@topgunmommy Said 
What ever you do, don't give up your dreams of learning to fly. Things are a little different here in Canada, but I can give you some important tips. If you lived in Canada, I would tell you to immediately join the Air Cadets. It's a program we have for teenagers from 12-18, where you can learn leadership, survival skills, and about aviation. Cadets can even earn a scholarship to get there private pilot or glider license, and all cadets get a chance to go up in airplane at least once. But since you're in the US, here's what I recommend.
1. Start learning as much as you can about aviation. check out books from your local library and read, read, read.
2. Keep up your school grades, especially math and science
3. If you live near a local airport, head out to the flying school and ask to work as a "Ramp-rat", offer to work for free to begin with, washing airplanes, cutting grass, and fueling aircraft. Show your eagerness to learn, and some nice pilot will take you for a ride!
4. There are many different types of pilots in the military: Airforce, Navy, Marienes, and Army all have pilots; there are helicopter pilots, cargo pilots, transport pilots, as well as Fighter pilots.
5. Fighter pilot school (which comes after basic flight school) is the hardest to get into and only the top 5% of the class gets in. Also you need 20/25 uncorrected vision to become a fighter pilot and you have to be within certain height requirements.(don't grow past 6'1".)
6. Can you stomach flying?? well if you like to go on roller coasters and don't get sick after, you'll be fine.
7. If you do become a military pilot of any kind, after your initial term of service, you'll be able to get a commercial pilot's job fairly easily--and the pay is great: $100,000. to $200,000. per year, so the time spent in the military is well worth it for your future!
8. If you tried to get all that training and experience on your own, it would cost you $100,000. and take 3 or 4 years anyway!
Good luck and don't give up your dreams!
@trueblulov Said
I want to become a pilot when I grow older, even though I haven't ridden in a plane ever. I figured I could go into the Air Force and get free education, but I was wondering something. If the Iraq War lasts until 2013, would I be shipped off to Iraq? I find it highly unlikely that the next President will keep the war going, but I just thought it might be nice to know if I would, seeing as how there aren't any Air Force TV commercials.
you shouldnt worry, im in AFJROTC and im pretty sure im gonna be a pilot. anyway first thing you would do is take ROTC in collage or hit up the academy. so its gonna take you four years to get threw then youll get your commission. then it falls into what do you want to fly, for example i want to fly a-10s, so youll train for that and if you dont make for the plane you want just keep trying for it. even if they say youll never fly dont believe them, they have pilots that fly with glasses or contacts. also if you get sent to war, you got to remember, by the time you do fly, you will be part of the most advance flying force this world has seen. plus you should want to kill for you freedom, so it shouldnt be a problem dropping a 500lb bomb on some enemy "targets".
You're 15, so add 3 years until you're out of high school and an additional 4 years for college (because only officers are pilots in the AF, not enlisted members). So at the earliest you wouldn't be flying for the AF until the year 2016. Doubt we'll be in Afghanistan still. Doesn't mean we won't be involved in another conflict at that point though.
Feb 04, 2008 @ 19:43:00
