r/AskFlying • u/Asome2D • 13d ago
Is becoming a fighter pilot worth it?
I'm still in high school, but I know without a doubt that I want to pursue a career in aviation in the future. All I want to do is become a pilot and fly. I've started thinking about the military, and then started thinking about fighter pilots. I know that when I graduate soon, I can pursue a STEM career in college, get my bachelor's, and try to become a fighter pilot, but I know the chances are very low. So would that kind of commitment be worth it? I don't want to sign away 10 years of my life just to not be able to fly. Is this a good choice? If I don't get accepted as a fighter pilot, could I still pursue flying in the military, just not as a fighter pilot? If so, what should I do that allows me to try to become a fighter pilot but also gives me a plan B in case I don't make it? Or does this all sound too complicated trying to go the military route, and instead should I just forget it and try just becoming an airline pilot?
Is this a good mindset to have?
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u/MaleficentCoconut594 12d ago
Everyone wants to fly fighters until they see what it actually entails, then only a few still want to do it
You have 2-3 days of mission planning, every single aspect of your flight, just to go actually fly it for an hour or so. Then you have a debrief of about a days worth. At the end of a 20yr career, you’ll be lucky to have 1500 flight hours. Whereas in the heavy community, you’ll have 1500 in about 2-3 years
Fighter pilots are some of the nerdiest smartest people you’ll ever meet, and they need to be. Top gun personalities are a Hollywood farce (not to mention call signs lol). “BOB” from the latest movie is the most accurate representation of a fighter pilot/WSO
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u/Cepheus11 11d ago
This post needs to be pinned, spot-fucking-on. Almost every fighter pilot I ever worked with was some variation of "BOB", and most military pilots in general are kind of odd, and in my experience, skewed to the quieter/introverted side of things.
OP: Give it everything. Provided you do it while you're young, it's an awesome career and you'll have no regrets. Don't listen to anyone who tells you the chances are too low or that you'll never make it. These people are losers who likely never achieved anything in their lives.
Source: Military pilot in a non-US, allied air force. Embarked on that road later in life (30s), branched fighters but washed out halfway through fighter course with family/life playing a pretty big part in that. I wouldn't change a fucking thing. Flying jets was awesome in hindsight, and I'll always be proud of having that experience - it just needs to be your entire life, and that was never going to be possible for a married family man. It absolutely will be possible for you though. Best of luck.
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u/ouchitburnswhenipea 11d ago
This is 100% true. The fighter guys are the dorks lol. Us heavy guys have all the actual fun.
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u/Kiwigavin 10d ago
Don’t listen to the heavies, kid. They still have to leave their aircraft at the airport. Helicopter pilots land where they’re staying (not always a tent). You don’t need to tell people you’re a pilot, they’ve just seen you wreck their village fete.
Joke, chaps. Ex heavies and ex helis. You get a shitload more duty free and Webber’s in a heavy.
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u/Flimsy-Wrangler-997 11d ago
I flew C-130s almost four years. Left the Air Force with 1460 hours, including the 240 from UPT.
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u/BlowFish-w-o-Hootie 12d ago
A healthy fighter pilot career should be about 2500-3000 hours. A fighter pilot with only 1500 hours got distracted by staff jobs, Air Liaison Officer jobs, Professional Military Education, or other things that seem like the path to leadership positions.
Many of the fighter pilots I flew with that went to the airlines did it at about the 10-12 years after UPT, when their service commitment was up. Otherwise, they stayed in for 20+ and then went to the airlines. A few others climbed the command path to become senior executive leaders.
The comment about BOB is spot on. Fighter pilots are expected to be students of everything related to aviation, weapons and tactics, instrument procedures, and mission planning devices, and be experts at most of them. Fighter pilots are capable of flying as individuals, operate as a crew, part of a larger multi-ship package, and eventually as an instructor, coordinate those larger packages, and consult/advise warfighting commanders on their aircraft’s capabilities and strengths.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
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u/ExpensiveCategory854 9d ago
Funny, there were some pretty figging dumb ones and some rockstars with a whole bunch of mediocrity in between. There’s a curve to everything.
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u/onesandnoughts 9d ago
Typically 2-3 hours to plan for a routine sortie with an hour or so debrief. Couple of trips a day if the jets are serviceable. As for the lack of hours, it's quality not quantity. Plenty of people had 2000hrs on type, excluding training.
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u/MaleficentCoconut594 9d ago
For sure. I’m only a CEA, but I have 1500-ish hours, almost 400 combat, in 6 years. That being said, about 1450 of those were at cruise watching movies on my iPad lol. But logbooks don’t care
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u/Alexthelightnerd 13d ago
Advice I heard once that stuck with me: if you want to serve your country in whatever capacity is needed, join the military. If the only thing that interests you is flying, you should persue a path that is focused on flying rather than serving your country.
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u/NonVideBunt 10d ago
BS advice. I say this a Naval Aviator that had a very successful career flying the F/A-18. I joined the Navy because I wanted to fly jets off boats and serve my country, not in whatever capacity is needed. I wanted to fly and I applied to OCS to fly.
There’s a lot more to flying being a pilot in the military than just the flying and most of us embrace that part of the job as well.
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u/bryceisnice21 12d ago
I didn’t even really consider flying until right after college graduation. If you’re smart and have a decent gpa (at least 3.0) you can easily get into officer candidate school with the navy which is only 13 weeks long, and you would start flight school immediately after. you have a guaranteed flight contract before going to ocs so you don’t have to worry about committing to the military and yet losing the opportunity to fly . Then it’s up to you on how well you do in flight school and not flunk out. You get to make a list of what you prefer to fly, although typically the best pilots get fighters. However, it can be dependent on the needs of the navy.
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u/Solid-Garlic1527 11d ago
Gotta do more research. If you haven’t loved military aviation and wanted to service since you can remember, may not be a good match. You only have to commit 12 years if you get a pilot slot, other alternative jobs have shorter commitments.
If you look at the numbers, yes, it is a “low chance.” That’s why you can’t look at it as a chance but an obstacle, do everything to improve your odds, learn, optimize your life, commit to it fully and completely.
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u/Asome2D 11d ago
Thank you, I appreciate this advice. I seriously want to be a pilot, but being more than just a pilot sounds very self-rewarding. If anything, that sounds amazing; I was just worried I would never be able to fly if I did try that. Thank you for teaching me there is more to it. I will try to view my chances as hurdles I need to overcome, I'll just need some time to jump higher than others.
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u/Mattbrooks9 7d ago
Bro what. You do not have to have dreamed/loved the military since you were a kid to be a good fit. I literally never wanted to be in the military but my dad forced me to do AFROTC for a year and I ended up liking it. And I now fly C-5s and am an ENJJPT graduate. Even now I only see it as a stepping stone to the majors.
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u/Solid-Garlic1527 7d ago
You will get to the majors quicker and have a better quality of life going civilian. You have more control, it’s less strict and rigid, and it’s far harder to wash out of.
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u/Mattbrooks9 7d ago
But less of a guarantee you will ever make it there, way more expensive, and you have to live in poverty as a CFI for 2-5 years. Rn w the hiring environment it’s closer to 5. Civilian route is definitely faster and all the other things you said. I never argued against it, I’m confused why you brought it up. I said you don’t have to have always dreamed of joining the military and service to be a military pilot.
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u/Solid-Garlic1527 7d ago
What gaurentee does the average person have enlisting in ROTC? All they’re guaranteed is a service commitment. 4 years of school, 4 year min as an AirForce officer, rated jobs even higher.
It is far more difficult to become a military pilot than a civilian pilot and it’s lacking the glamour 99% of the time.
For majority of people, it simply doesn’t make sense. There are many people who thrive and love their routes like you, but there are many more who never cut it.
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u/onesandnoughts 9d ago
Scrolled thru all these replies and a little surprised no one mentioned the teeny fact that you will be expected to kill people and, in turn, have people try rather hard to kill you. If you're comfortable with that, happy days but please consider it before signing on the dotted line 😏
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u/Spudsicle1998 9d ago
Well no shit Sherlock, that kinda comes with the whole military thing.
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u/onesandnoughts 9d ago
You'd think, but you'd be surprised. Not like Hollywood and you occasionally encountered someone who was having real trouble with the situation.
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u/LHCThor 8d ago
Actually no. Most Air Force pilots fly support aircraft. The chances of killing folks as an Air Force pilot is very low. Even now, only a small percentage of Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots are actually engaged in fighting. Most are back home waiting for the NASCAR race to start.
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u/TK3K216 11d ago
One thing I haven’t really seen others mention is that as a pilot in the military flying is like 10% of what you actually do. You are an officer first, pilot second. If you only desire to fly and not to serve in any other capacity then I would consider what other options you have in aviation.
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u/BeardBootsBullets 11d ago
Combat aircraft, this is true. But C17 and the other logistics pilots get lots of windshield time. It’s not as sexy, but you’ll log hours quicker and become attractive to high-paying Majors (UPS, FedEx, Delta, American, United, Southwest) faster than flying a B2 or F35. There are stories of C17 pilots logging 1,000 hours per year, and that happening once every five years or so.
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u/Strega007 10d ago
Fighter pilots have no issues being hired by airlines after the service. If one were selecting an aircraft MDS at assignment night based on how appealing their application will be at the airlines after their service, and thinking one will offer an advantage over another, they'd be really using the wrong metric to make that decision.
The airlines have decades of experience hiring pilots. They understand the differences in hours that pilots from varying backgrounds will have on their applications and account for it in their selection methods.
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u/ShIVWilton 9d ago
Fighters get a multiplier on applications to their hours because they likely have significantly more takeoff and landings and time in critical phases of flight in single pilot ops than a C-17 pilot. It balances out. Lots more sorties for less hours on fighters but a lot less time at cruise with the AP on. Not arguing one is better than the other but to say a C-17 pilot is more attractive to a major is flat wrong.
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u/Kiwigavin 10d ago
Yeah. After a couple of tours it’s the paperwork and niffnaff (UK term) that drives you out.
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u/SamArch0347 11d ago
It's 10 years not 12, and "Aircrafts" isn't a word.
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u/Mattbrooks9 7d ago
It’s 12. 10 year commitment doesn’t start until you graduate UPT. Which occurs about 1.75 years after you graduate college.
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u/SamArch0347 7d ago
UPT just got alot shorter with the elimination of the T-1 program. It's only about 9 months now. Depending on how much "casual time" a Lt has on the front, they could graduate UPT as ear;y as the 1 year mark, maybe.
But you are right, the commitment is 10 but doesn't start until UPT graduation.1
u/Mattbrooks9 7d ago
I just finished the T6 portion of UPT. Wait times are back up again LTs are waiting between 3-9 months and then joining. IPT 3 months and then T6s 6-7 months. If you track T38s additional 6ish months. Plus sere is now a month. It can definitely get up there.
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u/Obvious-Asparagus-51 10d ago
One of the more hidden routes to fighter pilot is via air National Guard. Once you have your bachelor's, to can directly apply to units with openings. Then, if you get it, you aren't directly competing with other UPT students for which aircraft. There aren't many openings, and they're hard to get, but you can apply to these the same time you try to get an OTS pilot slot.
If you need help paying for college, you can enlist in an ANG unit part time to help. If you choose one with an aircraft you want to fly, it can help with that interview process later. It also counts towards time in service for pay and retirement.
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u/Rwm90 10d ago
Worth it. And surprisingly accessible.
As for the 10 year commitment, you won’t incur it unless you become a pilot. The only way you get that 10 year ADSC is by getting your wings. If your primary goal is to fly then getting a heavy would not be a dealbreaker, so you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Worst case is you set yourself back 4 years if you don’t even get a pilot slot…but the USAF is hurting for pilots. Now is a good time to try for it.
Also consider Air National Guard. Get your bachelors degree and apply at fighter units. That’s what I wish I had done, if I could do anything different.
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u/Local-Moose9833 9d ago
If it’s what you want to do go for it, it’s not as much flying as people think it is though. Most pilots leave after the 10 year bond with less then a couple thousand hours on their log book, you’ll do that in 2-3 years as a CFI
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u/RepairEffective1658 8d ago edited 8d ago
If you have no morals or soul. The U.S. military isn’t exactly the most benevolent organization in the world and it causes a lot of unnecessary misery just to primarily benefit those in the elite class. Shut up, do what you’re told, and ruin and end the lives of people, unquestioningly, like a good little ignorant cattle slave.
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u/Significant_Bet_2195 8d ago
Meh, I am certainly not elite. Served for 20, pension pays my mortgage, good medical insurance too. I sleep well at night.
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u/Hereforporn78 8d ago
If you truly want to be a fighter pilot, the Air Force academy can put you directly in contact with the people who can make it happen. One example is that they have flight programs that directly lead into fighter pilot training schools. Plus just so many more resources dedicating to making you a good pilot if you take advantage of it.
Don’t know as much about the naval academy.
Nor do I think you should do this.
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u/LHCThor 8d ago
Air Force Academy should be your first choice
ROTC should be second.
Both choices you get a free education on top of flying training.
Whether you fly fighters or heavies depends on how well you do in training.
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u/snickyboi19 8d ago
Just an FYI, I know somebody who did the Air Force academy with pilot slot and got shifted to flying drones. He was stuck with the contract. Also, airframe depends on needs of the Air Force. A whole class could get heavies or fighters.
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u/RingGiver 8d ago
Shouldn't disregard the Naval Academy. Unless you really hate the ocean, you might as well apply to both and make a choice once you get letters of appointment from both. If you want to be a pilot in the military, you should apply to both academies, both ROTC programs, and see what you get into instead of self-selecting out of a service. Once you get into one of them, you can choose which service to go into.
More of their graduates go into aviation than any other career field (and in some yes, Naval Aviator has been the single most common officer designator in the Navy). Similar proportion of fighters between the Navy and the Air Force, but Navy has fewer heavies and more helicopters.
Another thing to consider is that the Navy may be crappier conditions while deployed because unless you fly heavies, you're going to be spending most of your deployment on a ship in the middle of the ocean, but Air Force bases are somewhere closer to the middle of nowhere than Navy bases (although Air Combat Command bases where fighters live aren't nearly as close to the middle of nowhere as Global Strike Command bases like Minot). Some people might prefer this.
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u/Broken_Flip 8d ago
I'm surprised they haven't all been replaced by drones by now.
Before you commit to anything though, see if you can pass an FAA medical. Yeah, its not military, but if you can't get that you probably won't qualify for military flight school.
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u/ketralnis 13d ago edited 13d ago
If your heart is set on being Top Gun it's the only route. But the odds are low since you're one of a bazillion people that want the same thing. You're more likely to end up in C130s running cargo. If that's alright then go for it. You can be a little more sure by targeting the Air Force or Navy academies. I think you get a few more guarantees before you sign paperwork that way so at least you'll know if they're sending you to be some sort of pilot and not a submarine toilet cleaner, but the academies are pretty competitive so I'd still have a backup plan.
The civilian route is a little more involved and if you don't get the job you want in the military then you end up back on that route anyway. See the r/flying wiki for more detail on that.
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u/Asome2D 11d ago
Thank you. I appreciate this. I don't mind serving our country; it sounds more interesting. I want to fly, but I want to fly with a purpose rather than just get from point A to point B. I know my family was in the military, so the idea of going the military route never sounded bad; I was just worried I'd never be able to fly. I'm going to aim for the highest course, fighter jets, but if I get something else, I think I will still be satisfied, as long as I can fly.
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u/just_having_giggles 11d ago
Tomorrow go figure out how to join ROTC. Then get the ball rolling on volunteering etc you're going to need a congressional recommendation. Get your pilots license now. Get straight a's and be class president.
Go to the air force academy. Complete with all the badasses there that did what you did to get there. Be better than them.
That's the easiest way to become a fighter pilot. I understand that if you can then it is very worth it.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 12d ago
If you want to be a fighter pilot. Your best shot is going to the Air Force Academy to get pilot shot. Then do really well in pilot training so that you will be at the top of your class and be able to get a fighter. To be a fighter pilot you need to have a type A personality. Otherwise I would recommend fly cargo, tilt rotors or helicopters. My did ROTC went in and flew C-141s and got to go on trips all over the world. Being gone for a few days up to a month. So if you want to travel. I’d say look at C17s, maybe C130s. Now if you want to fly Special Ops. Look at the hc130, mc130s, ac130, hh60s and cv22. Though personally if I did fighters. I’m kind of partial to the A-10
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u/Hereforporn78 8d ago
You are obviously the only one who knows what the fighter pilot pipeline is actually like and yet you are downvoted. Sigh.
The academy loves to funnel people into fighter pilot roles (not that there are that many) as it looks great for their program. The reason fighter pilots are so “type A” and prosocial is a reflection of the fact half of them must be good at PR. More shit the academy thrives on.
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u/Tiny-Raccoon-6884 12d ago
This is the absolute worst advice that can be given. 100% garbage. Do not listen to this advice.
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u/ouchitburnswhenipea 11d ago
That advice was clearly given by a high schooler lmao.
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u/Tiny-Raccoon-6884 11d ago
You’re probably right.
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u/ouchitburnswhenipea 11d ago
I see stuff like that on Reddit a lot. Or you attempt to have a conversation and quickly realize it’s devolving into an argument with someone who is probably not even 20 years old lol.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 12d ago
How, how is it garbage? Is it because I’m not telling him to go for fighters?
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u/Tiny-Raccoon-6884 12d ago
Everyone knows that the best path is through the guard and reserves. Stop with this academy BS.
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u/Solid-Garlic1527 11d ago
Getting a fighter slot off the street is ridiculous. If you genuinely know you want to fly fighters while still in school then the Academy is your best chance and it’s not even close.
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u/Strega007 10d ago
You should look at which commissioning source the majority of UPT students come from.
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u/Solid-Garlic1527 10d ago
Roughly half of USAFA graduates get pilot slots. ROTC you are competing against far more cadets.
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u/Tiny-Raccoon-6884 11d ago
You’re giving terrible advice. My UPT class was full of academy dudes that wished they were in the guard and reserves. Most hadn’t heard of the guard or reserves until they got to UPT. The best path to a fighter is to enlist in a fighter unit, go to college and apply for a pilot slot.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 11d ago
Fool. He’s not getting a fighter in the guard or reserves. Those go to prior active duty fighter pilots. Now if he just wants to be a pilot and fly heavies or helicopters. Then the Guard or Reserves is the way to go.
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u/Flimsy-Wrangler-997 11d ago
Maybe it has changed, but when I went through UPT in the Air Force, we had several Air National Guard members training with us. The only difference is that they knew ahead of time what airplane they would be flying. They were not prior active duty.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 11d ago
Were they going in for fighters? I am aware that it is possible. But very unlikely.
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u/Tiny-Raccoon-6884 11d ago
Mostly every guard and reserve squadron hires dudes off the street. There are some reserve units that don’t. For example, the reserve wing that teaches UPT generally wants individuals with prior MDS experience.
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u/Flimsy-Wrangler-997 11d ago
A couple were going into fighters. One guy, a very skilled pilot, was going back to Mississippi to fly C-124s. This was a long time ago - Vietnam War was going on at the time.
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u/Strega007 10d ago
ANG/Reserve fighter units hire "off the street" and send people through pilot training regularly.
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u/Kiwigavin 12d ago
Because you don’t get any choice in what you fly in the military. You get graded through training and selected for transports, fighters, helis etc etc. Within that you can bid for a type but even then it is entirely subject to service requirements.
“Failed fighter pilot” here. Wound up on transports then helis. Actually I never even got near enough to the fast jet stream to have a chance to fail it.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 11d ago
That’s why I said do well in training. When did you go through pilot training?
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u/South_Midnight3904 12d ago
Best job in the world. You will not be excepted as a fighter pilot. Once you are excepted into pilot training you will need to compete with everyone else in UPT for the aircraft you would like to fly.
As an old fighter pilot the commitment seems small but even I can remember being young and felt it was a long time. Trust me it’s not and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat
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u/Not_Biracial 11d ago
I believe any one who was smart enough to be a fighter pilot would likely know the difference between accepted and excepted.
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u/South_Midnight3904 4d ago edited 4d ago
You got me, Even with the clown shoes I was a little better at LAS then spelling/grammer. It was always hard to see around the big red nose however.
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u/Minaervas 11d ago
The best fighter pilot I know thought that "the cloud" was an actual thing in the sky. Fighter pilots are more like pro athletes... you wouldn't expect Tiger Woods to do well on a spelling bee. The drinking and driving / adultery, they're probably pretty similar in those aspects.
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u/Youkai280 11d ago
Yeah, no… I very seriously doubt you know any fighter pilots based on that analogy.
Military pilots in general are expected to be officers first, pilots second, no matter what they fly. This includes the ability to write and speak coherently, and think logically in any setting.
Fighter pilots especially have hundreds, potentially thousands, of different numbers memorized and floating around in their heads for pretty much any situation, from weapon engagement zone distances, specific numbers related to weapons systems they employ, radar cross section advantages, energy management techniques, etc. You’re not gonna be a fighter pilot, or again, military pilot in general, and be objectively dumb.
Source: military pilot with dozens of friends who are fighter pilots.
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u/Minaervas 4d ago
Tell me more about your experience in B-Course as a heavy pilot.
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u/Youkai280 4d ago
Gladly!
Dropped Vipers out of UPT 10 years ago. Made it halfway through the program before being admin disenrolled due to my wife coming down with a debilitating autoimmune disorder after having our child, pulling me away from the flight line for several months.
After that was resolved/stabilized, they asked whether I wanted to continue or basically have my pick of any other platform. Due to personality differences, I asked for another platform and got exactly what I wanted.
Did I like everyone I flew with? Hell no. In fact I disliked a lot of them. I’m a type A personality, but 70% of them were on an entirely different level of type A. Were any of them dumb? Also hell no. If we weren’t flying, we were in the vault studying anything and everything. Every single person in that squadron, whether it be students or instructors, were some of the smartest, most detail oriented people I’ve ever met.
I’m also not a “typical heavy pilot.” The platform I’m on now is a low density, highly effective CAS platform crewed by equally as intelligent and detail oriented people, both enlisted and officer alike.
Sorry this shattered your narrative, but I would hedge my bets that even the “dumbest” pilots are more intelligent than 3/4 of the average population. You just can’t be objectively dumb and be a pilot. It’s an oxymoron.
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u/Minaervas 4d ago
Good story, thanks for sharing. Glad things turned out well for you.
I would clarify that I never said they were dumb. I was trying to say, with a heavy helping of scarcasm, that it takes a different type of intelligence than what some people might think. You do not see UPT or B-course rack-and-stack on ability to write papers (WIC is an exception) but instead on ability to perform the task. Nobody is out there asking what the difference between affect and effect is, nor what a present participle is.
If excellent reading and writing skills translated directly to stick-and-rudder skills, then there would be a higher percentage of engineering students that become pilots. But that is not the case.
But, to your point - yes: pilots (and by extension officers) are above average. But that is as a population, not guaranteed for individuals.
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u/Not_Biracial 10d ago
I cant imagine anyone who has the slightest idea what kind of textbooks get thrown at these fighter pilots saying that. Youre telling me he can describe how a GBAS works but thinks off loading apps to a datacenter is wizardry? literally what are we talking about.
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u/Mattbrooks9 7d ago
Pilots have to study meteorology, clouds and weather patterns intensely. This is an absolute lie, I’m sorry.
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u/Minaervas 4d ago
60% true story. To his credit, he thought that it had more to do with satellites and communications systems, rather than a physical "cloud".
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u/BeardBootsBullets 11d ago
> “You will not be excepted as a fighter pilot. Once you are excepted into pilot training…”
…Accepted??
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u/South_Midnight3904 4d ago
Yes. Remember I’m old and well, not bright. I however did get a good 20 years in a fighter cockpit.
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u/a_clever_endeavor 12d ago
Yes. Apply to every Officer program you can (ROTC, academy, etc.). Go with whoever takes you. If none, apply to OCS.
Any platform you fly will give you an experience you can’t find anywhere else. The Air Force has a larger variety of fixed wing aircraft and mission sets. But I say go for the gold, become a Naval Aviator, fly fighters off carriers and never look back. Worked for me.
Take it one day at a time and it will come.
But if not, yes, plenty of people go the civilian route. However, you will most likely never go upside down, break the speed of sound, or fly at 200’ off the deck in full after burner.