Air Force Pilot

<p>I think there might be certain aircraft that have modified limits. (You might be limited to larger cockpit aircraft if you are near the height limit for pilots.)</p>

<p>In the F-16 the seat moves up and down, I have tall friends who move it all the way down and still bang their head on the canopy. The taller you are the your G-LOC tolerance is lower. It is an advantage to be short to fly fighters.</p>

<p>A guy that was in my F-16 RTU class back in the stone ages, ejected out of a jet and screwed up his neck, later on it had to be fused and he is now DNIF. He is 6'4 the lanky build didn't help. Short, bulky and with a thick neck to well in 9 Gs.</p>

<p>"As far as height goes, I think you are good as long as you can reach the pedals."</p>

<p>haha, don't even get me started. :) As long as you're between 5'4" and 6'5", you're golden.</p>

<p>There are also min/max sitting heights you must fall between.</p>

<p>lol, on the topic of sitting height. I'm 5'11" but my sitting height was 1 inch above the minimum!</p>

<p>Also on that same topic, I made the sitting height by almost an inch... BUT I made the standing height by barely a tenth of an inch. ;)</p>

<p>Uncynical, what do you want to fly? I was 6'2 overall on the height and I think 36 on the sitting, sound good?</p>

<p>I'm not sure exactly what I want to fly. I'll just do as well as I can in pilot training and see what my options are. I start pilot training in July 07.</p>

<p>According to <a href="http://academyadmissions.com/admissions/eligibility/medical/pilot_navigator.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://academyadmissions.com/admissions/eligibility/medical/pilot_navigator.php&lt;/a> :
"HEIGHT STANDARDS</p>

<p>Standing Height
64 inches minimum to 77 inches maximum for both pilot and navigator qualification.</p>

<p>Sitting Height
34 inches minimum (pilot) and 33 inches minimum (navigator) to 40 inches maximum (both), measured while sitting erect, the distance from top of head to chair seat."</p>

<p>Just somethin kinda funny, I can be a pilot in every service, except the Air Force, due to my sitting height it is the only service I am not fully qualified for. Sadly I believe I am going to be withdrawling my application due to this because I have recieved an appointment to the Coast Guard Academy and still have to hear from Navy.</p>

<p>what jobs besides pilot are there in the air force? and if there are many jobs, is it possible to have a long and successful career in them?</p>

<p>Sure. There is personnel, missile, aquisiton, finance, communications, medical, nursing, CRO/STO, etc etc. There are plenty of jobs and most can have a long and successful career as long as YOU put the effort in.</p>

<p>I'm going to bring this topic back up because I saw a few things wrong with it. I wouldn't necessarily say the USAFA or ROTC is right or wrong. It depends on the person; if I get into UM and get an AFROTC scholarship, I will be taking that over an USAFA slot. Different strokes for different folks.</p>

<p>Next, because you go to the USAFA doesn't make UPT any easier. I've also read it that USAFA cadets don't know how to take care of themselves when they leave the academy because they have been "mothered".</p>

<p>Also, saying that you get more flying time at the USAFA is false. You can get much more stick time during ROTC then at the USAFA. At ROTC you have a life and you can live it as you choose. If I want to take out a 172 for the whole week I can, can USAFA cadets? One reason I am leading towards ROTC is because the amount of flying that I will be able to do versus going to the academy. I will complete my PPL on my 17th birthday, and hopefully my glider and IR by the summer time, and close to my Comm. on my 18th birthday.</p>

<p>Finally, statistically, I read somewhere that more fighter pilots come out of ROTC and OTS (I will look for the survey) than at the USAFA. I'm not really sure why, but go over to Baseops and you will notice that most of the fighter pilots over there went the ROTC route. Yes, it may be easier to get a slot through the USAFA but it isn't like 10,000:500 like someone mentioned for ROTC. It's something like 1,000 or 1,500 ROTC cadets that want to be pilots, and that's including people who don't even stand a chance.</p>

<p>So, look at both sides of commisioning sources before you judge.</p>

<p>Joshrk we already let this go. They are different, and the debate is neverending. Relax. </p>

<p>My friend at USAFA has his PPL and goes flying in gliders and powered craft during the week at the airfield at discounted prices. </p>

<p>USAFA only produces 20% of commissioned officers for the AF each year, so its no surprise ROTC has more fighter pilots.</p>

<p>Yes, the point was that the perecentage of candidates per number of slots available is higher at the AFA. That's simply the way the numbers work out. The number of actual pilots is, as you say, tilted toward ROTC but your odds are not as high given the number of people competing for each slot. Your point about looking at both sides of commisioning sources is a good one. Both are commendable, viable options to consider. And both are not suitable for everyone. </p>

<p>I did laugh and have to comment on the "mothering" point. I am impressed with my sons's new-found confidence in everything from ironing shirts, to understanding personal finance (at least being more interested and aware of it) and organizational skills that are off the charts. He's dealt with insurance companies, car rental companies, flight arrangements (both military and civilian), etc. without any help and with the initative I guess I might expect from an officer (in training) in the Air Force. With two kids in college and one at the academy, I assure you that's not a distinction you should take seriously. Any current 4-digs care to comment?</p>

<p>I have also dealt with insurance, credit cards, ironing ;), flights, travel elsewhere than home, etc. without any help from home. The firehose method helps with the learning curve. So yes, I see myself able to take care of more than my friends at home in college do.</p>

<p>Did I forget to mention doing his own taxes since he's on a salary and no longer a dependent on Dad's return? ;)</p>

<p>hypothetical question, what service would be a better choice if one were to pursue a pilot career? naval or air force, and why.</p>

<p>falconhopeful06
02-17-2005, 10:03 PM
I have a question that's been nagging me lately...How many pilot commisions are give to those in ROTC? I've always believed it's significantly less than USAFA...but that was an assumption. I've been reading some stuff that infers there might be an equal number?? If anyone can help me flush out my ignorance..it'd be appreciated.</p>

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<p>docfrance
02-19-2005, 06:26 AM
USAFA gets 50% of ALL pilot training slots each year (~1100 total per year right now go to UPT from all sources. The rest are split between AFROTC and OTS. AFROTC gets the lion's share (over 90%) of those remaining. 20% of all new 2Lts are Academy grads (~925 per year). These days at least 70% are AFROTC and OTS is less than 10%. You do the math to determine where your chances are better... Virtually ALL physically qualified USAFA grads who want pilot trng get it.</p>