Rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars on training and then taking a low paying job to build experience, why not have Uncle Sam send you through the best pilot training program in the world, cover the cost of it ($1 million - $10 million depending on the aircraft), and pay you to go? If the military is something you really want to be a part of, the AF Reserve and Guard are an incredible route.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree (GPA at least 2.5)
- Pass selection board by age 33
- Height, weight requirements
- No hay fever, asthma, or allergy history after age 12
- Normal color vision
- Near visual acuity of 20/30 without correction and distance visual acuity of no worse than 20/70 in each eye, correctable to 20/20
- Corrective eye surgery isn't necessarily a disqualifier, but could be
Commitment
To be a pilot in the Air Force requires a 10 year commitment from the date you get your wings. Taking into account OTS and UPT, you're looking at about 11.5 years minimum.
Getting Hired
Your first step is getting in touch with a recruiter. You'll have to take two tests:
AFOQT: The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. 12 timed sections, about 3.5 hours total. Pilot scores of 70+ are competitive. Minimum scores: 25 Pilot, 10 Navigator, 50 combined Pilot+Navigator, 15 Verbal, 10 Quantitative.
TBAS: The Test of Basic Aviation Skills tests spatial orientation, coordination, and multi-tasking. Combined with your AFOQT Pilot score and flight hours, it produces your PCSM score (80+ tends to be competitive).
Package & Apply
Put together a cover letter, resume, AFOQT/PCSM scores, college transcripts, flight hours, letters of recommendation. Then apply to the squadrons you want to fly for — one of the biggest benefits of the guard/reserve is you choose your squadron.
Interviews, FC1 Medical, Selection Board
Squadrons interview a few times a year. If accepted, you'll do your Flying Class 1 medical at Wright Patterson AFB. The final step is the AFRC selection board, where you compete against other accepted applicants for trainee spots.
Training
OTS: 9.5 weeks at Maxwell AFB. UPT: First 6 months in the T-6 Texan, then track-based training (T-38 for fighters/bombers, T-1 for heavy/tanker, TH-1H for helo). MWS: Major Weapons System training varies by airframe. Plus land and water survival training, then a 6-12 month seasoning tour.
Reserve & Your Civilian Job
Your civilian job is protected by USERRA. Airlines understand how it works and most go out of their way to interview and hire current military reservists.
Let's Sum it Up
Find a recruiter, study for the AFOQT, take the TBAS, build your package, and start applying. Getting an Air Force Reserve job is a process, but if it's something you really want, all the work is 100% worth it.
