How to become a pilot

[quad decade guy]

He is years away from flying for UPS, but only 4 years away from flying military fixed-wing aircraft.

We have a system set up called MEPS
(Military Entrance Processing Station)
Where we do physicals

It’s worked for over 100 years
Serious statement

My statements stand.

You have a much, much better chance the civilian route. Much better. Much.

Your 4 year statement is pie in the sky for the average individual. To be honest.

 

[MisplacedRailWorker]

@Chicken

My statements stand.

You have a much, much better chance the civilian route. Much better. Much.

Your 4 year statement is pie in the sky for the average individual. To be honest.

I took my PFT test today and scored 217/300
and Marines are under an automatic selection order for the PLC Officer Commisioning Program.
And my ASTB-E score is 6/7/6
ASVAB 95
3.8 GPA in a STEM degree
No medical no waivers
This was all submitted for the selection board for fall 2021 Officer Candidate School
I’m an aviation applicant
serious statement

 

[MisplacedRailWorker]

My statements stand.

You have a much, much better chance the civilian route. Much better. Much.

Your 4 year statement is pie in the sky for the average individual. To be honest.

And I’m not a civilian
Factual statement
Prior service Marine

And I work for the Railroad
With all of my disabilities you mentioned

 

[quad decade guy]

And I’m not a civilian
Factual statement
Prior service Marine

And I work for the Railroad
With all of my disabilities you mentioned

Cool. There are exceptions for everything.

The OP doesn't even have a degree as I understood it.

I would encourage ANYONE to go and look at the statistics(actual possibilities) of success in the military system. Yes, it is possible and yes, ending up flying a King Air in the military is possible.....even that is remote for an average person.

My statements stand. All of them. The OP doesn't have a clue. Comparing him to you isn't realistic. You have a plan and seem to be succeeding.

Now, could he start working on a degree and flight training? You bet. But he would be very smart to consult with an AME Doctor first to see the guidelines of obtaining a First Class Medical. Could he even realistically graduate College? Who knows?

I tried to get a flying crew member MOS(Rescue Swimmer) at 18 yo. Because I had a certain type of illness at 15 yo, I was disqualified from any flying job in the military. Keep in mind I was just leaving high school and could run all day, was a lifeguard and medaled(5th) in the Texas State High School Power Lifting Finals.....in other words, I was beyond healthy and fit. The military app asked "have you ever had...." I was honest and said yes. I had letters from my personal physician and the whole deal.....nope.

BTW, I never pursued a flying career because of the hours at UPS wouldn't allow overnights or day flying....only weekends. Even if I could somehow find a flying gig on the weekends, I would eventually have a conflict with work somewhere. In my experience, this would lead to quitting something. I chose to stay with UPS. The OP doesn't have a clue. Can he change that? Yes. Is it ever too late? Yes, it can be. Anything possible....well maybe. You've shown it can be done....although you are a long way from being there. It sounds like you will be 30 before you fly at UPS......assuming everything works exactly like it has to.

 

[charm299]

Upser out of Charleston WV, very curious how to become a pilot for UPS. I’m only 20 years old, and have no experience piloting a plane whatsoever. Anyone a pilot that can give me some directions to accomplish this dream?

Next contract you will be able to sign bid sheet to become a 22.5 combo pilot. To qualify, all u need to do is run scratch 5 days in a row on a air route. Also, you must have tats and a beard.

 

[MisplacedRailWorker]

Cool. There are exceptions for everything.

The OP doesn't even have a degree as I understood it.

I would encourage ANYONE to go and look at the statistics(actual possibilities) of success in the military system. Yes, it is possible and yes, ending up flying a King Air in the military is possible.....even that is remote for an average person.

My statements stand. All of them. The OP doesn't have a clue. Comparing him to you isn't realistic. You have a plan and seem to be succeeding.

Now, could he start working on a degree and flight training? You bet. But he would be very smart to consult with an AME Doctor first to see the guidelines of obtaining a First Class Medical. Could he even realistically graduate College? Who knows?

I tried to get a flying crew member MOS(Rescue Swimmer) at 18 yo. Because I had a certain type of illness at 15 yo, I was disqualified from any flying job in the military. Keep in mind I was just leaving high school and could run all day, was a lifeguard and medaled(5th) in the Texas State High School Power Lifting Finals.....in other words, I was beyond healthy and fit. The military app asked "have you ever had...." I was honest and said yes. I had letters from my personal physician and the whole deal.....nope.

BTW, I never pursued a flying career because of the hours at UPS wouldn't allow overnights or day flying....only weekends. Even if I could somehow find a flying gig on the weekends, I would eventually have a conflict with work somewhere. In my experience, this would lead to quitting something. I chose to stay with UPS. The OP doesn't have a clue. Can he change that? Yes. Is it ever too late? Yes, it can be. Anything possible....well maybe. You've shown it can be done....although you are a long way from being there. It sounds like you will be 30 before you fly at UPS......assuming everything works exactly like it has to.

I don’t expect tever be flying for UPS or the military, I’m applying for the 1% chance that it does work out.

@quad decade guy I understand your approach and appreciate it now that I read through this entire thread again. Your advice is very helpful, he should make sure he is medically qualified before devoting his entire life and mindset to one specific goal. There are some folks out there who do exactly that and it tears them apart when they realize it’s not a possibility due to factors out of their control. Case in point:

 

[MisplacedRailWorker]

But thank you @quad decade guy for pointing out that there is a possibility that @Chicken might make it through the extremely long and difficult process toward achieving his goal and come to find out he’s not medically qualified. And there the process ends. If flying for UPS Airlines is his dream then yes @Chicken should get an FAA Flight physical just to have that certificate and also know if he can ever do that job. Initially it just looked like you were telling him all the reasons he can’t get that job ever and I got heated; remember now that I’m divorced I have no one to fight with so I come here to do the same. You made the truth very clear that there many obstacles and a very slim chance at achieving this.

He could also talk to an Officer Recruiter, who will more than likely go through a two page long list of questions regarding medical history about a minute into the phone call. Again Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard fly fixed-wing (airplanes).

Army has a couple of fixed-wing aircraft but from what I could deduce from 2 minutes on Wikipedia, the number is ~200 out of 14,000, the rest being rotary-wing (helicopters). It also looks like the fixed-wing aviators fly special operations and are amongst the Army’s most elite.

Click the links in bold if interested in finding a recruiter near you.

USCG Officer Programs
Coast Guard you better have been varsity swim team captain or don’t even bother. I have a friend from high school who was just that and said even ENLISTED CG Boot Camp was so hard he thought he wouldn’t make it.
However, looking at that page I can see they have a LOT of different ways to become an officer.


USAF ROTC Website (For the scholarship)
Air Force you need to be competitive academically and have a high gpa from high school and in college, and they would definitely be your least likely chance at flying. Outside of the Academy, ROTC is where most of the pilots come from. My sophomore year you must qualify for the scholarship, otherwise your grades etc. are just not good enough.

USN Recruiting (enter your zip code then be sure to select the Officer location)
Navy is similar to USAF except a little less competitive. Swimming is not emphasized anywhere near Coast Guard; I would imagine the same amount as Air Force. Just be able to swim in the unlikely event of a water landing.

USMC Officer Recruiting
And finally, my very own beloved Marine Corps. The least competitive. Most in need of aviators. Not all jocks, either. I’m a wiry fellow and passed my final PFT before the next selection board yesterday. The jock next to me, who I swore was going to smoke me, failed. He could only do 6 pull ups and in improper form. The minimum is 8.

And remember that in any of these branches you could end up becoming an officer but not flying, very few can guarantee an aviation slot so you might be obligated to serve 4 to 8 years in a non-flying capacity one you graduate college. Or pay them back if they have you money for school.

Keep the blue side up.

 

[quad decade guy]

But thank you @quad decade guy for pointing out that there is a possibility that @Chicken might make it through the extremely long and difficult process toward achieving his goal and come to find out he’s not medically qualified. And there the process ends. If flying for UPS Airlines is his dream then yes @Chicken should get an FAA Flight physical just to have that certificate and also know if he can ever do that job. Initially it just looked like you were telling him all the reasons he can’t get that job ever and I got heated; remember now that I’m divorced I have no one to fight with so I come here to do the same. You made the truth very clear that there many obstacles and a very slim chance at achieving this.

He could also talk to an Officer Recruiter, who will more than likely go through a two page long list of questions regarding medical history about a minute into the phone call. Again Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard fly fixed-wing (airplanes).

Army has a couple of fixed-wing aircraft but from what I could deduce from 2 minutes on Wikipedia, the number is ~200 out of 14,000, the rest being rotary-wing (helicopters). It also looks like the fixed-wing aviators fly special operations and are amongst the Army’s most elite.

Click the links in bold if interested in finding a recruiter near you.

USCG Officer Programs
Coast Guard you better have been varsity swim team captain or don’t even bother. I have a friend from high school who was just that and said even ENLISTED CG Boot Camp was so hard he thought he wouldn’t make it.
However, looking at that page I can see they have a LOT of different ways to become an officer.


USAF ROTC Website (For the scholarship)
Air Force you need to be competitive academically and have a high gpa from high school and in college, and they would definitely be your least likely chance at flying. Outside of the Academy, ROTC is where most of the pilots come from. My sophomore year you must qualify for the scholarship, otherwise your grades etc. are just not good enough.

USN Recruiting (enter your zip code then be sure to select the Officer location)
Navy is similar to USAF except a little less competitive. Swimming is not emphasized anywhere near Coast Guard; I would imagine the same amount as Air Force. Just be able to swim in the unlikely event of a water landing.

USMC Officer Recruiting
And finally, my very own beloved Marine Corps. The least competitive. Most in need of aviators. Not all jocks, either. I’m a wiry fellow and passed my final PFT before the next selection board yesterday. The jock next to me, who I swore was going to smoke me, failed. He could only do 6 pull ups and in improper form. The minimum is 8.

And remember that in any of these branches you could end up becoming an officer but not flying, very few can guarantee an aviation slot so you might be obligated to serve 4 to 8 years in a non-flying capacity one you graduate college. Or pay them back if they have you money for school.

Keep the blue side up.

Thanks. When it works out for you....pm me. Would love to talk flying or just contact me here....if I haven't been canceled. It's refreshing to just talk about the subject versus fending off personal attacks......just for buying Windex.

 

[MisplacedRailWorker]

Thanks. When it works out for you....pm me. Would love to talk flying or just contact me here....if I haven't been canceled. It's refreshing to just talk about the subject versus fending off personal attacks......just for buying Windex.

I must say thought that the Windex Ammonia-Free version is my favorite for automobile use... The only truly streak free spray for windows and windscreen

even when applied in direct sunlight

 

[Faceplanted]

“…during Operation Desert Storm. Pilots who used amphetamines in air operations described it as "occasional." The most frequent indications for amphetamine use were "aircrew fatigue" and "mission type." Of pilots who used amphetamines, 58-61% considered their use beneficial or essential to operations. Dextroamphetamine (5 mg every 4 h) was used effectively and without major side effects in tactical flying operations. Amphetamine use enhanced cockpit performance and flight safety by reducing the effect of fatigue during critical stages of flight.”

Emonson DL, Vanderbeek RD. The use of amphetamines in U.S. Air Force tactical operations during Desert Shield and Storm. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1995 Mar;66(3):260-3. PMID: 7661838.

Authors:
D L Emonson 1, R D Vanderbeek

Affiliation:
Division of Aerospace Medicine, Langley AFB, VA, USA.

Pervatin and the German military during ww2 show that amphetamines and methamphetamines are performance enhancing to an extremely high degree. Used sparingly.

it also shows how easy it is to abuse, and how lack of sleep/lack of good nutrition eventually makes you have psychosis episodes. There is a documentary about it on the history channel I beleive

one group of German soldiers were such tweekers that they ended up engaging “Russians” who weren’t even there in a long shadow man psychosis fueled battle.