About Fighter Pilots
Fighter pilots are an elite corps. Only those at the top of their college class will be considered for flight school, and only those at the top of their class in flight school will be chosen to be a fighter pilot. Many accepted for training do not make it through flight school. The curriculum is very difficult and the hours are demanding. Those who do not show that they can handle stressful situations and achieve excellent marks, will not graduate. Those who do have a bright future ahead of them in the military.
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History
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The first fighter pilots were in the Army during World War I; the Army Air Corps was founded in 1926. The Navy bought its first plane in 1910. The planes they flew were a far cry from the planes of today, but they were the ground breakers. The Army Air Corps became the U.S. Air Force by an Act of Congress in 1947, creating a new and independent branch of the service. The first planes used by the new Air Force were ones from WW II like the P-38, C-54 Skymaster, C-47 Skytrain, B-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress.
Qualifications
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Before you can be considered a candidate to become a fighter pilot, you need to complete officer training. A high school student thinking about becoming a fighter pilot should join the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and continue in ROTC through college. Those who have enlisted in the military should apply to OCS--Officer Candidate School. To get into OCS, you have to have a college degree. It is open to civilians as well as enlisted personnel. Then there are the military academies. You have to be nominated by your congressman and have a GPA of at least 3.8, SAT score of 1300 with 1050 for verbal and math. The more extracurricular activities you were in, especially sports, the better your chance for admission.
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Education
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Once you are a commissioned officer in the Navy or Air Force, you can apply to pilot school. The application is very thorough and the information you give will be verified by the FBI. You will have to pass both academic and psychological tests to be considered. If you pass these tests, you will then have to receive a physical exam. If you make it to flight school, you will be studying meteorology, aeronautic theory, principles of flight and other aviation subjects. You will also spend time in a flight simulator and in actual aircrafts. It will be stressful, but if you cannot handle stress, you would not make a good fighter pilot. If you make it through the year-long course, you get your wings. Even if you get your wings, there is no guarantee you will be assigned to a fighter jet. You could be assigned to a different type of flying. The top of the class are those chosen to become fighter pilots.
Duties
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A fighter pilot gets to fly the most advanced jet planes in the world under the most difficult of conditions, defending and protecting ground troops in battle. If you are a Navy pilot, you will spend some time on an air craft carrier. Part of your day will be spent practicing landing on deck. All pilots will spend time learning about the new advances in aerodynamics and about any new types of planes. Education never ends for a fighter pilot. If you are in a combat situation, there will be daily meetings to go over flight plans and review any new information about the enemy. On days when you are flying, you will have to inspect the plane before takeoff and again after landing. Each inspection will take between 1 ½ and 2 hours.
Considerations
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You cannot be a fighter pilot forever, but fighter pilots can go on to rise in rank and become a commander not only of a squadron, but a base or aircraft carrier. They can also become instructors. If they choose to leave the military, they can have a future with commercial airlines.
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