Insight please

[stunna]

What does it take to become a fighter pilot in the Marines or in other branches of the military? I say Marines first because they are offering a guaranteed flight program...but who is to say i will be guaranteed to fly a fighter. But before i make any life altering decisions, i would appreciate some insight. how well are you taken care of as a fighter pilot? are your living expenses paid, how much do you idealy make a year, etc etc.? as you can see, i am very uneducated in this area. I've spoken to some military personel but no fighter pilots...so if ya don't mind, i'm asking, please HOOK ME UP.

thanks.

 

[texag02]

there is a lot of information on this site that you can search around and find, as the topic has been dicussed a lot. as far as becoming a fighter pilot...there is no guarantee on aircraft. as far as pay grades and what not, and many of your other questions, i suggest you visit your local Officer Selection Office (OSO) - if you dont know where it is, stop by any recruiting station you see as you drive down the road, and they'll be able to direct you, or take a look in the phone book under "recruiting" and start calling around. that is assuming you're in college or plan to get a degree, or already have one

 

[TNWhiskey]

You're not guaranteed to fly 'fighters' in any branch...you're placed or given the choice based on how you do in flight school...the first checkpoint I believe is the break between planes and helos...if you choose planes you'll have to score very well to rate a seat in a Harrier or F-18...otherwise you go Prowlers...or you'll be a transport (C-130) pilot.

I'm a lowly NFO candidate, lol, so I've got only two choices Prowlers or F-18's. Someone out there will know more about the actual split/path to flying jets.

If you have poor study habits and/or lack of motivation you probably will never fly a 'fighter', much less any military aircraft...

In the Marines you will have to 1) Be in better shape to qualify than any other branch 2) get accepted to and go through Marine OCS (toughest of any branch) and 3) go to (before flight school) The Basic School (TBS), which is a 6 month infantry leaders course all Marine officers go through...This is no picnic...if you wanna fly ONLY go to the Navy or Airfarce where you won't have to worry about crawling in the mud after OCS...If you wanna have the respect of all of the armed forces and know how to call in artillery, lead a platoon/company of Marines in a ground assault, and ultimately want to be a true warrior, but want to fly ALSO, give your Marine OSO a call.

Military pay (base and subsistence/food money) is the same for each branch...i.e. rank and time in service rate your pay...pilots/air crews receive $150 flight pay for over a certain number of hours in the air per month. You'll also get basic allowance for housing (BAH) depending on where you are stationed and if you are married/have dependents.

I have one bit of advice for you...if you want to serve your country join the military...if you want to fly jets go through the private sector, because the only guarantee in the miltary is that there are no guarantees.

Good luck.

 

[riley]

If you want a guaranteed type of aircraft - apply to the Air National Guard. In the guard you apply to individual units - so, if you want to fly F-16s, apply to units with F-16s. Most of the time, though, they require you to be a part of their unit (enlisted - traditional guard). Check out the units in your area - go to www.goang.com

Follow TNWhiskey's advice - don't apply to the Marines unless you want to be a Marine first.

I thought I just wanted to fly - but then I started the process to become a Marine - and now, the only thing I want to accomplish is to bear the title of Marine - flying comes second.

Good luck in your endeavors.

 

[Raptor2216]

If you want jets without joining the unit first, go to oregon and apply for the F-15 squd there...but you better be an outstanding applicant b/c they don't care otherwise.

One of my friends is trying to get a slot with the fresno F-16 gaurd unit. He's an instructor pilot with good flight time, prior enflisted Marine, he also did Marine OCS. That is just one example of what you are going up against when you apply for the gaurd units.

 

[stunna]

thanks for all the advice and insight. one more thing, when you have military housing, are other family members, like your brother etc. allowed to live w/ you on base? thanks again.

peace