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Fighter Pilot - Kirkwood Fighter Pilot



If you've always dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot, then you need to realize that this is a goal that requires a great deal of time, perseverance and dedication for you to be successful. Fighter pilots are an elite group, and it requires a special type of person to join those select few.

One thing that most people don't realize is that becoming a fighter pilot isn't just about flying. In fact, in order to obtain your military wings you must successfully complete your officer training, as well as your pilot training. So whether you eventually become a fighter pilot, or fill another role within the military, you are an officer first. Your primary allegiance is to the USA and defending it against its enemies. Your career aspirations and flying goals are always secondary.

To become an officer, you have to attend officer training and earn a commission. There are three ways to train as an officer - service academy, Officer Candidate School (OCS) or Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).

If you're a high school student and know you want to become an officer, then you should apply to join a service academy. There are four academies - the Air Force Academy, West Point (Army), Annapolis (Navy & Marines) and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. They all provide rigorous military training, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree. The curriculum focuses on advanced maths and science, so if you're strong in those areas you'll be better equipped to succeed. All the academies provide top-level training, but it's demanding, and competition for acceptance is fierce. For a cadet, you're going to need a high school grade point average of 3.8, plus a SAT score of 1300, with a minimum of 1050 for math and verbal. You'll also find that having a good record of extra-curricular activities will be useful, particularly if they demonstrate leadership or athletic ability.

So the path is obvious, if not easy. If you want to earn your commission and college education at a service academy, perform well in high school, both in and out of the classroom. The application process is extremely lengthy, so don't expect to just fill in a form with a few details and walk into a service academy. You need to provide extensive paperwork, three letters of recommendation, and even a nomination from your Congressman. It's important to start preparing for your application early, and definitely not later than your junior year.

You should also realize that just because you make it into a service academy, there's no guarantee that you'll be given a pilot training slot. Getting into the academy is tough - getting a pilot training slot is even tougher. Right now, however, pilots are in demand, as the Navy, Air Force and Marines do have some retention problems. So there's more of a push to train pilots, making it a little easier to obtain a slot.

Another option is to join The Reserve Officers Training Corps. In this case, you study at college or university as you normally would, but also take on officer training requirements. You will need to attend military training and course, attend weekly meetings, and go to a training camp for at least one summer. Most of the time you can function as a civilian, only wearing military uniform when attending military classes. Once you've completed your officer training, you then proceed to specific training programs such as pilot training. Be warned - competition for these slots is incredibly high. There are rigorous medical, academic and testing requirements you need to meet.

If you've made the decision to be a fighter pilot a little later in life, then The Officer Candidate School (OCS), also known as The Officer Training School (OTS), may be for you. OCS takes a college graduate without a military background and turns them into an officer within 4 months. You can also apply for pilot training school once you're an officer, but again, competition is tough. You should also be aware that you need to begin pilot training before your 27th birthday, so don't leave it too late to pursue this final option.
 
 
 
 
 
Some Other Useful Web Resources

1. LIVONIA, MI Political Contributions by Individuals
... on 08/23/04 DeNapoli, Paul J. Mr. (LIVONIA/Fire Fighter/EMS), (Zip code: 48154) $375 to INTERNATIONAL ... ... Moyer, Stuart G Captain (Mesaba Airlines/Airline Pilot), (Zip code: 48154) $240 to AIR LINE PILOTS ...
http://www.city-data.com/elec/elec-LIVONIA-MI.html

2. The Gunfighter's Page
... the highest kill ratio of any fighter engaged in the Vietnam airwar ... MiG-17; Sidewinder. LCdr BOB KIRKWOOD, VF-24. 21 July 1967. MiG-17 ... Lt. Chuck Nelson, a VA-146 A-4 pilot on this mission, took several ...
http://www.cloudnet.com/~djohnson/migmstrs.html

3. JASEX-05 Official Military Website
... Brian Bell, an F-15C Eagle pilot assigned to the 18th ... from the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed here from ... region," said Lt. Col. Brian Kirkwood, 391st EFS commander. "JASEX ...
http://www.pacom.mil/exer ...ws/050810afwing.shtml

4. Dagney's Rant
... And Talking About Great Candidates! Myrah Kirkwood, a Detroit cop for 16 years, is the most ... ... He clearly stands out as a top notch fighter interceptor pilot. Lt. Bush is possessed of sound ...
http://dagney007.blogspot ...agney007_archive.html

5. http://www.vp-21.org/GLICK/index_m.htm
... Lt. Glick had accumulated a total of 17 pilot hours in the SP-2H. However, he was a little ... ... a cookout being conducted by an Air Force fighter squadron. The Air Force was again suitably ...

6. Thinklings » 2004 » August
... They were using foul language, getting real ugly, said Kim Kirkwood, a delegate from Amarillo, Tex. Her husband, Jim, said he could not understand it. I have friends who are Democrats in Texas, and ...
http://www.thinklings.com/?m=200408

7. Jefferson City, Missouri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
... Maverick World War 2 Fighter Pilot and member of the 332nd Fighter Group Wendell O. Pruitt ... ... Wildwood | Ballwin | Raytown | Liberty | Kirkwood | Gladstone | Hazelwood | Maryland Heights ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/w ...ferson_City,_Missouri

8. RN Aircraft Carriers
... RN Pilot Lt C A Roy RN Pilot Lt D Beech RN Deputy Air ... Berryman Two Fairey Firefly fighter-bombers of 810 Sqn, Fleet Air ... LIPTROT DAVID ROWLANDS SCOTT KIRKWOOD BRIAN PALMER JASON ASKEW ...
http://www.naval-art.com/rn_aircraft_carriers.htm

9. United States Air Force Personnel Buried In Arlington National Cemetery
... Major, World War II, Korean War - INFO NEEDED Jose Diaz, Colonel, WWII, Fighter & Bomber Pilot, SAC - DFC, AM Fairfax Kirkwood Dillon, Lieutenant Colonel, Early Military Aviator - WWI, WWII - AM, BSM ...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/usaf.htm

10. Laura Edgar's St. Louis Transcriptions
This is a compilation of items from St. Louis Newspapers provided by Laura Edgar (last update March ...
http://www.genealogyinstl ...gy.com/lauraedgar.htm

11. classmates decoded/SPRING
... He headed the university's department of pilot training from 1991 to 1994. His wife is Frances ... ... Pa., is founder and past president of the 357th Fighter Group Association and of the Pennsylvania ...
http://www.northwestern.e ...ummer00Classnotes.htm

12. 1961-1971: This Far and No Further
... Vietnam War Timeline) February 10: The Americans and Soviets trade spies: U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, shot down over Russia in May 1961, for German spy Rudolf Abel, in Berlin. The CIA avoids an ...
http://www.iraqtimeline.com/1961.html

13. James Mason Current Month TV Schedule
... Michael Vogler, Frederick Ledebur. A German fighter pilot is determined to win flying honors during ... ... Newmar, Robert Paige, June Clayworth, Joe Kirkwood Jr, Everett Glass, Ben Astar, John Bryant ...
http://www.tv-now.com/stars/jmason.html

14. http://www.rhac.org/textfiles/rhac_tape_num.txt
... 2L 24 BOB HOPE SHOW JACK KIRKWOOD 2L 25 JACK BENNY PROGRAM ... TRAVEL DEATH OF A YOUNG GUN FIGHTER 1R 52 HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL ... 1R 77 DUFFYS TAVERN PILOT SHOW 1R 77 DINAH SHORE SHOW ...

15. Military Links
... and procedures. 12th Tactical Fighter Wing Association 13th Bomb ... to the public. Don Kirkwood's Home Page ñ Site of a ... Dropzone: Skyhook 5 ñ Are you a pilot? Might want to check out this ...
http://www.geckocountry.com/military.htm

16. Fly-In/Cruise-In Videos
... Air National Guard F-16 Fighter Pilot. (Fort Wayne, IN ... Russian Sukoui Aerobatic Pilot. Program #17 - Featuring: (1 ... In Pancake Breakfast. Joe Kirkwood - Diamond Aircraft Motor ...
http://www.hangar9aerowor ...fly-in-Cruise-in.html

17. ndxLocOut
... 3 rust-colored, stealth fighter-shaped UFOs. 8/5/01 6/27/01 ... Ocean Oval about 45 sec. Pilot report of a bright light 8/5 ... course. 8/5/01 6/23/01 22:45 Kirkwood CA Other 60 seconds an ...
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/ndxe200106.html

18. List of Available Books By Author
... Portrait of a Freedom Fighter 0-590-48356-0 9.90 Click Here ... Kershner, William K The student pilot's flight manual: Including ... More Detail or to Purchase: Kirkwood, James Dante, Nicholas A ...
http://www.desktopmusic.c ...orypage/k_author.html

19. Beaufort SC Movies Reviews for The Matrix,The Cell,Highlander Endgame,autumn...
... Fans of the champion fighter Muhammad Ali and big-budget ... Cloudy The 6th Day A helicopter pilot believed to be dead learns ... Hurst, Donald Faison, Craig Kirkwood, Kate Bosworth. Based on ...
http://www.beaufortonline ...dvdsneakpreviews.html

20. Hammond
... from Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, in 1969; received ... Hammond received his pilot wings at Reese Air Force Base ... assigned to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing 496th Tactical Fighter ...
http://www.astronautix.com/astros/hammond.htm

21. Why try Britannica Online? A
Home:: Browse:: Store:: Subscribe Already a member? Log in. More Comprehensive than Any Other ...
http://www.britannica.com/needmore


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