God bless our US Air Force Pilots. My son flew T6s, T38s, T1, and now flies the C17. May God protect you all and bring you home safe after every mission!
@@HasardLee Hello, I also want to be a fighter pilot but the truth is, I don't really know how to be, I plan to study aviation before going to AF , I don't know how to be a fighter pilot or how to move between AF I don't know if I have to take the academy or ROTC or OTC or Air National Guard , I dont know, maybe you could tell me the best way or advice
It’s all in the mind. When I started my PPL(A) it was 20 of us. At the end it was just 3 of us. It’s not so hard to learn if you love something. You absorb knowledge like a sponge.
The first time I flew a 152 my instructor was surprised I took off,flew,and landed and he must of asked me a dozen times if I've flown before...Once we got in to departure stalls and spin recovery I said I quit,sorry I'm not doing that shit without an ejection seat,sorry...I was only 15 and I was thinking I'm not going to die in some little underpowered, in maneuverable shit box...I'd rather learn in a jet fighter thank you..I will bet my life it is a lot easier to learn to fly a fighter than it is a 172 or 152..Just like I could drive a corvette easier than a ford Taurus..
But you also have to go in there and play like a champ there’s a very small chance you’ll get selected especially in the US airforce you just gotta keep that in mind
@@tillywilly7872 he has about 30%-35% odds on average. Better if he lands in a class that graduates at a time when there are more fighter slots open. But no real way to control that unless you’re connected with some high level general.
You have to be so blessed to be born in usa and do all This.... That was my dream, but in Brazil Air force is a ilusion. Good luck for all the guys who dream to be a fighter pilot, be thankfull from your country!
Hazard said if you dont make it, you're pretty much done. No pressure gentlemen. Remember, you only have one life to live so live it with no regrets and give it all you got.
Reported to JBSA Randolph in March to be apart of UPT 2.5. Still went to Doss however between that and T6 (14 Dec) they have our class out with a civilian company and we’re training on Cessna 172s all the way up to instrument rating before hopping in a T6. Also, supposedly we’re going T6 to wings. Crazy how much is changing but I am beyond blessed to be apart of the spear head. Hoping for Strike Eagles!
I just got to vance and waiting for my class start (unknown still) do you have any advice on what someone should be doing while they wait around? Great video keep it up man thank you!
get a few flights in something like a Cessna, if you haven't already. Take an IFR ground course. Automate your bills, etc so you can 100% focus when it starts. Good luck, I went through Vance
I'm 20, I bought a pa-28 when I was 19 I have my commercial will be getting my B.S. in aeronautical science from LU within the next year; as a student pilot my first steep turn was +/- 0 never had an issue I can hold a steep turn in IMC +/-0 at 45 and 60 degrees. I was in the army reserve for a year and a half as a cargo specialist, got a discharge to change branches to the AF since I could not get mine in time to go to the AF academy after presented the opportunity. My asvab was 84 and officer score 118 on the Army's rubric. High school grades 4.0 top 10% of class varsity soccer player 4 years. Currently College grades are 3.5 and I play semi pro soccer my fitness is 1mile 5:00 flat and 2 miles 11:30, I also plan on possibly joining the civil air patrol soon to build time. However I am in the process of changing branches at the moment. I have perfect health and vision as well, What really are my chances?
I wanna fly a f35 but not a big fan of shaving. I look and feel better with some scruff. I feel look good feel good fly good fight good . I noticed air force came out with full over the head helmet. We’ll see what happens
I know the needs of the AF comes before a lot, but what are the odds of selecting an A-10 out of UPT? I know each class is different but do you think I’ll have a better chance going guard or AD with the aspirations of flying A-10’s ?
I know you commented this over a year ago but I got some advice if you still need it. If you want to guarantee what aircraft you’ll be flying going guard is probably the better option, when you go guard you’re applying for a specific base, so you can find out what bases have which aircrafts. For example Gowen Field in Boise, ID has A-10’s so if you were to apply there that’s what you’d be flying
Maybe you've done this already but I would really like to hear you talk specifically about g-force training. It seems so instense. I would guess thats where alot of people wash out.
Luke AFB! I feel like I recognize you! But I’ve met so many pilots perhaps I’m mixing you for someone else haha! I worked in administration in the 309th Fighter SQ 2016/2017. Were you there at that time? 🤔
Are you with the Tigers squadron at Shar Air Force Base? My stepfather was with the 77th gamblers for quite a while when I was younger. Are used to love getting to go to work with him once in a while when I would visit
I got to tell you I'm not knocking the Air Force and it was a different time for me, but the recruiter just outright lied and maybe I didn't have what it took to be a fighter jock but he took that chance away by misleading me. I was learning to fly at age 16 out of a crop-duster field with a former Navy pilot in a Cherokee140 had a ditch on one end and a huge oak tree on the other and this guy told me I had what it takes to be a great pilot.I loved flying from a very early age, I only wanted planes to play with built many model planes and watched the skies every time a plane was around, even after the Air Force I continued learning to fly but my dream of becoming an Air Force pilot got shot down before it ever began! I'm not over that and probably never will be it still stings to this very day! I know that sounds ridiculous and I'm sure it is but some things you just can't forget, I went on with my life and continued to fly on and off over the years but never in a professional way.Sometimes I think I was born at the wrong time in life, there wasn't a wealth of information available at my finger tips like today, and believe me I read my ass off in those days from Flying magazine to the Encyclopedia and any other books on flying I was really trying, also it didn't help that a parent wasn't all that great at seeing that I got to make my dreams come true, but that's a whole other story! Glad you got to take that ride! I don't envy anyone who's successful in their goals! Sorry for the rant not looking for pity or anything just venting and hoping that others take steps to avoid being mislead in life by people only looking out for themselves, people like that recruiter don't realize the damage they do to people that can last a lifetime and usually don't suffer any consequences for their actions!
IMO a turbo prop T-6 with the avionics upgrade and Sim time ain't going to cut it. The current T-38C upgraded trainer and its sister the 1970's Northrop F-5E/F are genuine fighter planes. The Navy bought a bunch of exceptionally well maintained low flight time/high G-load wing F-5Es from Switzerland for use as Top Gun Adversary fighters. In the hands of a very good pilot they can be impossible to see until they are in your six with an Aim-9 lock. IMO the Air Force could do well to keep every T-38 it has in good flying condition as a stepping stone to at the F-35A. If the Boeing T-7A trainer proves to be worthy- after the inevitable teething stage - then the AF can think of gifting the T-38s to the Flight Museums.
Hello I just want to say thank you for your service for one and also that I am in Det 890 day wing at LU and my major is military aeronautics. Is there any suggestions that you would have for people that are going through the college route and then going to officer trading? And also what would you recommend to be the best way to prepare for field training?
T-38's....isn't that what they keep for the fighter pilot/test pilot astronauts when they wan to do some flying? Man, I'd love some aerobatics in that plane...
I have a question, if you are taken out of the Fighter Pilot training if you are seen to be unfit can you go again? Or are you stuck with flying something different?
Can foreign nationals who has green card or recent acquirers of US Citizenship join the US Air force Academy and become Officer pilots ? And what is the Age limit ?
I am gonna go to high-school this sept and I would do anything to serve America (USA or CANADA)’s Air Force and If there’s anyone out there with experience want to tell me anything that can help me succeed please tell me in the comments.
Are you national guard or active duty? And in your opinion which is easier to become a fighter pilot in? I’m assuming national guard because there’s different squadrons you can apply to, but the con is that it’s part time until you’re deployed.
Try through the National Guard. You are guaranteed the slot in that aircraft if you are accepted. Once you are in that aircraft most Guard and reserve have a ton of full-time or next to full-time equivalent jobs and then you can also apply to go back to duty on top of that.
Sir I'm 22 and indian , i hope to go to USA and try being a naturalised citizen n give the tests . And Does the marines also fly fighter jets? And another question sir , what's the salary difference in guards and active fighter pilots? Incase i chose guards... can i switch from guards to active later while in duty ? What according to u shd be my best route sir plz kindly help ❤️🙏🏻
I have a question, I'm not that strong with maths like "book maths",so basically I'm asking what sort of maths is used by pilots in the air and on the ground?
In the air, we use something called "That sounds about right". I didnt learn that until I was flying the T6. Math is SUPER easy in the air.. we have charts. you just gotta learn how to read it and fly at the same time. (Also know how to do it without charts because if your IP asks you to, you better know how to come up with the numbers)... But in terms of the tests prior to entering.. Its basically Algebra.
Computers do pretty much everything these days,flying a fighter jet is a piece of cake compared to decades ago..I bet that f-35 fly's itself,basically cause younger generations are getting dumber and dumber so planes have to get smarter and basically fly themselves, that's why planes will be unmanned in the near future...
It's my understanding that a great percentage of fighter pilots (and pilots in general ) are out of the Academy and civilian college graduates are not held in the level.
50 percent of slots go to the Academy, 50 percent to ROTC. Either way, the Academy is a joke of an academic institution. Your collegiate background has no bearing on your performance and track in pilot training.
@@gabrielwilliams5387 ROTC has a larger body of students from which to compete against, but if you're academically qualified, and you do well on the AFOQT, TBAS, etc, you can get a pilot slot with any degree. The Academy's academic programs are rife with culture that encourages cheating and egregious gamesmanship to play the system and your fellow cadets, as well as grossly incompetent leadership. I'm surprised it hasn't been discredited as an institution yet. Go to a real college and go ROTC if you want to go Active Duty, or rush a Guard/Reserve Unit. The latter will allow you to pick the units that fly the planes you wanna fly. It's not a gaurentee, mind you, but you get to choose who to apply to.
@@TheAlmostHarmless ok thank you so much. I have a question! Do you think The Citadel or VMI is a better academy. My 3 school choices are Air Force academy, VMI, or the Citadel. I’m not sure which one to choose! Also I’m a basketball player and I will be playing basketball at either school! Thank you for the help🙏🏾
@@gabrielwilliams5387 All of the service academy's are filled with fuck-fuck games. If you're trying to avoid paying for school, full ride ROTC scholarships exist to every school that has a program. I would look into applying for those for sure. Academies (service or private) tend to deprive you of normal development towards adulthood by way of over-controlling of your life, and forcing you to survive the system rather than growing as a person. That's not to say every student I had out of the academy was a dingus, only that a higher proportion of academy kids were dinguses compared to ROTC or Guard/Reserve students
When you get to UPT you are the same as everyone else in your class until you start flying. Do good in the cockpit and be a good wingman on the ground.
It all depends on your Aviation Medical Exams, You need to pass those to become a pilot. So basically not it does not. As long as you are proven and stuff like that to not be affected at all by a depression that has not affected it for years. So overall, Yes its completely possible. Just gotta pass Medical Flight exams or whatever they are called. (I am in a different country) So they are called different things
@@wibba5558 dude if going mach 1 plus in a top of the line fighter doing fun ass maneuvers all the time doesn't cure depression ,then you got serious issues...
If you wanna be a fighter pilot, stop growing, at a certain height, not too sure what exactly, you become too tall so cant fly, I met someone who was 6'7" and they were going to be a pilot but were too tall, so they had to apply to infantry instead (RAF Regiment) (I'm from UK so may be slightly different to US, but I doubt it will be too much different since we both fly F-35
I am 24 years old, enlisted with the Air National Guard in aircraft armament systems. I initially wanted to be a crew cheif but they were full. My goal is to gain my 4 year degree, serve par-time, and hopefully get a pilot slot in the future. It might be a longshot but I think it's worth a try. I'll be working with f16s with the 149th at San Antonio. Any thoughts what I should do instead? Thank you.
Sounds like you have a good plan already. A lot of guard pilots start out enlisted. That way they can see if you're the right fit. Talk to a few of the pilots there and they'll let you know the best path. Good luck
Have a few questions for you. I’m already in the military (Army), who would I go talk to about switching over once my contract is up. Also I already have 117 college credit hours so what would be my next step. Are you guaranteed a pilot slot when you join?
Did they really killed themselves because I really, really plan on enlisting as a fighter pilot?You scared me when you said they killed themselves tryin to fly that plane.
You cant be a pilot without a Bachelors degree and without being selected to be a 92T0 (pilot select). Its not an enlisted position. You have to commission. Yes people die in training accidents. Had someone I know unfortunately pass this past Nov at Vance AFB.
You don't have to have any specific degree to be an officer. Just any bachelors degree. I was an electrical engineer. Some of my bros had degrees in basket weaving.
@@revvingnoodle7192 You have to make incremental goals. There are tons of scholarships for financial assistance to thousands of colleges. The Air Force also does collegiate scholarships. You have to look for them to make it happen.
@@TheAlmostHarmless as somekne who has to rely on the bit bite promo from 711 of a drink and a hot dog for 2$, that may take a while, the only thing i do have in spades is time and patience
Thanks for this video! I really want to be a fighter pilot! I'm currently in the Civil Air Patrol and I'm hoping to go to the glider academy. Would going to the glider academy increase my chance of going to the USAFA?
Get your Mitchell (and Spaatz) if possible, that’ll really help your candidate application. Keep in mind there is also AFROTC as a route to commissioning. Glider academy doesn’t really help much but do get flight hours in college to help with your PCSM scores for pilot selection.
I'm an aspiring future fighter pilot and I am planning on joining the Air Force as a crew chief and go to school with the mindset of becoming a fighter pilot however if I become a pilot in general I'll be happy.
I am a Guard guy, so if you are joining the Air Guard I strongly suggest that route, if you have your sights set on active duty, it is a 180 and id steer clear of an enlisted job, especially one in maintenance or security forces. They are usually really busy and you might not have adequate study time.
That is incredible hearing that. My dad was a P51D Mustang fighter pilot in WW2. He said he trained on the old bi planes then on the Harvard trainer AT6 then onto the Mustang and Thunderbolt at Luke Field in Arizona now Luke airforce base. I guess he had to be the best to qualify to get to fly fighters as well.
I been interested in flying all my life, I did a summer camp, flying gliders during corona. I was just a highschooler at the time, and I was proud to be one of the three people to be allowed to fly solo first, along with two dudes who were in the Lufthansa academy, who were only there because their flight school was on a stand still during the pandemic. I am confident, I can do it, when it comes to IFT all the way to earning my wings, but I need to find out how to get there in the first place. I live in Germany, and am currently still a citizen here, I do not have the nicest past, didn t do that great in school so far, as I lack interest for most subjects. I mean I do pretty well in certain classes but straight up fail classes I can afford to fail *cough* musical arts.. I just want a ticket to IFT somehow man. That's what I want.
Go Navy. More opportunities to cross train to another airframe after your first tour if you dont get Tac air, better bases, better culture. Trust me. Im flying out of NAS North Island, San Diego
@@Flyboymitchell0917 Better bases CONUS? Yeah, not too many land-locked or remote NASs outside of Fallon and China Lake. Almost everything is on a coast, which means nice geography and outdoor activities, if you don't mind sacrificing personal safety freedoms that are supposed to be protected (2A, with FL being the exception). OCONUS is a totally different story. There are far more USAF fighter squadrons in Korea, Japan, Italy, and UK of course. USN/USMC basically has Iwakuni, Japan. USAF also has Alaska. If you're in a fighter unit that rotates through carrier deployments, there's a lot of floating prison time while just trying to maintain carrier ops proficiency and not a lot of tactics. In USAF fighter squadrons, they're very tactics-focused around the clock. USAF is more of a corporate, safety-focused culture, unlike its cutthroat, war-focused culture from the Cold War. USN is more of a "get it done however you need to" culture being converted to a corporate safety culture. Was far more cutthroat during the Cold War. An interesting thing for me to watch is how the Navy has stopped openly-reporting its accident/mishap rates lately. Both services are undergoing massive changes in leadership (millennials), technology (5th Gen, net-centric), and re-thinking of organizational structures moving forward. USMC is undergoing the same with more adaptability to change since they're smaller. F-35B and net-centric warfare have turned the USMC into something different. F-35A has also changed the former F-16C strike/SEAD dominant community into something entirely different, while F-35C is doing the same in the Navy. F-35C brings Fleet Air Defense capabilities the D Tomcat couldn't even dream of, along with networked ASW, so there are pointy nose mission sets opening up that never existed for Tomcats or Shornets. USAF pointy nose communities will be Raptors, F-35A, F-16C+ (AESA, New data links, EW), F-15Es with emerging 6th Gen. Not sure how F-15EX will pan out but they're slated to replace CONUS F-15Cs. USN pointy nose will be a mix of Super Hornets brought up to Block III standard, F-35Cs, and EA-18Gs. USMC will be F-35Bs and F-35Cs once the last Harriers and Hornets are retired over the next few years. Not sure how average annual flight hours compare anymore. They've been all over the map. I think you'll get the most flight hours in a USAF F-35A or F-16C Blk 50/52+ squadron based on availability rates. USMC & USAF operational F-35 squadrons have done deployments with years of missions now since 2018, starting with USMC off the Essex in the Red Sea. 388th & 419th TFW out of Hill AFB regularly deploy squadrons through the Middle East, Red Flag, and PACOM. The 3 JSF variants, Super Hornet Blk III, and F-15EX all have large glass panel display cockpits. JSF have the advanced HMDS helmet with fused spherical SA from a multitude of IR and RF sensors, so even in bad weather, the JSF are the safest to fly. You have a real view of the horizon no matter the conditions, day/night, and don't have to swap JHMCS and NODs at night like in the SH, F-16C, F-15E. F-22A is getting its own low profile Helmet Display that is compatible with NODs because JHMCS won't fit within its canopy profile. If it were me, I'd be shooting for USAF F-35A units. Far more airframes, more "up" birds, more deployments, more mission profiles to train for. Going for Vipers would be great too because you'd get to be part of the last generation of Viper drivers. They're one of the more difficult birds to aerial-refuel in though because of drag from external stores and little wings, not enough power in mil to cruise at altitude with the tankers. Avg flight time per sortie is less in a Viper due to fuel, whereas F-35A lasts longer than Mudhens.
I remember when Luke AFB was training F-15E pilots back in the 90s. I used to go out to the flight line and watch the day-to-day operations. I even got to fly the F-15E simulator around a virtual Phoenix. Of course I crashed. Good times. I was at Luke about 2 years ago for a friend's retirement and, WOW, that base has changed.
Were the people who washed out of the Intro to fighter fundamentals course given a second chance at flying tankers/transports/special mission aircraft? Or were they re-assigned to a non-flying job?
Going to be heading to Vance in February to await my IFT start date and ultimately going through the new UPT 2.5 program. Is there any advice you have for someone about to start their journey through training?
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING JOINING THE AIRFORCE TO FLY, DO NOT ENLIST!!! GET A DEGREE, GO TO THE ACADAMY BUT DO NOT ENLIST!!! The Air Force makes it insanely difficult to commission as an enlisted member even when you have a degree. But then the officers will still look down on you like you're some peasant even though you're probably more intelligent than them.
Hey I graduated with a degree from a T50 Law school and just turned 26. Studying/grinding is no problem. Is it realistic to be a USAF pilot? To be a fighter pilot?
If I do my best guessing, I'd say we were pretty close in age.. I watched a video of yours where you where training in the centrifuge, and the date in the video is a date that I will remember until the day I die because it was a day I fucked up my life for a few years.. I wish like hell I could have known any other path than the one I did, but it just makes me have even more respect for all you guys that work to get where you are. Awesome video man, keep em' coming!
Greetings from Poland F-16 Pilot !, how do you find the bvr aspect of f16 vs f35, in the f 16 we have to point the radar in the area where the bad guys are, it's very confusing sometimes, is the situatiinal awerness increased somehow in the f 35 ?
Hey, my dream is to become a fighterpilot in the Swedish airforce but i'm alittle bit woried cause i have maybe some bad lungs the doctors don't really know what it is. they classify it as asthma but I know I do not have asthma so it is quite difficult if they classify it as asthma if they do not know what it is. because with asthma you can not become a fighter pilot 😔
God bless our US Air Force Pilots. My son flew T6s, T38s, T1, and now flies the C17. May God protect you all and bring you home safe after every mission!
Which god are you talking about? Asking for a friend
@@rbeforme stfu
@@nfrsfury3214 Never heard of that god
@@rbeforme smart ass
@@rbeforme Redditor detected
What separates the top guys from the rest? Is it more academic or a natural flying ability? Maybe a combination of both?
It's a combination of all things. The big separation is mental toughness though.
@@HasardLee Hello, I also want to be a fighter pilot but the truth is, I don't really know how to be, I plan to study aviation before going to AF , I don't know how to be a fighter pilot or how to move between AF I don't know if I have to take the academy or ROTC or OTC or Air National Guard , I dont know, maybe you could tell me the best way or advice
@@user-qk4br9vp3y I'm in the same situation man.
It’s all in the mind. When I started my PPL(A) it was 20 of us. At the end it was just 3 of us. It’s not so hard to learn if you love something. You absorb knowledge like a sponge.
The first time I flew a 152 my instructor was surprised I took off,flew,and landed and he must of asked me a dozen times if I've flown before...Once we got in to departure stalls and spin recovery I said I quit,sorry I'm not doing that shit without an ejection seat,sorry...I was only 15 and I was thinking I'm not going to die in some little underpowered, in maneuverable shit box...I'd rather learn in a jet fighter thank you..I will bet my life it is a lot easier to learn to fly a fighter than it is a 172 or 152..Just like I could drive a corvette easier than a ford Taurus..
I can't imagine flying the F-16 for the first time. That must be a great day.
Imagine it bro
I couldn’t imagine going from T-6 straight to F-35. Great vid, thanks for posting
F35 is actually really easy to fly compared to the t6
I really hope to fly with you one day. Becoming a Fighter Pilot is my dream, and I will be relentless in achieving it!
But you also have to go in there and play like a champ there’s a very small chance you’ll get selected especially in the US airforce you just gotta keep that in mind
@@tillywilly7872 he has about 30%-35% odds on average. Better if he lands in a class that graduates at a time when there are more fighter slots open. But no real way to control that unless you’re connected with some high level general.
You have to be so blessed to be born in usa and do all This....
That was my dream, but in Brazil Air force is a ilusion.
Good luck for all the guys who dream to be a fighter pilot, be thankfull from your country!
you dont have to be born in the U.S. Just become a U.S Citizen by marrying someone from here.
Hazard said if you dont make it, you're pretty much done. No pressure gentlemen. Remember, you only have one life to live so live it with no regrets and give it all you got.
Retired federal worker military God bless all of you thank you for protecting me and my family can't wait to see you flying in the air
Whoa you at luke!?!! I live near the base and see fighters all the time, that’s awesome man!
Reported to JBSA Randolph in March to be apart of UPT 2.5. Still went to Doss however between that and T6 (14 Dec) they have our class out with a civilian company and we’re training on Cessna 172s all the way up to instrument rating before hopping in a T6. Also, supposedly we’re going T6 to wings. Crazy how much is changing but I am beyond blessed to be apart of the spear head. Hoping for Strike Eagles!
Recently came across the channel. Showing you support from over here in Ireland
I just got to vance and waiting for my class start (unknown still) do you have any advice on what someone should be doing while they wait around? Great video keep it up man thank you!
get a few flights in something like a Cessna, if you haven't already. Take an IFR ground course. Automate your bills, etc so you can 100% focus when it starts. Good luck, I went through Vance
Hasard Lee sweet thanks man
Go down to the 8th and hang out in some of the flight rooms, learn the local landmarks and references
W K Update on how it’s going so far? Goodluck!
What were the common reasons cadets had been washing out you think?
I'm 20, I bought a pa-28 when I was 19 I have my commercial will be getting my B.S. in aeronautical science from LU within the next year; as a student pilot my first steep turn was +/- 0 never had an issue I can hold a steep turn in IMC +/-0 at 45 and 60 degrees. I was in the army reserve for a year and a half as a cargo specialist, got a discharge to change branches to the AF since I could not get mine in time to go to the AF academy after presented the opportunity. My asvab was 84 and officer score 118 on the Army's rubric. High school grades 4.0 top 10% of class varsity soccer player 4 years. Currently College grades are 3.5 and I play semi pro soccer my fitness is 1mile 5:00 flat and 2 miles 11:30, I also plan on possibly joining the civil air patrol soon to build time. However I am in the process of changing branches at the moment. I have perfect health and vision as well, What really are my chances?
I’m a mechanic helper on the T-38 at Vance Air Force base
I'm not sure why this is in my recommended list at this time. I'm never ever going to be a fighter pilot, but interesting video.
I wanna fly a f35 but not a big fan of shaving. I look and feel better with some scruff. I feel look good feel good fly good fight good . I noticed air force came out with full over the head helmet. We’ll see what happens
Great video. Just wondering what was your study technique? With all the tons and tons of information you need to know
I know the needs of the AF comes before a lot, but what are the odds of selecting an A-10 out of UPT? I know each class is different but do you think I’ll have a better chance going guard or AD with the aspirations of flying A-10’s ?
I know you commented this over a year ago but I got some advice if you still need it. If you want to guarantee what aircraft you’ll be flying going guard is probably the better option, when you go guard you’re applying for a specific base, so you can find out what bases have which aircrafts. For example Gowen Field in Boise, ID has A-10’s so if you were to apply there that’s what you’d be flying
Maybe you've done this already but I would really like to hear you talk specifically about g-force training. It seems so instense. I would guess thats where alot of people wash out.
Luke AFB! I feel like I recognize you! But I’ve met so many pilots perhaps I’m mixing you for someone else haha! I worked in administration in the 309th Fighter SQ 2016/2017. Were you there at that time? 🤔
Strength & Honor!
What happens if you get washed out or don’t make the cut? Do you recirculate and try again or it’s one and done and out into a different career path?
Are you with the Tigers squadron at Shar Air Force Base? My stepfather was with the 77th gamblers for quite a while when I was younger. Are used to love getting to go to work with him once in a while when I would visit
WOW! Sounds like 99% luck to me, thanks for the information
Can you do a video about pilot salaries and the opportunities pilots have as Civilians after leaving the Air Force
I am about to solo in the DA-20
If you get washed out can you try again or is it just over
The F-18 is cool 😎
I got to tell you I'm not knocking the Air Force and it was a different time for me, but the recruiter just outright lied and maybe I didn't have what it took to be a fighter jock but he took that chance away by misleading me. I was learning to fly at age 16 out of a crop-duster field with a former Navy pilot in a Cherokee140 had a ditch on one end and a huge oak tree on the other and this guy told me I had what it takes to be a great pilot.I loved flying from a very early age, I only wanted planes to play with built many model planes and watched the skies every time a plane was around, even after the Air Force I continued learning to fly but my dream of becoming an Air Force pilot got shot down before it ever began! I'm not over that and probably never will be it still stings to this very day! I know that sounds ridiculous and I'm sure it is but some things you just can't forget, I went on with my life and continued to fly on and off over the years but never in a professional way.Sometimes I think I was born at the wrong time in life, there wasn't a wealth of information available at my finger tips like today, and believe me I read my ass off in those days from Flying magazine to the Encyclopedia and any other books on flying I was really trying, also it didn't help that a parent wasn't all that great at seeing that I got to make my dreams come true, but that's a whole other story! Glad you got to take that ride! I don't envy anyone who's successful in their goals! Sorry for the rant not looking for pity or anything just venting and hoping that others take steps to avoid being mislead in life by people only looking out for themselves, people like that recruiter don't realize the damage they do to people that can last a lifetime and usually don't suffer any consequences for their actions!
Hey hazard. I’m 15 and my dream job is to fly A-10s, what path should I go down?
same, I plan on going to USAFA or ROTC.
IMO a turbo prop T-6 with the avionics upgrade and Sim time ain't going to cut it. The current T-38C upgraded trainer and its sister the 1970's Northrop F-5E/F are genuine fighter planes. The Navy bought a bunch of exceptionally well maintained low flight time/high G-load wing F-5Es from Switzerland for use as Top Gun Adversary fighters. In the hands of a very good pilot they can be impossible to see until they are in your six with an Aim-9 lock. IMO the Air Force could do well to keep every T-38 it has in good flying condition as a stepping stone to at the F-35A. If the Boeing T-7A trainer proves to be worthy- after the inevitable teething stage - then the AF can think of gifting the T-38s to the Flight Museums.
I'm planning on tracking helis and going to the Huey
I’ll be 35 next month.. any hope for me?
How do I separate myself from others in flight training and how many of those 30 pilots attended the AFA for college?
Any idea if AFPC will increase 35s dropping out of UPT? I’ve only seen a couple drop for the 10 months I’ve been at my training base so far.
Unknown on their process for dropping them to UPT. It's a complex problem when you throw in all the TX's from other platforms
Hello I just want to say thank you for your service for one and also that I am in Det 890 day wing at LU and my major is military aeronautics. Is there any suggestions that you would have for people that are going through the college route and then going to officer trading? And also what would you recommend to be the best way to prepare for field training?
I’m 34… am I too late to join the Air Force and become a pilot?
Does washing out in this context means “failure”?
I really want to fly the f35 or the super hornet
Before graduating the Air Force academy, what was your strongest subject? Do you need to be a math professor?
I am not a fighter pilot yet but I have heard from someone else that you don’t have to be outstanding at math.
T-38's....isn't that what they keep for the fighter pilot/test pilot astronauts when they wan to do some flying? Man, I'd love some aerobatics in that plane...
I have a question, if you are taken out of the Fighter Pilot training if you are seen to be unfit can you go again? Or are you stuck with flying something different?
Where these classes mixed with other nations? Or Americans only?
Do Bomber Pilot fly both the T-38 and the T-1 or just the T-38 or T-1?
Do I need to do extremely well in high school to reach my goal of becoming a attack jet fighter pilot
In high school and in college
What are the reasons candidates washout?
Do you have multiple attempts to obtain a fighter seat, or is it one and done? Also, does a master's degree help in any way?
one and done. A master's degree won't help once you get to pilot training. It can help you a little to get promoted about 10 years into your career.
@@HasardLee thanks for the response! Love the channel
How often did you get to fly the jet?
i just wanna fly a f-22
and the FA-XX the unknown plane
Do you actually deploy and do aircombat?
Can foreign nationals who has green card or recent acquirers of US Citizenship join the US Air force Academy and become Officer pilots ? And what is the Age limit ?
I am gonna go to high-school this sept and I would do anything to serve America (USA or CANADA)’s Air Force and If there’s anyone out there with experience want to tell me anything that can help me succeed please tell me in the comments.
Is there any chance for an immigrant from third world country to become a fighter pilot in usaf ?
Are you national guard or active duty? And in your opinion which is easier to become a fighter pilot in? I’m assuming national guard because there’s different squadrons you can apply to, but the con is that it’s part time until you’re deployed.
Try through the National Guard. You are guaranteed the slot in that aircraft if you are accepted. Once you are in that aircraft most Guard and reserve have a ton of full-time or next to full-time equivalent jobs and then you can also apply to go back to duty on top of that.
@@raya.2041can u switch from guard to active in that fighter jet ?
Sir I'm 22 and indian , i hope to go to USA and try being a naturalised citizen n give the tests . And Does the marines also fly fighter jets?
And another question sir , what's the salary difference in guards and active fighter pilots? Incase i chose guards... can i switch from guards to active later while in duty ?
What according to u shd be my best route sir plz kindly help ❤️🙏🏻
Don't pilots go to SERE training too?
I have a question, I'm not that strong with maths like "book maths",so basically I'm asking what sort of maths is used by pilots in the air and on the ground?
In the air, we use something called "That sounds about right". I didnt learn that until I was flying the T6. Math is SUPER easy in the air.. we have charts. you just gotta learn how to read it and fly at the same time. (Also know how to do it without charts because if your IP asks you to, you better know how to come up with the numbers)... But in terms of the tests prior to entering.. Its basically Algebra.
Computers do pretty much everything these days,flying a fighter jet is a piece of cake compared to decades ago..I bet that f-35 fly's itself,basically cause younger generations are getting dumber and dumber so planes have to get smarter and basically fly themselves, that's why planes will be unmanned in the near future...
It's my understanding that a great percentage of fighter pilots (and pilots in general ) are out of the Academy and civilian college graduates are not held in the level.
50 percent of slots go to the Academy, 50 percent to ROTC. Either way, the Academy is a joke of an academic institution. Your collegiate background has no bearing on your performance and track in pilot training.
@@TheAlmostHarmless wait so going to the academy isn’t worth it?
@@gabrielwilliams5387 ROTC has a larger body of students from which to compete against, but if you're academically qualified, and you do well on the AFOQT, TBAS, etc, you can get a pilot slot with any degree.
The Academy's academic programs are rife with culture that encourages cheating and egregious gamesmanship to play the system and your fellow cadets, as well as grossly incompetent leadership. I'm surprised it hasn't been discredited as an institution yet.
Go to a real college and go ROTC if you want to go Active Duty, or rush a Guard/Reserve Unit. The latter will allow you to pick the units that fly the planes you wanna fly. It's not a gaurentee, mind you, but you get to choose who to apply to.
@@TheAlmostHarmless ok thank you so much. I have a question! Do you think The Citadel or VMI is a better academy. My 3 school choices are Air Force academy, VMI, or the Citadel. I’m not sure which one to choose! Also I’m a basketball player and I will be playing basketball at either school! Thank you for the help🙏🏾
@@gabrielwilliams5387 All of the service academy's are filled with fuck-fuck games. If you're trying to avoid paying for school, full ride ROTC scholarships exist to every school that has a program. I would look into applying for those for sure. Academies (service or private) tend to deprive you of normal development towards adulthood by way of over-controlling of your life, and forcing you to survive the system rather than growing as a person. That's not to say every student I had out of the academy was a dingus, only that a higher proportion of academy kids were dinguses compared to ROTC or Guard/Reserve students
Dose it have to be a four year degree? Or can do a 2 year Aviation degree program
MUST have Bachelors to even become an officer.
How do you insure that you’ll fly what you want to fly or do they just put you in a class where they need that type of pilot
You graduate at the top of your class
Hasard Lee at T-6 or in college
When you get to UPT you are the same as everyone else in your class until you start flying. Do good in the cockpit and be a good wingman on the ground.
Could a diagnosis of depression that has not affected me for years kill my chances of becoming a military aviator?
It all depends on your Aviation Medical Exams, You need to pass those to become a pilot. So basically not it does not. As long as you are proven and stuff like that to not be affected at all by a depression that has not affected it for years.
So overall, Yes its completely possible. Just gotta pass Medical Flight exams or whatever they are called. (I am in a different country) So they are called different things
@@wibba5558 dude if going mach 1 plus in a top of the line fighter doing fun ass maneuvers all the time doesn't cure depression ,then you got serious issues...
@@jamesholt7340 absolutely
If you don’t get the fighter slot in pilot training can you try again later ?
nope :(
Go Navy. More opportunities to cross train to another airframe if you dont get Tac air, better bases, better culture. Trust me.
@@Flyboymitchell0917 What about USMC ?
@@mraviatorboii2510 Navy and marines go through the same training! Also a great option.
Who ended this video thinking cargo planes are cooler than you originally thought? I figured fighterpilot training was selective but dang.
I’m 13 and want to become a pilot in USAF. I’m already abt 6’1. Are there any height requirements to be a pilot?
If you wanna be a fighter pilot, stop growing, at a certain height, not too sure what exactly, you become too tall so cant fly, I met someone who was 6'7" and they were going to be a pilot but were too tall, so they had to apply to infantry instead (RAF Regiment) (I'm from UK so may be slightly different to US, but I doubt it will be too much different since we both fly F-35
Im starting my sophomore year at a 4 year university in computer engineering. Is it too late to join ROTC and try to become a pilot?
shouldn't be. Reach out to your ROTC detachment there
@@HasardLee thank you!
Did you have a degree before getting into the training program.
Yes
I wanna do this but I'm dumb
Then get smart.
In germany you might have a slightly harder time to get in an fighter...
I am 24 years old, enlisted with the Air National Guard in aircraft armament systems. I initially wanted to be a crew cheif but they were full. My goal is to gain my 4 year degree, serve par-time, and hopefully get a pilot slot in the future. It might be a longshot but I think it's worth a try. I'll be working with f16s with the 149th at San Antonio. Any thoughts what I should do instead? Thank you.
Sounds like you have a good plan already. A lot of guard pilots start out enlisted. That way they can see if you're the right fit. Talk to a few of the pilots there and they'll let you know the best path. Good luck
@@HasardLee Thank you! It means alot!
Have a few questions for you. I’m already in the military (Army), who would I go talk to about switching over once my contract is up. Also I already have 117 college credit hours so what would be my next step. Are you guaranteed a pilot slot when you join?
👋
👊
Did they really killed themselves because I really, really plan on enlisting as a fighter pilot?You scared me when you said they killed themselves tryin to fly that plane.
You cant be a pilot without a Bachelors degree and without being selected to be a 92T0 (pilot select). Its not an enlisted position. You have to commission. Yes people die in training accidents. Had someone I know unfortunately pass this past Nov at Vance AFB.
I have a new rule; I don't listen to grown men who walk around in onesies. 😎
Can you fly the f-35 in af spec ops or is it footsoldiers
no. You'll work with them though
Why do I get this in my recommendations? I don't watch this channel
Why would you want to be a fighter pilot? Isnt the objective of a fighter jet to cause death and destruction?
Sucks to not be able to have the luxuxry to pay for overpriced majors or college classes for even having a shot at being a pilot
You don't have to have any specific degree to be an officer. Just any bachelors degree. I was an electrical engineer. Some of my bros had degrees in basket weaving.
@@TheAlmostHarmless still very expensive tho, not many can afford it still
@@revvingnoodle7192 You have to make incremental goals. There are tons of scholarships for financial assistance to thousands of colleges. The Air Force also does collegiate scholarships. You have to look for them to make it happen.
@@TheAlmostHarmless as somekne who has to rely on the bit bite promo from 711 of a drink and a hot dog for 2$, that may take a while, the only thing i do have in spades is time and patience
The guys who wanted to go fighters in the other class behind you must’ve felt so disrespected
When u make these video u gotta show cool things to drag ppls attention bro only Bc these are good vids but boring to watch
Make video on mental pressure and sleep cycles of a fighter 👨✈️ pilot
That’s wild... I had no idea initial flight training was so brief and how immediately they move on once they’ve soloed.
Thanks for this video! I really want to be a fighter pilot! I'm currently in the Civil Air Patrol and I'm hoping to go to the glider academy. Would going to the glider academy increase my chance of going to the USAFA?
Get your Mitchell (and Spaatz) if possible, that’ll really help your candidate application. Keep in mind there is also AFROTC as a route to commissioning. Glider academy doesn’t really help much but do get flight hours in college to help with your PCSM scores for pilot selection.
@@awesomerikd168 Thanks!
Heyy haha I’m in the Civil Air Patrol too and I really want to be a Fighter Pilot too
I'm an aspiring future fighter pilot and I am planning on joining the Air Force as a crew chief and go to school with the mindset of becoming a fighter pilot however if I become a pilot in general I'll be happy.
If you want to become a pilot, don't go enlisted. It's not impossible, but it's an uphill climb. Only exception would be the Guard.
I was a crew chief and now Im a pilot. Yeah if you can skip the crew chief part, then do that. Its not a recommended route but not impossible.
@@fadedflage okay thank you very much for the advice
I am a Guard guy, so if you are joining the Air Guard I strongly suggest that route, if you have your sights set on active duty, it is a 180 and id steer clear of an enlisted job, especially one in maintenance or security forces. They are usually really busy and you might not have adequate study time.
I'm currently an Aircraft Maintenance Technician on the F-22 out at Langley. I'm working towards OTS then hopefully a Pilot.
That is incredible hearing that. My dad was a P51D Mustang fighter pilot in WW2. He said he trained on the old bi planes then on the Harvard trainer AT6 then onto the Mustang and Thunderbolt at Luke Field in Arizona now Luke airforce base. I guess he had to be the best to qualify to get to fly fighters as well.
God bless your father, he was a real hero
I been interested in flying all my life, I did a summer camp, flying gliders during corona. I was just a highschooler at the time, and I was proud to be one of the three people to be allowed to fly solo first, along with two dudes who were in the Lufthansa academy, who were only there because their flight school was on a stand still during the pandemic. I am confident, I can do it, when it comes to IFT all the way to earning my wings, but I need to find out how to get there in the first place. I live in Germany, and am currently still a citizen here, I do not have the nicest past, didn t do that great in school so far, as I lack interest for most subjects. I mean I do pretty well in certain classes but straight up fail classes I can afford to fail *cough* musical arts.. I just want a ticket to IFT somehow man. That's what I want.
Me and you we got this
If you don’t make the cut for a fighter pilot do you ever get another chance to become one or are you done
pretty much done. I've known 1 or 2 people who were able to make it into a fighter after--mainly through the guard
Go Navy. More opportunities to cross train to another airframe after your first tour if you dont get Tac air, better bases, better culture. Trust me. Im flying out of NAS North Island, San Diego
@@Flyboymitchell0917 Submitted my package for the Navy in October. I should be finding out if I got SNA next week or so!
@@Flyboymitchell0917 Better bases CONUS? Yeah, not too many land-locked or remote NASs outside of Fallon and China Lake. Almost everything is on a coast, which means nice geography and outdoor activities, if you don't mind sacrificing personal safety freedoms that are supposed to be protected (2A, with FL being the exception).
OCONUS is a totally different story. There are far more USAF fighter squadrons in Korea, Japan, Italy, and UK of course. USN/USMC basically has Iwakuni, Japan. USAF also has Alaska.
If you're in a fighter unit that rotates through carrier deployments, there's a lot of floating prison time while just trying to maintain carrier ops proficiency and not a lot of tactics.
In USAF fighter squadrons, they're very tactics-focused around the clock.
USAF is more of a corporate, safety-focused culture, unlike its cutthroat, war-focused culture from the Cold War.
USN is more of a "get it done however you need to" culture being converted to a corporate safety culture. Was far more cutthroat during the Cold War.
An interesting thing for me to watch is how the Navy has stopped openly-reporting its accident/mishap rates lately.
Both services are undergoing massive changes in leadership (millennials), technology (5th Gen, net-centric), and re-thinking of organizational structures moving forward.
USMC is undergoing the same with more adaptability to change since they're smaller. F-35B and net-centric warfare have turned the USMC into something different.
F-35A has also changed the former F-16C strike/SEAD dominant community into something entirely different, while F-35C is doing the same in the Navy. F-35C brings Fleet Air Defense capabilities the D Tomcat couldn't even dream of, along with networked ASW, so there are pointy nose mission sets opening up that never existed for Tomcats or Shornets.
USAF pointy nose communities will be Raptors, F-35A, F-16C+ (AESA, New data links, EW), F-15Es with emerging 6th Gen. Not sure how F-15EX will pan out but they're slated to replace CONUS F-15Cs.
USN pointy nose will be a mix of Super Hornets brought up to Block III standard, F-35Cs, and EA-18Gs.
USMC will be F-35Bs and F-35Cs once the last Harriers and Hornets are retired over the next few years.
Not sure how average annual flight hours compare anymore. They've been all over the map.
I think you'll get the most flight hours in a USAF F-35A or F-16C Blk 50/52+ squadron based on availability rates.
USMC & USAF operational F-35 squadrons have done deployments with years of missions now since 2018, starting with USMC off the Essex in the Red Sea.
388th & 419th TFW out of Hill AFB regularly deploy squadrons through the Middle East, Red Flag, and PACOM.
The 3 JSF variants, Super Hornet Blk III, and F-15EX all have large glass panel display cockpits. JSF have the advanced HMDS helmet with fused spherical SA from a multitude of IR and RF sensors, so even in bad weather, the JSF are the safest to fly. You have a real view of the horizon no matter the conditions, day/night, and don't have to swap JHMCS and NODs at night like in the SH, F-16C, F-15E.
F-22A is getting its own low profile Helmet Display that is compatible with NODs because JHMCS won't fit within its canopy profile.
If it were me, I'd be shooting for USAF F-35A units. Far more airframes, more "up" birds, more deployments, more mission profiles to train for.
Going for Vipers would be great too because you'd get to be part of the last generation of Viper drivers. They're one of the more difficult birds to aerial-refuel in though because of drag from external stores and little wings, not enough power in mil to cruise at altitude with the tankers.
Avg flight time per sortie is less in a Viper due to fuel, whereas F-35A lasts longer than Mudhens.
I remember when Luke AFB was training F-15E pilots back in the 90s. I used to go out to the flight line and watch the day-to-day operations. I even got to fly the F-15E simulator around a virtual Phoenix. Of course I crashed. Good times. I was at Luke about 2 years ago for a friend's retirement and, WOW, that base has changed.
Were the people who washed out of the Intro to fighter fundamentals course given a second chance at flying tankers/transports/special mission aircraft? Or were they re-assigned to a non-flying job?
Going to be heading to Vance in February to await my IFT start date and ultimately going through the new UPT 2.5 program. Is there any advice you have for someone about to start their journey through training?
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING JOINING THE AIRFORCE TO FLY, DO NOT ENLIST!!! GET A DEGREE, GO TO THE ACADAMY BUT DO NOT ENLIST!!! The Air Force makes it insanely difficult to commission as an enlisted member even when you have a degree. But then the officers will still look down on you like you're some peasant even though you're probably more intelligent than them.
Hey I graduated with a degree from a T50 Law school and just turned 26. Studying/grinding is no problem. Is it realistic to be a USAF pilot? To be a fighter pilot?
If I do my best guessing, I'd say we were pretty close in age.. I watched a video of yours where you where training in the centrifuge, and the date in the video is a date that I will remember until the day I die because it was a day I fucked up my life for a few years..
I wish like hell I could have known any other path than the one I did, but it just makes me have even more respect for all you guys that work to get where you are.
Awesome video man, keep em' coming!
Greetings from Poland F-16 Pilot !, how do you find the bvr aspect of f16 vs f35, in the f 16 we have to point the radar in the area where the bad guys are, it's very confusing sometimes, is the situatiinal awerness increased somehow in the f 35 ?
damn going from a t-38 to vr goggles is just massive experience gap.
Hey, my dream is to become a fighterpilot in the Swedish airforce but i'm alittle bit woried cause i have maybe some bad lungs the doctors don't really know what it is. they classify it as asthma but I know I do not have asthma so it is quite difficult if they classify it as asthma if they do not know what it is. because with asthma you can not become a fighter pilot 😔
2:32 why does the T-38 look so much like and F-5?
What about the A10? How would I go that route?
same
Does Uncle Sam cover the cost of all of this and if so I’m in
Any advice for a teen who is from the Caribbean who dreams to be a airforce pilot?