I’m 22 years old joining AFROTC for the term of Fall 2024. Of all the videos I have watched to prepare on how to get my chances to the top of being selected. This is definitely the best video I have watched to help me complete my dream of being an AF Pilot. Thank you sir for this video!
Thank you for this video I’m not sure how up to date it is but it’s still very helpful I’m going into AFROTC my freshmen year and I do have around 35 flight hours I’m hoping them seeing the flight hours will give me a better chance of being selected
@@sam-xq2jw It’s still the same process, the only thing that changes year to year are the numbers selected and the averages for each category. Those flight hours will give a boost to your PCSM. Try your get straight As and max out your PT test.
Great video! I got my pilot license through the AFJROTC Flight Academy, and I'm currently majoring in Aviation-Professional Pilot. I have over 100 hrs of flight experience. Most of them are in the Piper Archer and some hours in the WWII T-6. I will start AFROTC in spring. I am planning to do the 3 years program and participate in the color guard team. My biggest fear is not being selected for pilot in the air force. You mention a lot of information in the video, and I really appreciate it, but any more advices or tips would be great. Thank you!
Hello, I'm currently trying to follow a similar path to what it sounds like you are doing, and I have a couple questions. I'm currently in AFJROTC and I'm also trying to get into the AFJROTC flight academy. I'm wondering what type of requirements you have to meet to get in when it comes to grades or any prior training. And did you have to take the FAA multiple choice ground exam for it as well? I'm currently prepping to take that exam.
@ConradW_ Hi, sorry for the delayed response. You don't have to take the FAA writing exam. You will take it once you are in the academy, but I highly recommend taking practice exams and trying to get as many 90% scores. You can try kings schools, pilot institude, sportys, or sheppard air. Grades play a big role. If I'm not wrong, I think the minimum GPA is 2.5, but I had 4.0 since I always "AIM HIGH," and you should as well! Plus, it increases the chances of being selected. PT Test scores are another big factor. Run 1 mile, pus-ups, and sit-ups for one minute. I got 100% on that, 4:54 mins, 65 push-ups, and 73 sit-ups in one minute. So make sure you are in a sports team. Be a good cadet at JROTC. If you can, try to get as many flight hours before going to the flight academy. Before I went to the flight academy, I had 36 hrs of flight experience and gained 45 more hrs of flight time at the academy. That is optional, but it will help you to have a better understanding of how to fly a plane since the flight academy is just 8 weeks, which means that you will get your PPL in 8 weeks when usually it takes 6-12 months. The AFQFE, Air Force Qualification Flight Exam, or something like that. In that exam, you will be asked basic aviation questions like what are the 4 forces of a flight, what instrument indicates airspeed, attitude, turn coordinator, etc. Basic algebra, find x, y, and z. Weight and balance, table reading "y" is your vertical indicator, and "x" is a horizontal indicator. Find (2x, -19y) where they intercept, that would be the answer. So basically, the answers are in the table. For every section, you have a time limit. There is no pass/fail score since you don't need experience flying an airplane to go to the academy. That's why they don't expect a specific score, but the higher score, the better. I hope this helps, and if you have further questions, please let me know. And remember, your mind is your only limit. YOU GOT THIS! AIM HIGH!
@@victorf.4599 Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it! You covered a lot of the questions I had. And best of luck for you in college AFROTC and going to fly in the air force!
@ConradW_ You're welcome! And thank you! If you have more questions as you approach the academy or what schools you add as your reference list, let me know. And best of luck to you in your training.
I’m going into my AS200 year apart of Det 535 at Syracuse University. I had a question, this summer I have been working towards my PPL and have 43 FLT Hours. I took the AFOQT before I began my flight training and I got a 79 on Pilot. Do you recommend I retake the AFOQT in order to improve my potential PCSM? I intend to get more flight hours before Rated Boards but I wasn’t sure if I should retake the AFOQT. Thanks for the great video!
In the past you would run the risk of scoring lower on the AFOQT, however, the scoring has changed so there isn't really a downside to retesting. If you get lower in the pilot section you will keep your 79. If you get better than you can bump up your PCSM. 79 is pretty good, but there is a strong chance you will score better since you have done so much flight training. Good luck.
Hey John, quick question: Once I get into pilot training, all the other stuff doesn’t matter anymore and I just have to do the very best out of everyone in my pilot training group to become a fighter?
Yes. Once you are selected for pilot your college years don't matter anymore. You need to be the best pilot trainee. Typically the highest in the class gets first pick for aircraft. Then it goes down the line. Usually heavies are last picked.
Hello, idk if you are still answering questions, but I wasnt sure if I understood correctly. I was told that AFROTC program does not garuntee that you’ll be commision as an Air Force Officer? And that its competitive. You can only compete twice and if not accepted. You wont be comission as an Air Force Officer. So does that have to do with the AFOQT test that you mention cadets have to take on their sohpmore year? Im kind of confuse. Please break it down for me. Thanks.
If you complete the AFROTC program you will become an AF officer upon graduation. No guarantee about what job you will be as an officer though. It isn't really that competitive generally. Lots of cadets self eliminate by getting a really low GPA and/or getting into trouble with law enforcement. The competitiveness goes in waves. For a while everyone gets through, then it will go down to about 60-75%. It is the easiest way get a commission. The AFOQT does have a minimum, but AFOQT failures are very rare. Even then they will give you 3 tries to pass it.
Currently you have to do at least 3 years in AFROTC. 1 year before Field Training and 2 after so if you are a junior the only way you could go through AFROTC is if you went into grad school for 1 year after graduation since then your total would be 3 years. Another point is your final semester in AFROTC does not have to be full time. You could just take the AFROTC classes that last semester if you were good on your degree already.
Good luck. Just be aware that you need to have 3 years at least in ROTC. If you get a bachelors before that you can take masters courses. Also, your last semester can be less than full time status. There are a few different ways to satisfy the 3 year minimum requirement.
I forget the actual table, but after you have logged 20 hours it only adds to your PCSM every 20 hours. It gives you points at 5, 10, and 20. After that it's 20, 40, 60, 80, etc. I think it was around 5 points for each level you hit. The biggest bang for your buck was the first 20 hours which equated to about 15 points on the PCSM. After that you get 5 points for each 20 hours of flight hours. The best PCSM score you can get is a 99 so if you hit that you will have maxed out the PCSM and it won't go any higher.
highest PCSM score is 99. My son had a 95 on the pilot score of the AFOQT and after he took the TBAS, his PCSM score was 70. He was s a professional flight major so he had 201 hours which pushed him to a 98 PCSM score. Anything over 201 hours has no effect on your score. Flight hours arent linear so the first 20-30 give you the best bang for your buck in terms of increased points. However, if you have the extra hours or want a pilot license then it will add to your PCSM score. An additional point regarding the pilot license. If you don't have one, you have to go to IFT where the AF teaches you basic flying for 2 weeks (something like that) If you do have a license, you go straight to UPT and you don't have worry about IFT. There are two theories of thought regarding going or not going IFT, but that is for another day.
Great video! I am aspiring to be an Air Force pilot but I have a few questions. I’m currently a senior in highschool, but have been dual enrolled since my junior year and full time dual enrolled this year. I am finishing my AA here at the local community college and after that was thinking about going to Auburn to major in aviation management and do AFROTC there. How does finishing an AA at a community college work with going into AFROTC at a four year school? I’m kind of confused because I know that you’re supposed to spend 4 years in ROTC. Any advice would help, thank you.
Clay, under normal circumstances you can only do AFROTC for 3 or 4 years. There are times when the AF needs people when they will approve a 2 year or even a 1 year commissioning program for certain degrees, but I don't think they are in place at this time. IMO AFROTC is the easiest way to get a commission so if it is possible you should go that route. You will be required to take about 4-6 semester hours of AFROTC classes per semester so even with a AA you might still be able to pad your university time to 3 years and go through AFROTC. Otherwise you have to get your degree and go through the OTS process which isn't guaranteed and will take some time for the application process. Each semester in AFROTC you will take an academic class, a PT class (depends on university), and a leadership lab class.
Thank you so much for this video! I have a question or two to ask: I’m currently a junior in high school, and I’m wondering how the Air Force will look at my high school grades and whatnot considering the impact COVID has had? I’m a 3.95 GPA unweighted, 4.5 weighted, and am the founder/president of the aviation club of my high school, participate in student government, and I’m hoping that these things will demonstrate my drive to become a pilot. I would like to be able to earn an AFROTC scholarship, and I seem to be doing alright with everything; the reason I’m bringing this up too is because I’m taking the SAT this year, and I hope I do well cause I’m not looking forward to it! Also, what are the top problems that prevents most cadets from getting a pilot slot? Thanks for all you do :)
That is a really good GPA. Once you get into AFROTC and are competing for a pilot slot your high school GPA and SAT/ACT won't really matter at all. All that matters for now is hitting the minimums to get into the program and you should be fine there. Your college GPA will be more important. High school GPA and SAT scores are good to be competitive for an AFROTC scholarship, but a scholarship doesn't have any bearing on getting a pilot slot. I did another video on AFROTC HSSP (scholarships). I would say getting a low PCSM is probably the the biggest problem with cadets not getting a pilot slot. If your PCSM is a 35 you probably can't get a slot even if you max out the other areas. A 99 PCSM is awesome and will just about guarantee a pilot slot. The other thing out of the blue that can hurt people is getting medically DQ'd after being selected for pilot, but there isn't much you can do about that and those cases are pretty rare. Good luck to you.
@@jrobion very good insight that I couldn’t imagine finding anywhere else, thank you! I appreciate the perspective with high school GPA and SAT/ACT grades. I’ll give your other video a watch too. Appreciate it man 👊
@@itwasfresh5261 doing good! Got my hours and licenses on the side, doing commercial pilot training right now. Still open to the military after college, if not straight to the airlines. Very happy to be pursuing my childhood dream
@@mgtowacademy8433 damn that’s awesome dude, I’m looking at doing afrotc next year and hope to become a pilot. Also might start flight school this summer so hope that works out haha. Good luck on whatever the future presents to you!
I’m a prior enlisted freshman in joining rotc. Do you think it’s worth it to take flying lessions or not? I have the money to do it but I’m not sure if its worth it when considering it’s not essential.
FraZ The main benefit you get from taking flying lessons is the experience could result in you have a higher pilot score on the AFOQT. You want that score to be as high as you can get it because it will give you a higher PCSM. I have seen scores of 99 which is the highest score you can get. Also, the flight hours might be worth it since that will also boost your PCSM. Everyone’s situation is different so you should figure what’s best for you. I think the bottom line is it would increase your chance of getting selected for pilot training.
John Robinson So I don’t have a lot of cash being a college student so is it worth it to get my actual license or would I get enough knowledge from just taking a few lessons. Say around 15-20 hours of flying time?
@@fraz6077 I think the most bang for your buck is to get around 20 flying hours. That will boost your PCSM by around 15-20 points which is quite a lot.
Yes, that is chosen after commissioning. After UPT there is typically an event and the first in the class will get to choose an airframe. That continues with the 2nd in class and on down the line. Usually the first in class wants fighters and heavies are left to the end.
@@jrobion what makes the difference between a regular student and someone at the top? Is it just pure hard work or does natural ability come into play here
@@TheDecapitatedApple It would be a combination of a lot of things. I haven't been to pilot training so I can only talk to what I've heard. It is very challenging and there will be written exams as well as check rides in the simulator and in the training aircraft. You will get evaluated on everything you do there and the person with the best overall scores would be first in the class. Some won't make it though and others will excel at it. Natural ability helps, but I think hard work is crucial.
Hi, I'm a junior in high school and you said that major doesn't really impact your chances unless it's something like professional flying. What about aerospace/aeronautical engineering? Do you think that majoring or minoring in that would give me more experiences or impact my chances? Also, how am I going to get flight hours once I'm in college? Will it be done through the Air Force or will I have to pay for lessons?
Hi Trinity. Technical majors are going to increase your chances of getting an AFROTC scholarship, but when it comes to the rated board your major doesn't really matter. What is more important is your GPA. I've seen a lot of people do Aero Engineering and not do very well in school and have to switch majors. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem for you, but the bottom line is your GPA is going to be more important than what your major is for a rated slot. When you do get selected for Pilot the AF will teach you all you need to know so an aero engineering degree would help you with concepts of flight, but if you don't have that degree you will still be taught everything you need. Pilot training lasts about 1.5 years. There also is a 10 year service commitment for pilots so be ready to stay in the AF for a while. There are opportunities to get a private pilots license through AFROTC, but those slots are limited and competitive. It is an amazing deal and you would spend your entire summer getting your private pilots license. They were just starting this program in the past couple of years so hopefully they will expand it. Otherwise, you will have to go to a local airport where you can take flying lessons and get hours that way. You would have to pay for this yourself.
very good video, I have an additional question if anyone can help me out. I am currently at a flight school/college, I will likely graduate in 2 years with my commercial license. If I were to choose the military route afterward would I have to commit to serving before I am selected as a pilot? Any information at all would be appreciated.
If you get your degree and don't do the AFROTC program you would be putting in an OTS package. This is officer training school. It would take around 6 months on average to get this process complete and leave for training. I know you can go into OTS with at least a guaranteed rated position, but I am not sure if it would be a specific rated position like pilot. There are a bunch of OTS forums out there to check out that will answer anything OTS related. I am just not very well versed in how that process works. I once interviewed an OTS candidate as part of his application, but that's about it. flyingsquadron.com and baseops.net are 2 good ones. Good luck.
Not if you are not already in ROTC. It takes at least 3 years to do the ROTC program so if you are graduating in 2022 and are not already in ROTC you might want to look into OTS. Otherwise, yes you can commission and become a pilot in the reserves. Just not in 2022.
Just saw this video pop up on my feed again, I watched this video right before I joined AFROTC as a sophomore. Now I am 5 weeks out from commissioning and going off to UPT!
It definitely did help, going in I was able to immediately understand what I needed to do to put myself in the best position to be selected. Thank you!
This answered nearly all of my questions! What college were you at? I’m a senior in HS looking for colleges with a common dream of being a fighter pilot. Thanks for all of this info, keep up the helpful videos!
@@jrobion Awesome! I'm currently a sophomore in High School. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to a summer calculus program to Purdue, so I will be visiting. If I get accepted into Purdue a couple of years from now, I am conflicted as to whether I should apply for the AFROTC or pursue a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering (a dream field of mine, perhaps post-retirement from the Air Force) and apply for OTS after grad school. In your experience, is AFROTC a more surefire way to become a pilot? Thank you.
@@treskilion-9690 There are opportunities to get a Masters degree through AFROTC prior to going on active duty. A former cadet of mine is at Purdue now getting his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and I also know quite a few others that are going for a Masters. You just need to make sure the Colonel and the rest of your cadre knows what your goals are. They can help you with applying for those programs. It isn't guaranteed, but there is still a decent chance. If you are a good cadet the chances go way up. Good luck!
Wow, have things changed. In the spring of 1967 I was walking through the lower floor of the student union building at my university. I was a senior graduating in a couple of months. The military recruiters offices were on that hallway and the Air Force recruiter stepped out his door and called my name. I had been in ROTC for a couple of years after coming to this university after junior college, but I did not qualify for being commissioned in the Air Force. He asked me what I intended to do after graduation, and I told him I had a job lined up. He laughed and said, "You're classified 1A, your deferment has run out, and you'll be toting a rifle in a rice paddy in Vietnam in 6 months". I asked him what he would advise, and he told me the Air Force needed pilots. I told him that I had never been in an airplane in my life, and he said he thought I could do it if I passed the entrance exams and the physical. That 's the way it was back in the day. I did pass, went to OCS then graduated pilot training. But, in the end he was right. I was in Vietnam for two of the next four years
Thank you so much for making this video! I do have one question, do you know if I can be an air force pilot if I don’t have 20/20 vision? I have heard mixed things and am unsure. My vision isn’t too bad and could likely be corrected through surgery, but I have heard they don’t allow people to be pilots if they get corrective vision surgery.
For your eyesight, the AF sets standards for this and they continuously change. I think it's AFI 48-123 if you want to read it. You would need very close to 20/20 vision to qualify. As for the eye surgery, that is fine. We had cadets do refractive surgery frequently to meet the medical requirements for pilot. You need to keep your cadre informed if you are going to get eye surgery done. That being said the best process for it is to schedule it following successful completion of field training. There are some follow up appointments and you need to be good to go before the rated board. These appointments will take about 6 months which is why you should do it right after field training. If you are a 5 year cadet you will have plenty of time, however, if you are a 4 year cadet the timeframe is tighter. I'm not sure if COVID is effecting these appointments. The only other option is to get it done way prior to field training because you could also make yourself ineligible for field training if it is too close to the med check which is spring of your sophomore year.
I don't know from experience, but the pilots I know have said that helicopter's are not as popular as fixed wing aircraft. Bear in mind that there are fewer helo units in the AF so less slots to fill. Bottom line is I think it would be easier to get a slot to fly helos vs fixed wing, but I'm only going by second hand knowledge.
I’m a high school student getting my PPL and an AFJROTC Squadron Commander I plan on enlisting before college if I don’t do so well on gpa and some of the tests will I still have a chance?
Yes you still have a vary good chance of getting selected for pilot. If you are going to enlist I would recommend a 4 year enlistment. When that's up you can join AFROTC at any college that has it and use the GI bill to pay for it. You will be more mature than the other cadets which gives you an opportunity to be ranked highly in AFROTC. This is exactly what I did and it worked out really well. I wasn't trying to be a pilot, however, my real world AF experience helped me in AFROTC. You can take some general college classes while enlisted at a community college which will give you a good start on getting a high GPA. Your GPA will transfer to your 4 year college. The other route would be to get your degree while enlisted and go OTS, but I would recommend the ROTC route.
Unfortunately the BMI requirement is 25 which is 184 for someone who is 6'. It was switched to 25 a couple years ago and it used to be more lenient. His detachment can also do a body fat calculation to factor for people with a lot of muscle. If he passes that he should be good to go for field training. I think he would need to be less than 18% body fat, but don't quote me on that.
I wish your son luck if he's still interested im a softmoore in highschool before covid i used to be really fit 8 hours a week of bjj and 8 hours of wrestling. I used to be 150lb but because of covid i haven't been able to train and have been eating junk. I take it really seriously. The airforce weirdly wants runners ive heard from watching C.W lemoine. So ill be trying to lose wait with cardio i currently weigh 183lb
Can someone please tell me where to apply because I wanted to apply and all the websites I been on don’t really teach you how to actually fly a plane and I wanna be abel to fly a plane so if anyone can tell me where to apply that would be amazing
Is there any way you could make this video again but for 2022 ? Updated information? Do you know if the navy Will guarantee a pilot spot ? I know the Marine Corps will guarantee it but not necessarily fighters.
I would redo it with updated data, however, since I don't work in ROTC anymore I don't have the updates. I did this video when I was briefing families multiple times per day about scholarships and pilot selection so it was the best time for me to get the info out. I've been out of it for a while and I don't have any idea about the new selection rates or the current order of merit.
It won't have an effect at on becoming a pilot. Your goal should be to get straight As, max out your PFA, get above 80 on the pilot section of the AFOQT and do well at FT. Private flying lessons won't hurt either. Your major doesn't matter.
I am a senior in high school and I want to know if there is anyway to take the flight physical before I get selected? I know there is a class 1 physical I can take which is what is required for airline pilots and I want to know how similar the USAF flight physical is to that one.
Yes, you can take the class 1 physical from a civilian doctor, but that won't guarantee that you will be cleared by the USAF flight physical when it comes to it. I did see someone fail the color blindness test on the initial military physical and get DQ'd only to get that reversed when they went to a civilian doctor and had the eye test done again on their own. You really can't predict what might be found in a physical. Usually it's fine, but you never know.
Thank you for the helpful information! I had a question regarding IFT, I am currently an AS300 and am hoping to compete for a pilot slot this year. I do not have my PPL but only need a few more hours and a check ride to get the license. My question is if I do get a pilot slot, do you recommend getting my license and skipping IFT, or waiting to get my license and going to IFT to get more experience before heading to UPT?
I can't answer that from experience since I haven't actually been through the pilot training pipeline. If it was me I would probably welcome more training prior to UPT. There is always the possibility of failing and washing out so the additional training at IFT would only help your odds of success. I've met cadets that just want to get their training done so they can start their flying duties and they were glad they got to skip IFT. I suggest you give it some thought and decide if you want to finish the PPL prior to graduation.
A couple of things cadets always struggle with is fitness (PT) and marching. I would do lots of running, push ups, sit-ups, flutter kicks, etc. We always had freshmen throwing up in the trash cans during the first couple of weeks of school. For marching you can look on RUclips for simple marching commands. Unless it's changed you will need to command a flight for a drill assessment at field training after your sophomore year. It will look good if you are somewhat proficient in drill. If you are looking for a scholarship as in the HSSP (high school scholarship program) I have another video all about that. The biggest way you can start out is to have solid leadership experience as well as examples of when you worked as part of a team to accomplish a goal. The interviewees I had always had trouble with examples about team projects and leadership experience.
Thanks I've always loved sports so PT will be good for me I think. On the baseball team I'm on we work as a team to keep the mood up and as a captain its good for me to help each of the new players so hopefully that can transfer. The marching and leading will be weird because it'll be different but good to start early, again thanks for the advice anything helps!
Yes, that is somewhat true. The story is that the Air Force Academy has more pilot slots per capita to give away than AFROTC. So a person could get a pilot slot out of the Academy that wouldn't have high enough scores to get one in AFROTC.
@@jrobion thanks for the response. What about the air guard? My son wants to become a pilot but we dont know which way would be a faster route. I know that getting a commercial pilot license only gives you 250 HR’s but how does someone reach 1500 HR’s to get hired to a major airlines. Is the Air Guard a good option to get his wings? We currently have a base near us that have the C-17 squadron.
@@blackhouse7646 The Reserves and Guard is a good way to get those hours if your sons goal is to become an airline pilot. Each year the AF Reserves and/or Air Guard have openings for direct accessions right out of AFROTC (after graduation). This is not a popular option and everyone I knew that applied to go to the Reserves/Guard instead of active duty was approved. Once approved the cadet would apply to a Reserves or Guard unit and enter a contract with them. He could enter an agreement with the C-17 squadron near you for example. This route would require over a year of active duty to complete pilot training and get a certain number of flying hours before the Lt was able to go strict guard/reserve. (I don't know how many hours). In my opinion it is the best path to get to the airlines quickly since an active duty pilot would require 10+ years of active duty before they can separate.
Thank you for the great video! I saw your comment that you had worked at Purdue. Do you happen to know if their Professional Flight major qualifies as a technical major (I'm trying to get an AFROTC scholarship)? I'm currently a sophomore in high school, looking to go to Purdue and join AFROTC.
John Robinson is right. Not a technical major My son majored in professional flight at Purdue. Great program. It's a small program at Purdue, so you get the benefits of going to a large university with the benefits of a small major. A good percentage of the flight majors do AFrotc and they are a tight group
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I’m 22 years old joining AFROTC for the term of Fall 2024. Of all the videos I have watched to prepare on how to get my chances to the top of being selected. This is definitely the best video I have watched to help me complete my dream of being an AF Pilot. Thank you sir for this video!
This is a great resource. Thanks to you I have a head start in ROTC and I have a game plan to keep me motivated. Thanks 🙏🏻
Thank you for this video I’m not sure how up to date it is but it’s still very helpful I’m going into AFROTC my freshmen year and I do have around 35 flight hours I’m hoping them seeing the flight hours will give me a better chance of being selected
@@sam-xq2jw It’s still the same process, the only thing that changes year to year are the numbers selected and the averages for each category. Those flight hours will give a boost to your PCSM. Try your get straight As and max out your PT test.
Great information!! Thank you very much for sharing!
Great video! I got my pilot license through the AFJROTC Flight Academy, and I'm currently majoring in Aviation-Professional Pilot. I have over 100 hrs of flight experience. Most of them are in the Piper Archer and some hours in the WWII T-6. I will start AFROTC in spring. I am planning to do the 3 years program and participate in the color guard team. My biggest fear is not being selected for pilot in the air force. You mention a lot of information in the video, and I really appreciate it, but any more advices or tips would be great.
Thank you!
Hello, I'm currently trying to follow a similar path to what it sounds like you are doing, and I have a couple questions. I'm currently in AFJROTC and I'm also trying to get into the AFJROTC flight academy. I'm wondering what type of requirements you have to meet to get in when it comes to grades or any prior training. And did you have to take the FAA multiple choice ground exam for it as well? I'm currently prepping to take that exam.
@ConradW_ Hi, sorry for the delayed response. You don't have to take the FAA writing exam. You will take it once you are in the academy, but I highly recommend taking practice exams and trying to get as many 90% scores. You can try kings schools, pilot institude, sportys, or sheppard air. Grades play a big role. If I'm not wrong, I think the minimum GPA is 2.5, but I had 4.0 since I always "AIM HIGH," and you should as well! Plus, it increases the chances of being selected. PT Test scores are another big factor. Run 1 mile, pus-ups, and sit-ups for one minute. I got 100% on that, 4:54 mins, 65 push-ups, and 73 sit-ups in one minute. So make sure you are in a sports team. Be a good cadet at JROTC. If you can, try to get as many flight hours before going to the flight academy. Before I went to the flight academy, I had 36 hrs of flight experience and gained 45 more hrs of flight time at the academy. That is optional, but it will help you to have a better understanding of how to fly a plane since the flight academy is just 8 weeks, which means that you will get your PPL in 8 weeks when usually it takes 6-12 months. The AFQFE, Air Force Qualification Flight Exam, or something like that. In that exam, you will be asked basic aviation questions like what are the 4 forces of a flight, what instrument indicates airspeed, attitude, turn coordinator, etc. Basic algebra, find x, y, and z. Weight and balance, table reading "y" is your vertical indicator, and "x" is a horizontal indicator. Find (2x, -19y) where they intercept, that would be the answer. So basically, the answers are in the table. For every section, you have a time limit. There is no pass/fail score since you don't need experience flying an airplane to go to the academy. That's why they don't expect a specific score, but the higher score, the better. I hope this helps, and if you have further questions, please let me know. And remember, your mind is your only limit. YOU GOT THIS! AIM HIGH!
@@victorf.4599 Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it! You covered a lot of the questions I had. And best of luck for you in college AFROTC and going to fly in the air force!
@ConradW_ You're welcome! And thank you! If you have more questions as you approach the academy or what schools you add as your reference list, let me know. And best of luck to you in your training.
I’m going into my AS200 year apart of Det 535 at Syracuse University. I had a question, this summer I have been working towards my PPL and have 43 FLT Hours. I took the AFOQT before I began my flight training and I got a 79 on Pilot. Do you recommend I retake the AFOQT in order to improve my potential PCSM? I intend to get more flight hours before Rated Boards but I wasn’t sure if I should retake the AFOQT. Thanks for the great video!
In the past you would run the risk of scoring lower on the AFOQT, however, the scoring has changed so there isn't really a downside to retesting. If you get lower in the pilot section you will keep your 79. If you get better than you can bump up your PCSM. 79 is pretty good, but there is a strong chance you will score better since you have done so much flight training. Good luck.
Thanks a lot for this information!!
Hey John, quick question: Once I get into pilot training, all the other stuff doesn’t matter anymore and I just have to do the very best out of everyone in my pilot training group to become a fighter?
Yes. Once you are selected for pilot your college years don't matter anymore. You need to be the best pilot trainee. Typically the highest in the class gets first pick for aircraft. Then it goes down the line. Usually heavies are last picked.
@@jrobion awesome thank you
Hello, idk if you are still answering questions, but I wasnt sure if I understood correctly. I was told that AFROTC program does not garuntee that you’ll be commision as an Air Force Officer? And that its competitive. You can only compete twice and if not accepted. You wont be comission as an Air Force Officer. So does that have to do with the AFOQT test that you mention cadets have to take on their sohpmore year? Im kind of confuse. Please break it down for me. Thanks.
If you complete the AFROTC program you will become an AF officer upon graduation. No guarantee about what job you will be as an officer though.
It isn't really that competitive generally. Lots of cadets self eliminate by getting a really low GPA and/or getting into trouble with law enforcement. The competitiveness goes in waves. For a while everyone gets through, then it will go down to about 60-75%. It is the easiest way get a commission.
The AFOQT does have a minimum, but AFOQT failures are very rare. Even then they will give you 3 tries to pass it.
If i am already a junior(college) but wanting to join the rotc program is that doable?
Currently you have to do at least 3 years in AFROTC. 1 year before Field Training and 2 after so if you are a junior the only way you could go through AFROTC is if you went into grad school for 1 year after graduation since then your total would be 3 years. Another point is your final semester in AFROTC does not have to be full time. You could just take the AFROTC classes that last semester if you were good on your degree already.
Really hope i'm able to join up. I'm finishing up my associate's degree at my local community college then going to UMN to hopefully join up.
Good luck. Just be aware that you need to have 3 years at least in ROTC. If you get a bachelors before that you can take masters courses. Also, your last semester can be less than full time status. There are a few different ways to satisfy the 3 year minimum requirement.
@@jrobion Yeah either ROTC or OTS is fine by me. I'm already talking to a few recruiters and government officials to get letters of recommendations.
What’s the maximum amount of points you can increase in your PCSM with flight hours?
I forget the actual table, but after you have logged 20 hours it only adds to your PCSM every 20 hours. It gives you points at 5, 10, and 20. After that it's 20, 40, 60, 80, etc. I think it was around 5 points for each level you hit. The biggest bang for your buck was the first 20 hours which equated to about 15 points on the PCSM. After that you get 5 points for each 20 hours of flight hours. The best PCSM score you can get is a 99 so if you hit that you will have maxed out the PCSM and it won't go any higher.
highest PCSM score is 99. My son had a 95 on the pilot score of the AFOQT and after he took the TBAS, his PCSM score was 70. He was s a professional flight major so he had 201 hours which pushed him to a 98 PCSM score. Anything over 201 hours has no effect on your score. Flight hours arent linear so the first 20-30 give you the best bang for your buck in terms of increased points. However, if you have the extra hours or want a pilot license then it will add to your PCSM score. An additional point regarding the pilot license. If you don't have one, you have to go to IFT where the AF teaches you basic flying for 2 weeks (something like that) If you do have a license, you go straight to UPT and you don't have worry about IFT. There are two theories of thought regarding going or not going IFT, but that is for another day.
Flight hours is now capped at 41. So anything over 41 hours makes no difference
Great video! I am aspiring to be an Air Force pilot but I have a few questions. I’m currently a senior in highschool, but have been dual enrolled since my junior year and full time dual enrolled this year. I am finishing my AA here at the local community college and after that was thinking about going to Auburn to major in aviation management and do AFROTC there. How does finishing an AA at a community college work with going into AFROTC at a four year school? I’m kind of confused because I know that you’re supposed to spend 4 years in ROTC. Any advice would help, thank you.
Clay, under normal circumstances you can only do AFROTC for 3 or 4 years. There are times when the AF needs people when they will approve a 2 year or even a 1 year commissioning program for certain degrees, but I don't think they are in place at this time. IMO AFROTC is the easiest way to get a commission so if it is possible you should go that route. You will be required to take about 4-6 semester hours of AFROTC classes per semester so even with a AA you might still be able to pad your university time to 3 years and go through AFROTC. Otherwise you have to get your degree and go through the OTS process which isn't guaranteed and will take some time for the application process. Each semester in AFROTC you will take an academic class, a PT class (depends on university), and a leadership lab class.
Thank you so much for this video! I have a question or two to ask:
I’m currently a junior in high school, and I’m wondering how the Air Force will look at my high school grades and whatnot considering the impact COVID has had?
I’m a 3.95 GPA unweighted, 4.5 weighted, and am the founder/president of the aviation club of my high school, participate in student government, and I’m hoping that these things will demonstrate my drive to become a pilot. I would like to be able to earn an AFROTC scholarship, and I seem to be doing alright with everything; the reason I’m bringing this up too is because I’m taking the SAT this year, and I hope I do well cause I’m not looking forward to it!
Also, what are the top problems that prevents most cadets from getting a pilot slot?
Thanks for all you do :)
That is a really good GPA. Once you get into AFROTC and are competing for a pilot slot your high school GPA and SAT/ACT won't really matter at all. All that matters for now is hitting the minimums to get into the program and you should be fine there. Your college GPA will be more important. High school GPA and SAT scores are good to be competitive for an AFROTC scholarship, but a scholarship doesn't have any bearing on getting a pilot slot. I did another video on AFROTC HSSP (scholarships).
I would say getting a low PCSM is probably the the biggest problem with cadets not getting a pilot slot. If your PCSM is a 35 you probably can't get a slot even if you max out the other areas. A 99 PCSM is awesome and will just about guarantee a pilot slot. The other thing out of the blue that can hurt people is getting medically DQ'd after being selected for pilot, but there isn't much you can do about that and those cases are pretty rare.
Good luck to you.
@@jrobion very good insight that I couldn’t imagine finding anywhere else, thank you! I appreciate the perspective with high school GPA and SAT/ACT grades. I’ll give your other video a watch too. Appreciate it man 👊
@@mgtowacademy8433 Yo hows it going now?
@@itwasfresh5261 doing good! Got my hours and licenses on the side, doing commercial pilot training right now. Still open to the military after college, if not straight to the airlines. Very happy to be pursuing my childhood dream
@@mgtowacademy8433 damn that’s awesome dude, I’m looking at doing afrotc next year and hope to become a pilot. Also might start flight school this summer so hope that works out haha. Good luck on whatever the future presents to you!
I’m a prior enlisted freshman in joining rotc. Do you think it’s worth it to take flying lessions or not? I have the money to do it but I’m not sure if its worth it when considering it’s not essential.
FraZ The main benefit you get from taking flying lessons is the experience could result in you have a higher pilot score on the AFOQT. You want that score to be as high as you can get it because it will give you a higher PCSM. I have seen scores of 99 which is the highest score you can get. Also, the flight hours might be worth it since that will also boost your PCSM. Everyone’s situation is different so you should figure what’s best for you. I think the bottom line is it would increase your chance of getting selected for pilot training.
John Robinson So I don’t have a lot of cash being a college student so is it worth it to get my actual license or would I get enough knowledge from just taking a few lessons. Say around 15-20 hours of flying time?
@@fraz6077 I think the most bang for your buck is to get around 20 flying hours. That will boost your PCSM by around 15-20 points which is quite a lot.
Just a quick question, how is it decided which aircraft you will be piloting? Does that happen after you are chosen for a pilot spot?
Yes, that is chosen after commissioning. After UPT there is typically an event and the first in the class will get to choose an airframe. That continues with the 2nd in class and on down the line. Usually the first in class wants fighters and heavies are left to the end.
@@jrobion what makes the difference between a regular student and someone at the top? Is it just pure hard work or does natural ability come into play here
@@TheDecapitatedApple It would be a combination of a lot of things. I haven't been to pilot training so I can only talk to what I've heard. It is very challenging and there will be written exams as well as check rides in the simulator and in the training aircraft. You will get evaluated on everything you do there and the person with the best overall scores would be first in the class. Some won't make it though and others will excel at it.
Natural ability helps, but I think hard work is crucial.
Hi, I'm a junior in high school and you said that major doesn't really impact your chances unless it's something like professional flying. What about aerospace/aeronautical engineering? Do you think that majoring or minoring in that would give me more experiences or impact my chances? Also, how am I going to get flight hours once I'm in college? Will it be done through the Air Force or will I have to pay for lessons?
Hi Trinity. Technical majors are going to increase your chances of getting an AFROTC scholarship, but when it comes to the rated board your major doesn't really matter. What is more important is your GPA. I've seen a lot of people do Aero Engineering and not do very well in school and have to switch majors. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem for you, but the bottom line is your GPA is going to be more important than what your major is for a rated slot.
When you do get selected for Pilot the AF will teach you all you need to know so an aero engineering degree would help you with concepts of flight, but if you don't have that degree you will still be taught everything you need. Pilot training lasts about 1.5 years. There also is a 10 year service commitment for pilots so be ready to stay in the AF for a while.
There are opportunities to get a private pilots license through AFROTC, but those slots are limited and competitive. It is an amazing deal and you would spend your entire summer getting your private pilots license. They were just starting this program in the past couple of years so hopefully they will expand it. Otherwise, you will have to go to a local airport where you can take flying lessons and get hours that way. You would have to pay for this yourself.
@@jrobion That's really helpful, thank you.
very good video, I have an additional question if anyone can help me out. I am currently at a flight school/college, I will likely graduate in 2 years with my commercial license. If I were to choose the military route afterward would I have to commit to serving before I am selected as a pilot? Any information at all would be appreciated.
If you get your degree and don't do the AFROTC program you would be putting in an OTS package. This is officer training school. It would take around 6 months on average to get this process complete and leave for training. I know you can go into OTS with at least a guaranteed rated position, but I am not sure if it would be a specific rated position like pilot. There are a bunch of OTS forums out there to check out that will answer anything OTS related. I am just not very well versed in how that process works. I once interviewed an OTS candidate as part of his application, but that's about it.
flyingsquadron.com and baseops.net are 2 good ones. Good luck.
Can I do rotc to be a reserve pilot in 2022
Not if you are not already in ROTC. It takes at least 3 years to do the ROTC program so if you are graduating in 2022 and are not already in ROTC you might want to look into OTS.
Otherwise, yes you can commission and become a pilot in the reserves. Just not in 2022.
This is the best pilot information video I’ve ever seen
Thanks. I just finished up 5 years as AFROTC cadre so I've given this information a ton to walk ins at our det. I hope it helps.
Just saw this video pop up on my feed again, I watched this video right before I joined AFROTC as a sophomore. Now I am 5 weeks out from commissioning and going off to UPT!
Congratulations! I hope my video helped you get the slot.
It definitely did help, going in I was able to immediately understand what I needed to do to put myself in the best position to be selected. Thank you!
This answered nearly all of my questions! What college were you at? I’m a senior in HS looking for colleges with a common dream of being a fighter pilot. Thanks for all of this info, keep up the helpful videos!
I was at Purdue until this past summer. I'm retired now.
@@jrobion Awesome! I'm currently a sophomore in High School. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to a summer calculus program to Purdue, so I will be visiting. If I get accepted into Purdue a couple of years from now, I am conflicted as to whether I should apply for the AFROTC or pursue a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering (a dream field of mine, perhaps post-retirement from the Air Force) and apply for OTS after grad school. In your experience, is AFROTC a more surefire way to become a pilot? Thank you.
@@treskilion-9690 There are opportunities to get a Masters degree through AFROTC prior to going on active duty. A former cadet of mine is at Purdue now getting his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and I also know quite a few others that are going for a Masters. You just need to make sure the Colonel and the rest of your cadre knows what your goals are. They can help you with applying for those programs. It isn't guaranteed, but there is still a decent chance. If you are a good cadet the chances go way up. Good luck!
@@jrobion Thank you sir!
Wow, have things changed. In the spring of 1967 I was walking through the lower floor of the student union building at my university. I was a senior graduating in a couple of months. The military recruiters offices were on that hallway and the Air Force recruiter stepped out his door and called my name. I had been in ROTC for a couple of years after coming to this university after junior college, but I did not qualify for being commissioned in the Air Force. He asked me what I intended to do after graduation, and I told him I had a job lined up. He laughed and said, "You're classified 1A, your deferment has run out, and you'll be toting a rifle in a rice paddy in Vietnam in 6 months". I asked him what he would advise, and he told me the Air Force needed pilots. I told him that I had never been in an airplane in my life, and he said he thought I could do it if I passed the entrance exams and the physical. That 's the way it was back in the day. I did pass, went to OCS then graduated pilot training. But, in the end he was right. I was in Vietnam for two of the next four years
Thank you for your service, sir. Welcome home 🇺🇲
AFROTC, African American Pilots?
Thank you so much for making this video! I do have one question, do you know if I can be an air force pilot if I don’t have 20/20 vision? I have heard mixed things and am unsure. My vision isn’t too bad and could likely be corrected through surgery, but I have heard they don’t allow people to be pilots if they get corrective vision surgery.
wondering this, too!
For your eyesight, the AF sets standards for this and they continuously change. I think it's AFI 48-123 if you want to read it. You would need very close to 20/20 vision to qualify.
As for the eye surgery, that is fine. We had cadets do refractive surgery frequently to meet the medical requirements for pilot. You need to keep your cadre informed if you are going to get eye surgery done. That being said the best process for it is to schedule it following successful completion of field training. There are some follow up appointments and you need to be good to go before the rated board. These appointments will take about 6 months which is why you should do it right after field training. If you are a 5 year cadet you will have plenty of time, however, if you are a 4 year cadet the timeframe is tighter. I'm not sure if COVID is effecting these appointments. The only other option is to get it done way prior to field training because you could also make yourself ineligible for field training if it is too close to the med check which is spring of your sophomore year.
Is it usually easier to get a heli slot after UPT? I have heard that it is less popular in classes
I don't know from experience, but the pilots I know have said that helicopter's are not as popular as fixed wing aircraft. Bear in mind that there are fewer helo units in the AF so less slots to fill. Bottom line is I think it would be easier to get a slot to fly helos vs fixed wing, but I'm only going by second hand knowledge.
My nephew is the wing commander of his Cadre- SO PROUD OF HIM!!
I’m a high school student getting my PPL and an AFJROTC Squadron Commander I plan on enlisting before college if I don’t do so well on gpa and some of the tests will I still have a chance?
Yes you still have a vary good chance of getting selected for pilot. If you are going to enlist I would recommend a 4 year enlistment. When that's up you can join AFROTC at any college that has it and use the GI bill to pay for it. You will be more mature than the other cadets which gives you an opportunity to be ranked highly in AFROTC. This is exactly what I did and it worked out really well. I wasn't trying to be a pilot, however, my real world AF experience helped me in AFROTC. You can take some general college classes while enlisted at a community college which will give you a good start on getting a high GPA. Your GPA will transfer to your 4 year college. The other route would be to get your degree while enlisted and go OTS, but I would recommend the ROTC route.
@@jrobion thank you that helps a lot
Great information! Thank you!
I got a 55 on pilot and about to get my pilots license, field training this summer, crossing my fingers for that👍🏽
i would suggest retaking the AFOQT test. YOu need a higher pilot score.
@@danielh6015 I’m retaking in October, I saw yesterday that doubling Pilot can triple your PCSM, thank you!
@@shawnandrew6895 hows it going now?
What does the pilot test look like?
Is it harder to be selected for an rpa pilot slot or is it about the same
It is easier to be selected for RPA than to be selected for Pilot. Pilot is the most competitive category. It goes Pilot, RPA, CSO, ABM.
My son is being told that he can't do field training due to being overweight. Is this true? He passes the BMI, stands 6' tall, and weights 225lbs.
Unfortunately the BMI requirement is 25 which is 184 for someone who is 6'. It was switched to 25 a couple years ago and it used to be more lenient. His detachment can also do a body fat calculation to factor for people with a lot of muscle. If he passes that he should be good to go for field training. I think he would need to be less than 18% body fat, but don't quote me on that.
I wish your son luck if he's still interested im a softmoore in highschool before covid i used to be really fit 8 hours a week of bjj and 8 hours of wrestling. I used to be 150lb but because of covid i haven't been able to train and have been eating junk. I take it really seriously. The airforce weirdly wants runners ive heard from watching C.W lemoine. So ill be trying to lose wait with cardio i currently weigh 183lb
Can someone please tell me where to apply because I wanted to apply and all the websites I been on don’t really teach you how to actually fly a plane and I wanna be abel to fly a plane so if anyone can tell me where to apply that would be amazing
Is there any way you could make this video again but for 2022 ?
Updated information?
Do you know if the navy Will guarantee a pilot spot ? I know the Marine Corps will guarantee it but not necessarily fighters.
I would redo it with updated data, however, since I don't work in ROTC anymore I don't have the updates. I did this video when I was briefing families multiple times per day about scholarships and pilot selection so it was the best time for me to get the info out. I've been out of it for a while and I don't have any idea about the new selection rates or the current order of merit.
I have a question. I plan on majoring in History because it is what I want to study, will this have an affect on me wanting to be a pilot?
It won't have an effect at on becoming a pilot. Your goal should be to get straight As, max out your PFA, get above 80 on the pilot section of the AFOQT and do well at FT. Private flying lessons won't hurt either. Your major doesn't matter.
I am a senior in high school and I want to know if there is anyway to take the flight physical before I get selected? I know there is a class 1 physical I can take which is what is required for airline pilots and I want to know how similar the USAF flight physical is to that one.
Yes, you can take the class 1 physical from a civilian doctor, but that won't guarantee that you will be cleared by the USAF flight physical when it comes to it. I did see someone fail the color blindness test on the initial military physical and get DQ'd only to get that reversed when they went to a civilian doctor and had the eye test done again on their own. You really can't predict what might be found in a physical. Usually it's fine, but you never know.
Another quick question: how many officers do I have to beat in my flight training group?
Sorry, I don't know the answer to that. You would have to ask someone who has gone through flight training.
Thank you for the helpful information! I had a question regarding IFT, I am currently an AS300 and am hoping to compete for a pilot slot this year. I do not have my PPL but only need a few more hours and a check ride to get the license. My question is if I do get a pilot slot, do you recommend getting my license and skipping IFT, or waiting to get my license and going to IFT to get more experience before heading to UPT?
I can't answer that from experience since I haven't actually been through the pilot training pipeline.
If it was me I would probably welcome more training prior to UPT. There is always the possibility of failing and washing out so the additional training at IFT would only help your odds of success.
I've met cadets that just want to get their training done so they can start their flying duties and they were glad they got to skip IFT.
I suggest you give it some thought and decide if you want to finish the PPL prior to graduation.
Hello John. What college, or colleges, are you associated with? Thanks.
I was with Purdue, but I retired from the AF last summer.
Thank you for taking the time to make this.
Any advice for Highschool students that want to apply in college? (Things you can get ahead on in ROTC)
A couple of things cadets always struggle with is fitness (PT) and marching. I would do lots of running, push ups, sit-ups, flutter kicks, etc. We always had freshmen throwing up in the trash cans during the first couple of weeks of school.
For marching you can look on RUclips for simple marching commands. Unless it's changed you will need to command a flight for a drill assessment at field training after your sophomore year. It will look good if you are somewhat proficient in drill.
If you are looking for a scholarship as in the HSSP (high school scholarship program) I have another video all about that. The biggest way you can start out is to have solid leadership experience as well as examples of when you worked as part of a team to accomplish a goal. The interviewees I had always had trouble with examples about team projects and leadership experience.
Thanks I've always loved sports so PT will be good for me I think. On the baseball team I'm on we work as a team to keep the mood up and as a captain its good for me to help each of the new players so hopefully that can transfer. The marching and leading will be weird because it'll be different but good to start early, again thanks for the advice anything helps!
Major Robinson! It's Alex Mills I graduated from Det. 220 in 2018, not sure if you remember me haha.
Of course I remember you. How’s Air Force life going? I just retired this past summer. Lt Col Etter is still there for the rest of the semester.
@@jrobion Congratulations! It's good, I graduated UPT in July and I'm at JB Charleston flying C-17s.
@@Mills117 Good luck to you!
Is it true that you will have a better chance to be a pilot if you go to the Naval or Air Force academy rather thant ROTC?
Yes, that is somewhat true. The story is that the Air Force Academy has more pilot slots per capita to give away than AFROTC. So a person could get a pilot slot out of the Academy that wouldn't have high enough scores to get one in AFROTC.
@@jrobion thanks for the response. What about the air guard? My son wants to become a pilot but we dont know which way would be a faster route. I know that getting a commercial pilot license only gives you 250 HR’s but how does someone reach 1500 HR’s to get hired to a major airlines. Is the Air Guard a good option to get his wings? We currently have a base near us that have the C-17 squadron.
@@blackhouse7646 The Reserves and Guard is a good way to get those hours if your sons goal is to become an airline pilot. Each year the AF Reserves and/or Air Guard have openings for direct accessions right out of AFROTC (after graduation).
This is not a popular option and everyone I knew that applied to go to the Reserves/Guard instead of active duty was approved. Once approved the cadet would apply to a Reserves or Guard unit and enter a contract with them. He could enter an agreement with the C-17 squadron near you for example. This route would require over a year of active duty to complete pilot training and get a certain number of flying hours before the Lt was able to go strict guard/reserve. (I don't know how many hours).
In my opinion it is the best path to get to the airlines quickly since an active duty pilot would require 10+ years of active duty before they can separate.
Thanks! Needed to hear this, going into AFROTC next semester!
Thank you for the great video!
I saw your comment that you had worked at Purdue. Do you happen to know if their Professional Flight major qualifies as a technical major (I'm trying to get an AFROTC scholarship)?
I'm currently a sophomore in high school, looking to go to Purdue and join AFROTC.
No, professional flight does not qualify for an AFROTC technical major. I got that question a lot though. Good luck.
John Robinson is right. Not a technical major My son majored in professional flight at Purdue. Great program. It's a small program at Purdue, so you get the benefits of going to a large university with the benefits of a small major. A good percentage of the flight majors do AFrotc and they are a tight group
This really helped thank you!!