havens@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jean Elizabeth Havens) (06/05/91)
From: havens@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jean Elizabeth Havens) I am currently in Air Force ROTC and also a student at the University of Pennsylvania. I had a pilot slot, but it was taken away about two months ago in the pilot cutbacks. I was pretty upset about this, as I am sure most of the pilots were, but I understand why it had to be done. However, I would like to keep trying to get the slot back, although I'll probably have to wait until I'm on active duty to have any hope of this. I would think that in five years or so the Air Force will probably be needing more pilots. Any comments on this? Also, I am now looking for advice on what area or AFSC to request - with hopes of maximizing my chance for eventually getting a pilot slot back. Does anyone know of a good field to go into that would be good for this reason? My major is Systems Engineering. One officer recommended AWACS. He said many officers go into this field with hopes of becoming a pilot. Any advice, personal experiences, or ideas would be appreciated. [15 line ascii drawing of a plane cut, too. --CDR ] Jean Elizabeth Havens Systems Engineering '92 University of Pennsylvania
dth@reef.cis.ufl.edu (David Hightower) (06/06/91)
From: dth@reef.cis.ufl.edu (David Hightower) havens@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jean Elizabeth Havens) writes: > I am currently in Air Force ROTC and also a student at the >University of Pennsylvania. I had a pilot slot, but it was taken away >about two months ago in the pilot cutbacks. [...] >Also, I am now looking for advice on what area or AFSC to request - >with hopes of maximizing my chance for eventually getting a pilot slot >back. I know just how you feel; I was commissioned on 3 May 91, and I lost MY slot TWO WEEKS before commissioning! I selected the 49XX career field, since I graduated with a CIS degree. According to the research I've done (believe me--this has been a subject near and dear to my heart) it would seem that the AF will NOT be needing pilots anytime in the forseeable future. They are cutting back funding and trying to decrease down to a 28-wing size. Furthermore, forces will be withdrawn from Europe and the Pacific region, reducing the need even more. Advice? DO NOT choose a career field with the hopes of becoming a pilot later on; the chances of that are very slim. Choose a career field that you are interested in; you may be doing that job for quite some time. About AWACS--they call it "air weapons controller", and they try to steer EVERYBODY into that AFSC. The career field would not help your pilot upgrade possibilities; the only career field that would is NAV/EWO/DWO, and of course that's closed as well. I wish I could tell you more; I know just how your feeling--Believe me I do! -- Dave Hightower | opinion? I'm allowed to have an opinion? dth@cis.ufl.edu | well, if I DID have one, it'd be mine, all mine! 2LT, USAF
ifaq570@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Allen Kitchen) (06/08/91)
From: ifaq570@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Allen Kitchen) >From: havens@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jean Elizabeth Havens) > I am currently in Air Force ROTC and also a student at the >University of Pennsylvania. I had a pilot slot, but it was taken away >about two months ago in the pilot cutbacks. Well Jean, Odds are, if you don't start out on the pilot track, you won't get on the train. The Air Force has never had a problem getting pilots, just keeping them in. If you truly love to fly, then there are several fields to go into, such as: Flight Engineer Navigator Radar Navigator Courier (you heard me) Electronic warfare Ops True, all these won't let you decide where the plane will go, but in truth, the pilot of a C 5 doesn't get to do much joyriding anyway. Personally I was in Avionics, so spent most of my time on the ground. But the airtime I got, I loved. And I wouldn't have traded jobs for anyone. Now trading how much I worked... that was something else... Ground crews never get a decent sleep. allen
rdd@cactus.org (Robert Dorsett) (06/11/91)
From: rdd@cactus.org (Robert Dorsett) I'm reminded of a conversation I had with an ex-Navy pilot, at the airport in College Station. He was flying commuters for Continental. Went something like this (at the time, there was a PILOT SHORTAGE): "The damned BEAN COUNTERS decide they have too many pilots, so they do everything they can to get rid of them: pay them to leave, deny promotion, etc. Then all of a sudden, surprise, they have a PILOT SHORTAGE, so they then spend millions on recruitment, bonuses, incentives, etc. Then they have too MANY pilots, so it's cut-back time again." Ad nauseum. Judging from the Air Force Times I've read, this does indeed appear to be a cyclic phenomenon in the military. It's dumb as hell, but it's how they work. Right now, the airline industry's leaning towards a surplus, so the military probably feels it's somewhat easier to get pilots to renew their contract. This means the number of anticipated empty slots is lower than there'd otherwise be. And, of course, they'll overdo any vetting in their cutbacks. Within 18 months, there'll be a pilot shortage again. Betcha. :-) --- Robert Dorsett Internet: rdd@cactus.org UUCP: ...cs.utexas.edu!cactus.org!rdd
jimb@gvlv2.gvl.unisys.com (Jim Burwell) (06/12/91)
From: faatcrl!jimb@gvlv2.gvl.unisys.com (Jim Burwell) [TWENTY-NINE lines of quoted text removed. :-( --CDR] Oh no! Another pilot wannabe here. This message has me _worried_ and discouraged. Here's my situation: My original game-plan was to xfer to ERAU, as an Aerospace Engineering student, and enter the AFROTC. I chose ERAU for two reasons: Its rep in the Aero industry (I've been told by many that an ERAU AE degree is very well respected in the industry), and the rep of the ROTC unit there. I've been told that the ERAU AFROTC unit is the #1 in the country, and that the pilot "candidates" get preference only after graduates of the Air Force Academy. Not that I totaly buy that last line, but I've heard similar "good things" (from jet jocks, etc) which have lead me to believe that ERAU's AFROTC unit is my best chance of getting a pilot slot. I basically figured that if I failed to get a pilot slot, I'd still have that BS in AE to "fall-back" on, and a career outside of the AF if things didn't work out. Plus, I have "considerable" computer skills (I've been hacking for about 12 years now... leave it at that). So there it is, back up plan and all. Now I keep reading all these messages about a virtual "no new pilots" policy in the AF, and seeing the miltary get sliced and diced to pieces by Congress on C-Span. It really has me down. I see my life's dream falling to pieces because of politics (where does most of the money REALLY go ? The Military ? HA! Ah...lets not get into that here :-) ? So whats all this pathetic rambling about ? Well, basically, I'd like for ANYONE to give me advice on how I can MAXIMIZE my chances of getting a pilot slot in the AF, Navy, Marines, National Guard, etc. Whatever. Flying fighters has been a dream for my entire life, and I'm at the age now where I can either go for it, or give it up. (Not that "giving it up" means being a bum on some street corner. FAR from it. My choices are basically: Going for it, leaving my current job, or "giving up", and staying with my current employer who will pay me lots of money and put me through school for "free".) So, what are my chances, given my chosen field of specialization, computer background choice of school/unit, and "resume" (I'm currently working for CTA, INC, as a Unix Systems Administrator, on contract to the FAA. I've also worked for the FAA doing the same thing, and have won awards and such). Please send replies where appropriate [ Mr. Moderator ? ]. I REALLY need to re-evaluate things, sinces classes start in late August. I need your input to make my decision. [ Please take further discussions on pilot slots to e-mail since career advice isn't exactly in the charter of the group. soc.military.careers, anyone? :-) --CDR] Thanx, Jim PS: please excuse the ranting. I'm really kinda in a state-of-confusion right now, after reading all these messages :-(. -- INET: jimb@faatcrl.uucp UUCP: ..!rutgers!faatcrl!jimb [13 line signature graphic of bomber deleted. Pretend its a F-117. :-) --CDR]