Should I?
So, you’ve decided you want to be a pilot in the US Air Force. Or maybe you haven’t decided yet, and you’re still on the fence. That’s OK. Joining any military service is a major commitment, and, as such, is never a decision that should be taken lightly. Weigh all of your options and decide whether or not this is the right path for you.
If you know any current or prior service military pilots, use them. Ask them questions. Honestly, one of the best ways to find one, if you don’t know any, is to ask a random pilot an airport. In my experience, most pilots are willing to chat about their career and have been more than helpful in providing information on how they did it. Many of the older generation pilots are prior service, so try finding an older captain of a major airline.
For me, I’ve wanted to fly in the military for as long as I can remember. I am already a certificated flight instructor, and have been teaching student pilots for years. So, for me, this decision was a no-brainer. But, it won’t be that easy for everyone.
You don’t have to be a current pilot nor do you even have to have any flight experience to become a military pilot. In either case, the military will provide you with the same requisite training, regardless of your flight background.
I want to make this clear: active duty, reserves, and guard units CAN and HAVE deployed. These deployments have ranged from joint training exercises or transport missions in beautiful locations like Rome or Tokyo to dangerous, war-torn countries like Turkey and Iraq. If you don’t want to deploy, the military probably isn’t the career for you. However, keep in mind that you will be a pilot, not infantry. You will be kept relatively safer than enlisted members, but there is always an inherent risk in deploying.
Think about why you want to join and what you would hope to get out of it. Don’t be afraid to contact your local recruiter to learn more, as you’re going to have to get in touch with one, anyways, to further this process. I know there is a stigma attached to recruiters: that they only care about numbers. That might be true for enlisted side, but officer recruiters are NOT numbers-driven, and will assist you in deciding if this is the right path for you.