hey quick but odd question, a buddy of mine is looking to join as well but cant decide whether to go Air Force OTS or Navy OCS to be a pilot. Is it true that the system for the AF is more cutthroat for civs and in favor of AD?
Also good luck to us on the Nov board. I hope results come soon.
Not 100% sure what you mean but both (civ and AD) applications are highly competitive for the USAF. Are you referring to an AD option of just joining and applying while you're in? I've done that, would not advise.
TL;DR - Pick one branch based on what you want most. Apply for a pilot slot first and foremost, and don't waste your time joining any branch with the hopes of getting picked up for pilot later.
I was told by the Air Force recruiters in December 2019 that if you don't have 1.5 years to devote to the officer application process you should go to another branch, and I mean 1.5 years to just get in. The USAF has a slow and methodical approach. It took two months just to get on a conference call where they give 50+ people all the info at one time, then they say if you're still interested to send them an email. Part of the application process for the USAF is to see if you're willing to go through the process. The length of time and effort it takes to go through the process of putting a package together and submitting it is a weeding out mechanism for candidates. It is intentionally tedious.
To go in enlisted (AD) for the hope of getting a slot, is equally if not more competitive once you're in and you're looking at maybe 1 year to get in, and another 4+ years of being in the military. You need to be in long enough to acquire promotions and decorations to compete against NCO's and SNCO's that could have 10-15 years Time in Service. I wouldn't say it's in favor of AD, if anything, for the first several years in the military as enlisted, the odds are stacked against you. Generally speaking the pilot selection rate for AD guys is 15%. It's easier to get in as enlisted, but to do that for the purpose of flying? Nah. The people who are able to achieve this are an exception IMHO.
If you mean maybe joining the USAF as an officer and switching over to pilot, the recruiters said go to a different branch if you were looking at joining as a regular officer, they weren't going to waste their time on it. Granted, this could have just been my local officer recruiters as of December 2019 but it seemed like they wanted pilots, CSO's, or ABM's and the rest were not considered. That would be a question for his/her local recruiters.
Joining a different branch (AD) for the hopes of getting a pilot slot in the USN or USAF also seems a little bit unproductive. I'd say pick one that you can devote a year's worth of time to the application process and go from there. Or go talk to both recruiters, take the test for both and see how you fair from one to the other. I would NOT just join for the hopes of getting picked up for pilot later. If you can't get in as want you want, look elsewhere to maybe another branch but don't compromise and potentially hate your life for multiple years because of a bad decision.
I honestly think this is more of a lifestyle question that needs answered. There are some great forum posts already on that topic that would be worth the read about the differences from the USAF and USN pilot life from people who have been assigned to both. Of course, the path your friend can take can also be steered by test scores, ability to acquire waivers from different branches, ability to wait different lengths of time, and lifestyle differences between the USN and USAF. From what I hear, the USN is a little bit easier to get accepted as a pilot compared to the USAF.
Good luck to you as well on this board! Fingers crossed for a quick turnaround for results.
