about what to do to become a pilot in the navy or the marine corps

[bretts1919]

I am currently a sophomore in high school and am very interested in becoming a pilot in the us navy, marines, or air force. I have always wanted to fly and want to know what you have to do to become a pilot, if going through the navy or air force rotc program. I currently have a 3.0 or greater and do pretty well in school, what should i be doing to prepare, and what more should i know about trying to achieve this through the rotc?

 

[Gatordev]

First thing first, it's going to take a lot of initiative on your part, so start by looking at the stickies on the site and search the threads that are here already. Then I'd recommend coming back and asking specific questions.

Short answer: Keep grades up, play a varsity sport in HS, apply in time.

 

[SETX07]

Continue to do well in school. Play team sports and join a club or two. Start making connections if at all possible with anyone whom you may want to use as a letter of recomendation. Stay out of trouble. Stay focused and continue to read this board in order to fill your head with all the important knowledge you can gain from this site. Thats about it for now I would think

 

[Herc_Dude]

A good start is keeping up good grades, especially in college. Another way is to strive to be in the best shape you can be in. Work toward maxing out the PFT/PRT scores now. If you get these two things 'out of the way', so to speak, you will find yourself having many more options. You have some time still, but its great that you are thinking about these things now. You also have a great resource in this website. Read through old posts (search) and just soak up all the info you can. Congrats on having a great goal to work towards. Best of luck.

 

[usmarinemike]

Wait till you finish your junior year. If you're not fat, stupid, or a felon you'll have recruiters flying at you from every direction.

BTW...Don't go into the Air Force. You don't want to be a tool your whole life.

 

[Patrack]

Start making connections if at all possible with anyone whom you may want to use as a letter of recomendation.

Would a retired USAF Brig. Gen be able to sign a LOR for NROTC? He is my uncle also. I'm not sure if family is a factor or not.

 

[phrogdriver]

Would a retired USAF Brig. Gen be able to sign a LOR for NROTC? He is my uncle also. I'm not sure if family is a factor or not.

An officer of any service makes for a good LOR. The context of the relationship matters a lot though. "_____ worked for me for a year and could walk on water.." is great. "_____ is my nephew and didn't kill his cousins during family visits..." probably won't help that much. High-level LORs from family members will likely be recognized as such, unless a great explanation is attached, e.g. "____saved his cousins from a pack of wild wallabys while on an expedition mapping the Australian outback." Only if your relative is a truly stratospheric-level VIP, like the Secretary of Defense, will it make a difference, and those people pull strings in more effective ways than writing letters.

 

[HeyJoe]

An officer of any service makes for a good LOR. The context of the relationship matters a lot though. "_____ worked for me for a year and could walk on water.." is great. "_____ is my nephew and didn't kill his cousins during family visits..." probably won't help that much. High-level LORs from family members will likely be recognized as such, unless a great explanation is attached, e.g. "____saved his cousins from a pack of wild wallabys while on an expedition mapping the Australian outback." Only if your relative is a truly stratospheric-level VIP, like the Secretary of Defense, will it make a difference, and those people pull strings in more effective ways than writing letters.

Concur...if I saw a family connection, I'd assume rose-colored glasses and it would mean more to hear from a lower ranking (aviator ideally) who knew you from work experience or school enough to relate what they had seen in your character and performance that would meet the standards and needs of the service.

 

[Patrack]

Okay, thanks.