How to Become a USAF Pilot

Air Force Pilot Training

Becoming an Air Force pilot is tough. There are two steps: getting accepted to pilot training, and completing the training. Neither is easy. There are three possible ways for you to get accepted to pilot training. All three require you to become an officer.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Get accepted to the Air Force Academy. Four years at USAFA isn't much fun, but it is a guaranteed ticket to a pilot slot. All academy cadets who pass a flight physical and want to become pilots get pilot slots. It is a huge perk for attending USAFA. Every year, the Air Force determines the total number of pilot slots it needs, and the Academy automatically gets as many slots as they have qualified cadets.

2. Join the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. If you haven't graduated college, and don't attend USAFA, you can join the AFROTC program at your school. AFROTC is easier to get into than the Academy, but pilot slots are much tougher to get.

   Pilot training slots left over after the Academy cadets fill theirs are allotted to AFROTC and Officer Training School. AFROTC candidates who are physically qualified to become pilots, but miss the cut, become navigator selectees instead.

   The things that will make you competitive against the other ROTC cadets are a high rating from your ROTC commander, a high college GPA, a technical major, scores of 80 or higher on the pilot and navigator scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, and already possessing a private pilot's license with lots of flight hours.

3. Join Officer Training School (OTS). If you already have a college degree, the best option for you is OTS. Apply through the nearest OTS recruiter and you will compete against other candidates for the pilot slots allotted to OTS that year. Admission to Air Force OTS is itself competitive, so grades, a technical major and a strong interview will be very important.

   A good interview with your OTS recruiter will make you more competitive for a pilot training slot. Like AFROTC, you should also have a high college GPA, a technical major, high pilot and navigator scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (80 or higher), and lots of flight hours.

   Note that it isn't required to have flight hours to become a pilot. It just makes you a bit more competitive.

4. Complete pilot training. Undergraduate Pilot Training is 15 months worth of 12 hour days. It is much tougher than college, and faster paced. You need solid study skills, which is why the Air Force likes to recruit good students from difficult majors.

   You will choose either the fighter or the heavy track about a third of the way through the training based on your performance and preferences. Later, you will be chosen for your aircraft based on what's available, your class rank, and your preference, in that order.

5. Complete the additional training requirements. Once UPT is complete, you get your wings. You will then attend survival and resistance training, water survival, Introductory Fighter Training if you are a future fighter pilot, Initial Qualification Training in your airframe, and Mission Qualification Training.

   Once you finish all that training, you are officially a fully qualified Air Force pilot. The whole procedure usually takes about three years from the date you get commissioned, depending on which aircraft you fly.

Tips & Warnings

• It is tough to guess at your odds of getting a pilot slot through ROTC or OTS because it will vary every year based on the number of slots vs. the number of candidates.

References

• Base Ops: USAF Pilot Training FAQs