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[beatles101]

what is it like to be in the marines if anybody is in

[Commibuster]

Ok, so I read through the entire thread and there really isn't anything on being a pilot. How hard exactly is it to become one? I really want to do something like flying whether it's a helo or whatever, just flying. Any info such as which would be easier to get a flying job Air Force, Army or Navy etc. would be great. Thanks in advance. Also, I am currently in college and unable to decide on a major right now and am in my second year, I have the availability to do Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC ( which I believe you need to be an officer to be a pilot ).

[SBL]

Well, I'm no soldier, but AFAIK you need to pass selection for the WOFT (Warrant Officer Flight Training) program after Basic training. Kinda like OCS but for fliers. At least, that's what the recruiter told me.

[Lambert58]

Ok, so I read through the entire thread and there really isn't anything on being a pilot. How hard exactly is it to become one? I really want to do something like flying whether it's a helo or whatever, just flying. Any info such as which would be easier to get a flying job Air Force, Army or Navy etc. would be great. Thanks in advance. Also, I am currently in college and unable to decide on a major right now and am in my second year, I have the availability to do Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC ( which I believe you need to be an officer to be a pilot ).

I can only speak for the Air Force... but here's what I can tell you, in general:
You do need to be an officer for sure, but you don't have to get your commission through ROTC. You can finish your degree and then head down to the local AF recruiter's office and take the AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualification Test), and a physical. If you score well enough, pass the physical, AND the Air Force has an open spot, they'll ship you off to Officer Training School then to Undergraduate Pilot Training. My best advice to you: call an officer recruiter, should be able to find the # in your local phone book.

Make sure you check out National Guard also, if your primary goal is to be a pilot, they might have more commissioning/flying opportunities than the active duty side.

[Dling]

just a small question: What is on an aptitude test (cf)? I got the call today for setting up a date as too when I'm going to do it.

[Wally1967]

just a small question: What is on an aptitude test (cf)? I got the call today for setting up a date as too when I'm going to do it.

To test your fitness and mental health as far I know.

From Wiki,

Skills, abilities, and aptitudes are similarly related but distinct, descriptions of what a person can do, and should not be conflated. Skills are a backward looking description, and describe what a person has learned to do in the past. Abilities are a present description, and describe what a person can do now, including things which was not explicitly learned skills. Aptitudes are a forward looking description, and describe skills a person has the ability to learn in the future.

[Dling]

i see. I heard it was some kinda test on everything kinda like an iq test?

[orionhawk]

Ok, so I read through the entire thread and there really isn't anything on being a pilot. How hard exactly is it to become one? I really want to do something like flying whether it's a helo or whatever, just flying. Any info such as which would be easier to get a flying job Air Force, Army or Navy etc. would be great. Thanks in advance. Also, I am currently in college and unable to decide on a major right now and am in my second year, I have the availability to do Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC ( which I believe you need to be an officer to be a pilot ).

Usual Disclaimer: this info is Navy-specific.
You do, indeed have to be a commisioned officer. The Navy is starting a Warrant Officer Pilot program (helos only), but you have to be enlisted in an Aviation-related rating for at least 6 years, and achieve Petty Officer 1st Class rank (E-6) to be eligible. The Naval Academy and Navy ROTC programs both offer Flight Officer career fields, as does our new Bachelor's Degree Completion Program. If you are in your second year, you are ineligible for Academy or 4-year NROTC. You can contact the ROTC department at the college you intend to attend in NROTC for info about 2-year NROTC, or contact your local officer programs recruiters for info about BDCP.

[orionhawk]

just a small question: What is on an aptitude test (cf)? I got the call today for setting up a date as too when I'm going to do it.

Usual Disclaimer: this info is U.S. Navy-specific.
Presumably you refer to the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). It is a test similar to an IQ test, that is designed not so much to test for minimum performance, like scholastic standardized tests, but more for absolute capability. As such, it is intentionally written so that there are questions any semi-functional near-adult should be able to answer, and questions Spock would have to think about for a minute. It consists of the following sections: AR (Arithmetic Reasoning), AS (Auto & Shop), EI (Electronics), GS (General Science), MC (Mechanical Comprehension), MK, (Math Knowledge), PC (Paragraph Comprehension), WK (Word Knowledge), and, in the case of ASVAB's administered by the Navy, CS (Coding Speed). There are also a couple of calculated scores, specifically VE (Verbal Composite), and AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test), which is a percentile score (NOT a percentage) that determines whether you are eligible to enlist at all. The Navy uses those raw scores to calculate line scores for specific job fields. I assume the other service do the same. The individual section scores are also not percentage based. I don't know how exactly they are calculated, but most of them have a normal max of about 70, and few people score below 25-ish on any section.


MM1(SW), USN Recruiter, Active.

oops, I just caught that you were referring to a Canadian test.

[beatles101]

i am thinking joining up with the canadian army reserve

[Adriatick]

As I've said before I plan to enlist in the U.S. Army and I just have questions about how one gets their desired MOS. I know that I must have the proper ASVAB scores as well as other requirements for the MOS however my question is do you always get the chance for the desired MOS? and what if you don't/can't get any of the desired MOS then are you an open item to be put anywhere? I just need to know since my recruiter seems to dodge these questions and change subjects.

[Lambert58]

As I've said before I plan to enlist in the U.S. Army and I just have questions about how one gets their desired MOS. I know that I must have the proper ASVAB scores as well as other requirements for the MOS however my question is do you always get the chance for the desired MOS? and what if you don't/can't get any of the desired MOS then are you an open item to be put anywhere? I just need to know since my recruiter seems to dodge these questions and change subjects.

It's pretty simple, and has been stated several times through this thread: If it's not on your enlistment contract, nothing is guaranteed. If your recruiter promises you an MOS it better be on the contract. Having said that: If an MOS is on your contract and at some point you fail to qualify (i.e., you flunk out of that MOS' school) then the Army can put you wherever they want to or separate you.

At some point in your entrance process you'll fill out a "dream sheet" of sorts, listing the MOS' that you are interested in. That sheet means exactly zero. They'll put you where they need you if you didn't have a guaranteed job (contract).

[Adriatick]

It's pretty simple, and has been stated several times through this thread: If it's not on your enlistment contract, nothing is guaranteed. If your recruiter promises you an MOS it better be on the contract. Having said that: If an MOS is on your contract and at some point you fail to qualify (i.e., you flunk out of that MOS' school) then the Army can put you wherever they want to or separate you.

At some point in your entrance process you'll fill out a "dream sheet" of sorts, listing the MOS' that you are interested in. That sheet means exactly zero. They'll put you where they need you if you didn't have a guaranteed job (contract).

Ah I see thanks for the info. Also is it a good idea to take online courses as I'm going active duty or is it just better to just go through the 4 years and then go to a traditional college? I'm sorry if my questions seem simplistic and can be otherwise associated with common sense, I just want to be absolutely sure so I don't go in blind.

[orionhawk]

As I've said before I plan to enlist in the U.S. Army and I just have questions about how one gets their desired MOS. I know that I must have the proper ASVAB scores as well as other requirements for the MOS however my question is do you always get the chance for the desired MOS? and what if you don't/can't get any of the desired MOS then are you an open item to be put anywhere? I just need to know since my recruiter seems to dodge these questions and change subjects.

Disclaimer: I am a Navy recruiter. this information is per training I have received on how the Army does things, and hearsay from Army recruiters. The Navy does things very differently.

As I've been given to understand, the Army puts several (3 or 4) individual MOS' or job-fields or whatever on your contract. You are guaranteed the school for one of those. One of them will normally be infantry. And the reason I say guaranteed the school is because in any number of situations you could, for example, have gone to school to be a ADA radar operator, and find yourself with rifle and armor, hoofin' it on patrol.

If you are referring to earlier, when you are at MEPS getting your contract, you would at least initially only be offered jobs you qualify for. If you get a 30 on the ASVAB I would guess you will not be an intel guy. If you get a 95 on it, they will try to get you to accept something cool. Once the jobs are on your contract and you have signed/sworn in, pretty much the only thing that will cause one to be removed before you are selected for one is if you disqualify yourself; for example good luck getting intel if you get in legal trouble while in DEP.

[orionhawk]

Ah I see thanks for the info. Also is it a good idea to take online courses as I'm going active duty or is it just better to just go through the 4 years and then go to a traditional college? I'm sorry if my questions seem simplistic and can be otherwise associated with common sense, I just want to be absolutely sure so I don't go in blind.

DIFFERENT Disclaimer: This goes for all services.

Strongly recommend you knock out whatever you can while you are in. I think the Army has an in-service tuition assistance program that will basicall cover your expenses for any level of education while you are in. Ask your recruiter about it, or for a more objective source, check out military.com's education benefits info. Keep in mind, the benefits info on military.com is not to get you to join, it is there to help people who are in use their benefits.
Look long and hard before you use GI Bill while on active duty. That is for when you get out.
Army is working on a program to get ACE recognition for in-service training as college courses. Once they get it in place, you wanna make sure you make best use of it you can.

Final: The key to using education benefits for any service is that it is dependent upon one person: YOU. No one will sign you up. (Any decent leader will try to help.) No one will complete the paperwork for you. It is solely up to the individual to USE his benefits. They are there for the taking.

Also: keep in mind, education must be secondary to mission accomplishment. Do not expect to be allowed time for education when you are behind on required military qualifications or maintenance.