4 answers
Jorden
Student
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What flight school should I go to?
I want to know what flight school would be best. I am thinking about going to high school to flight school in the army is that a good chose? And could I get some advice? #military
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4 answers
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Firefighter Training Officer / EMT
83
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
I attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Florida, and completed Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) there. I did not choose to pursue a flying career, but most of my peers did. ERAU AFROTC is frequently ranked as the #1 (large) AFROTC program in the country. ERAU has been ranked the #1 Aeronautical Engineering School for something like 14 straight years. When I was there, and I believe this past semester as well, 96+% of seniors that wanted pilot slots got them.
There are a few catches.
1) It's very competitive. Day 1 my class had about 200 cadets...four years later, 26 of us graduated. You better be on your A-game, physically, academically, and mentally.
2) Embry-Riddle is a very expensive. ROTC scholarships are available, though the majority are "in-college" scholarships, meaning you'd need to commit, pay for, and complete a year or two before even being eligible.
3) As you'll learn in ROTC, you're training to be an officer first, and a pilot second. There are no guarantees you'll become a pilot after graduating, and even if you do get a slot, you also have to compete for your airframe. So. if you're dead-set on flying a fighter jet, you better be prepared for the fact you may be assigned to fly a cargo plane.
An alternate plan would be to find a local community college with a flight program, or other flight school. Earn some basic certificates (private pilot, instrument, commercial, etc.). This allows you to get some flight experience, make sure you want to be a pilot, and complete some of your education cheaper than a university. Then later on, you can transfer into a university, and either enroll in ROTC then, or complete your bachelors degree on your own. Then, if you still want to fly for the military, you can try to find an Air Guard or AF Reserve unit that will hire you and send you to Officer Training School. The advantage there is that you can choose your airframe...if you don't want to fly jet fighters, just don't apply to fighter units.
Happy to answer more specific questions about ERAU or the USAF if you have them. Good luck.
There are a few catches.
1) It's very competitive. Day 1 my class had about 200 cadets...four years later, 26 of us graduated. You better be on your A-game, physically, academically, and mentally.
2) Embry-Riddle is a very expensive. ROTC scholarships are available, though the majority are "in-college" scholarships, meaning you'd need to commit, pay for, and complete a year or two before even being eligible.
3) As you'll learn in ROTC, you're training to be an officer first, and a pilot second. There are no guarantees you'll become a pilot after graduating, and even if you do get a slot, you also have to compete for your airframe. So. if you're dead-set on flying a fighter jet, you better be prepared for the fact you may be assigned to fly a cargo plane.
An alternate plan would be to find a local community college with a flight program, or other flight school. Earn some basic certificates (private pilot, instrument, commercial, etc.). This allows you to get some flight experience, make sure you want to be a pilot, and complete some of your education cheaper than a university. Then later on, you can transfer into a university, and either enroll in ROTC then, or complete your bachelors degree on your own. Then, if you still want to fly for the military, you can try to find an Air Guard or AF Reserve unit that will hire you and send you to Officer Training School. The advantage there is that you can choose your airframe...if you don't want to fly jet fighters, just don't apply to fighter units.
Happy to answer more specific questions about ERAU or the USAF if you have them. Good luck.
William Collier
Flight Engineer
3
Answers
Minot, North Dakota
Updated
William’s Answer
So to be a pilot in the Army you need to be a Warrant Officer or a commissioned Officer. If you end being a back ended on a helicopter you also must also train to do the maintenance for the aircraft. While if you join the Air Force an enlist you can do several different aircrew jobs. But once again if you want to be a pilot you have to go to school and become a commissioned Officer.
It comes down to what aircraft you want to fly on, as well what branch of the military you prefer.
It comes down to what aircraft you want to fly on, as well what branch of the military you prefer.
Scott Christopher
Senior Support Engineer 2
1
Answer
Austin, Texas
Updated
Scott’s Answer
Ex ARMY here, I had joined specifically to become a helicopter pilot. Ended up in a different field.
It is extremely difficult to become a pilot in the ARMY without college prior to going in or previous flight school experience. You cannot become a pilot in the ARMY without either being an officer which requires college or a Warrant officer. If you want to go the WO route then ensure you do get at least a private pilots license before going in which circles back to your question about flight school. There really isn't any specific flight school you need to attend, you'll just want to get actual flight experience and be able to pass the ARMY flight aptitude test.
I'd also highly recommend getting the new Microsoft flight simulator game coming out soon. While it won't give you real flight experience it gets you familiar with the instruments and terminology that should help you prepare for flight school.
I will caution you on guidance from recruiters. Their job is to get you in the ARMY and as such they will make lots of promises. Take those with a grain of salt and focus instead of finding people that were actually in the ARMY and even better actual pilots in the ARMY.
This article may also help you a bit: https://study.com/articles/Become_an_Army_Pilot_Education_and_Career_Roadmap.html
It is extremely difficult to become a pilot in the ARMY without college prior to going in or previous flight school experience. You cannot become a pilot in the ARMY without either being an officer which requires college or a Warrant officer. If you want to go the WO route then ensure you do get at least a private pilots license before going in which circles back to your question about flight school. There really isn't any specific flight school you need to attend, you'll just want to get actual flight experience and be able to pass the ARMY flight aptitude test.
I'd also highly recommend getting the new Microsoft flight simulator game coming out soon. While it won't give you real flight experience it gets you familiar with the instruments and terminology that should help you prepare for flight school.
I will caution you on guidance from recruiters. Their job is to get you in the ARMY and as such they will make lots of promises. Take those with a grain of salt and focus instead of finding people that were actually in the ARMY and even better actual pilots in the ARMY.
This article may also help you a bit: https://study.com/articles/Become_an_Army_Pilot_Education_and_Career_Roadmap.html
Autumn Openshaw
Reliability Analyst
1
Answer
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Autumn’s Answer
If you are interested in joining one of the Armed Forces, I would recommend looking into ROTC programs. They let you build rank while you're in school. Also, if you do get to fly for the Military, they pay for it. Which will save you a lot of money. However, if you want to test the waters with a flight school, I would recommend looking into each school's safety record and scholarship programs. Flying is expensive, but there are a lot of get scholarship opportunities out there that can help.