Aviation Insights

The last blog left us knowing there are basically two paths to take to learn to fly the heavy metal. In this blog, I’d like to cover the military path, in some detail, in the hope of answering a lot of your questions. The next blog will cover the civilian path in detail and we’ll move on from there. The military path, as you recall, in its basic elements is; get a 4-yr degree, get commissioned (become an officer), go to flight school. To begin, there are options for each step of the way. You can choose a 4-yr degree program that also will serve as your commissioning source. For example, if you choose to attend the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) as your college, it is also one of the 3 available commissioning sources. Since its a military academy, you wear a uniform every day, have limited time off and a pretty intense academic curriculum. You will also have the opportunity to take part in many exciting and adventurous activities other college students won’t. Keep in mind though, you are basically in the military while attending college and are expected to adhere to the established rules and traditions. Upon graduating from the USAFA you will receive a commission from there and go into flight training. There are 4 other military academies, each one for a specific branch of the military. West Point in West Point, New York, primarily for army officers, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, primarily for Naval and Marine officers and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, primarily for Coast Guard officers. The Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point (Long Island) New York is also a military academy primarily for maritime shipping. I use the word primarily because the graduates of these academies can choose, and sometimes do, to enter a different branch of the military. Each of these options comes with a 5 yr commitment upon graduation followed by 4 yrs in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). What that means is you are off active duty service, your records are stored, and in the event of a national emergency during the 4yr period, you could be recalled to active duty service. Another option that combines college with a commissioning source is to attend a 4yr college with a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Assuming you fulfill the required college and military requirements, you will receive a commission upon graduation with this choice too. There are several significant differences between the ROTC program and the USAFA (or other military academy) program. I’ll begin the differences discussion with the active duty service commitment since it should be fresh in your mind for comparison. Graduating from an ROTC program comes with a 4 yr active duty service commitment, instead of 5, and also comes with 4rs in the IRR. Another significant difference is as a participant in an ROTC program you will wear a uniform one or two days a week, instead of 7 days a week, during which you’ll attend the military courses and leadership lab. At the USAFA, you’ll begin school one to three weeks after your high school graduation and remain there for nearly a year except for limited time off during the holidays. You’ll have more time off each year at the USAFA but will most likely attend some type of program during each summer between school years. The ROTC program doesn’t begin until your college of choice opens for the fall semester. During your first 2 years, extra programs are optional but become mandatory your last 2 summers. At the USAFA, your food, medical, room & board, among other things, are all part of the deal. Not so with the ROTC program. Now for some similarities. They both are scholarship programs although you don’t have to be on scholarship to join ROTC (I was a walk-on). They both cover books, tuition and pay each cadet a monthly stipend (a paycheck).As a USAFA cadet, your stipend is paid to you year-round. As an ROTC cadet, you stipend is paid while you’re in school for your first two years and year-round your last two. Finally, they both conclude with (as all commissioning sources do) a commission as a 2nd Lt which is the initial officer rank. If you are interested in either program, the application process should begin during the spring of your junior year. There is a lot of information about each specific branch’s ROTC and Military Academy on line. And, that’s where you’ll need to start because as far as I know paper applications no longer exist. One thing to keep in mind, should you decide to explore either program, is the application is in and of itself a screening process. They are long, involved and will require patience and persistence. The admissions websites for the academies are posted at the end of the blog.
The third option for the military path is called Officer Training School (OTS). This option is for those who didn’t choose one of the first two options or decided too late during their college careers the military was for them. The procedure for OTS is very different from ROTC or an academy. What usually takes place is a person decides they want to become a military pilot sometime during (or after) their college career and walks in to a recruiter’s office to learn the “how to’s”. Once there, they are told OTS is the only option for them and they are referred to what’s called an accessions officer. In most cases, the traditional recruiters bring in, or enlist people into the military who are not going to become officers. Accessions officers work with people who want to join the military as officers. Since I work with ROTC and USAFA candidates, I am in effect an accessions officer although my job title is Admissions Liaison Officer (ALO).In any case, the accessions officer will assist with the application process which includes a physical, a fitness test, and an aptitude test among several other items. If all goes well, you’re off to OTS. Graduates of OTS are sometimes referred to as 90-day wonders. This is because the school is 90 days or there about, and everything you need to know about being an officer is crammed in. That’s right! What you get in 4 yrs of ROTC or at a military academy, in theory, you get in 90 days. At the end, you’re commissioned a 2nd Lt and go off to flight school. There was an excellent movie made on the subject in the early 1980’s. Richard Gere was the star of a great cast of characters and the theme revolved around several “officer candidates” attempting to make their way through the Navy version of OTS, Officer Candidate School (OCS). While watching, remember it’s a Hollywood story with some facts mixed in. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent movie worth watching.

So, to sum it up, there are your 3 options for commissioning. They are; a military academy, an ROTC program, or a version of OTS. Successful completion of any culminates in a commission as a 2nd Lt then off to flight school. By the way, upon completion of flight school you incur a 10 year active duty commitment.Now, I know this blog is beginning to get long but I would be remiss if I did not mention two other possibilities I’ve seen take place. They are commissioning opportunities through the Air National Guard (the Guard) or a branch of the military Reserves. You can join either as an enlisted troop with the hope of being selected as a pilot candidate or you can show up with your degree, and maybe some flying time too, and compete for the 1 to 3 pilot slots they may get annually. As I said, I’ve seen it done both ways.
I’m sure everyone realizes there is much more detail to the process. However, the intent hereis to provide a basic outline and follow with details based on reader feedback. Next, the civilian path.

http://admissions.usma.edu/
http://www.usna.edu/admissions/
http://www.cga.edu
http://www.usmma.edu/admissions/
http://academyadmissions.com/