaware that the AIr Force Academy is a 4 year university, so you do not get a degree somewhere else first. The first step is getting a degree, preferably technical, but even a liberal arts degree counts. Going to the academy is an advantage if you want to fly, so you need to polish that HS resume- not just grades, but leadership positions in student government, public service and athletics are all looked at. You may want to serve as a volunteer on your congressman's reelection campaign as well - it takes an appointment to get into the academy. Failing that, a university with an Air Force ROTC program would be the next choice. Keep in mind that even going through the academy does not guarantee a pilots slot, but the worse case on ether of these paths is that you get a solid education and a chance to serve your country, even if in a non-flying role.

To even be considered for flight school in the USAF you need a 4 year collage degree and then be excepted into the AF academy, which isn't all that easy, then after 2 years of that you may be selected for flight school. so in reality if all you want is to be a commercial pilot it would be cheaper to go to school just for that than the 4 year degree in most cases,