P47 Republic Thunderbolt.jpg
 
 
 

Fighter Pilot - P47 Republic Thunderbolt



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. Flight-History.com - Your Online Aviation Community
... Source: Flight-History || Read More || Republic P47 Thunderbolt || Jim Thompson Republic P47 Thunderbolt The P-47 is not like other fighters. Pilots usually refer to their aircraft as if they were ...
http://www.flight-history.com/arch/

2. P-47 Thunderbolt
... naval and aviation prints P47 Thunderbolt US Air Force ... the US Ninth Air Force and Thunderbolt fighter aircraft of Colonel ... Pair by Ivan Berryman These Republic P-47D Thunderbolts were ...
http://www.aviationartprints.com/thunderbolt.htm

3. Review by Jim Sandquist
... that the large rugged appearance of the Thunderbolt better exemplified what a fighter should ... ... enjoy flying this model. SPECIFICATIONS Model: Republic P-47 Type: Scale WWII warbird Manufacturer ...
http://www.aerotechmodels.com/reviewby.htm

4. ryan_p47
... For me it is the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. There is something about the fat fuselage, stubby elliptical wings, and blunt nose that are very appealing to me. When I read about Jim Ryan's little ...
http://cramerje.rchomepage.com/ryan_p47.htm

5. OSPREY MILITARY BOOKS
... of the Western Front - NEW OSP-AA30 - P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth & Fifteenth Air Forces ... ... Campaign: The EBRO 1938 - Death Knell of the Republic OSP-C61 - Megiddo 1918 - The Last Great ...
http://rosemonthobby.swiftsite.com/osprey.htm

6. Republic P47
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, XP-72 Republic P-47B Republic P-47B Republic P-47D (early, without bubble-canopy) Republic P-47D Republic P-47D Republic P-47D (early, without bubble-canopy) Hangar C X ...
http://www.planes-and-tan ...garC/republic_p47.htm

7. WebSearch - a-10 thunderbolt
... for? Republic P 47 Thunderbolt Republic P 47 Marvels Hawkeye P47 Thunderbolt P 47 Thunderbolt P47 Information World War Ii Fighter Planes P 47 Pentax Optio A10 Find a price on Pentax Optio A10 - at ...
http://www.guideforyou.co ...--10-thunderbolt.html

8. eBay ñ revell monogram, hasegawa and italeri items on eBay.com
... 99 Not specified Jul-0820:52 AMT Hasegaw Republic F-105 Thunderchief Model Kit - $3.99 ... ... 5.99 Calculate Jul-0820:43 Comet - P47 Thunderbolt - Flying Balsa Wood Scale Model - $9 ...
http://travel.listings.eb ...socmdZListingItemList

9. P-47 Thunderbolt/Razorback
Home | About the Artist | Prints/Products | Contact Us | Graphic Arts Services | The Armory | Links Republic P-47 Thunderbolt /Razorback Lithographic Print This high quality, 24" x 36" print depicts ...
http://www.dogfightink.com/p47.html

10. Models, Kits - Air Models
... 102 $4.99 Republic P47 Thunderbolt Aircraft Model $19.98 1/48 MESSERSCHMITT BF109E -NEW MONOGRAM KIT DECAL SHEET $0.99 FLASHBACK 1/48 DEFIANT MK.II NIGHT FIGHTER $22.95 Revell Space Shuttle Discovery ...
http://www.super-skok.com ...s/Air-Models_19.shtml

11.
... Group switched from the P-40 Warhawks to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. The Group would fly these ... ... any other American fighter aircraft. P-47 THUNDERBOLT PILOTS ASSOCIATION, LTD-- c/o Wings Club, 52 ...
http://www.324thfighter.org/324p47/html/P47.html

12. P-47 THUNDERBOLT
THE REPUBLIC P-47 THUNDERBOLT By Chuck Hawks and Rip Collins My article "The Best Fighter Planes of World War II" has attracted more than its share of e-mail from readers. A significant part of that ...
http://www.chuckhawks.com/p47.htm

13. Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society Home Page
... Island (Essay by by Jessica McKevitt) Grumman Memorial Park Grumman F6F Hellcat Republic Aviation - P47 Thunderbolt American Fighter Planes: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Aircraft Museums in New York ...
http://www.cowneck.org/links.htm

14. The Fighter Collection - Thunderbolt
... you a major overhaul. TFC's Thunderbolt was built in 1945 at Republic's Evansville factory in ... ... that year. In 1953 it formed part of a group of P47's which found their way to the Peruvian Air ...
http://www.fighter-collec ...craft/p-47d/index.php

15. Palm Springs Air Museum - PalmSprings.com
... Flying Fortress Bell P63 Kingcobra North American B25 Mitchell Lockheed P38 Lightning Republic P47 Thunderbolt North American P51 Mustang Douglas A26 (B26) Invader Curtiss P40 Hawk Supermarine ...
http://www.palmsprings.com/airmuseum/

16. Air War Web Portal: Air War Links
... Scholten P-38 Crashsite P47D Thunderbolt P51 Mustang in WW II P51 ... RCAF Memorial Museum CZECH REPUBLIC Museum of the Air Battle ... aircraft Luftwaffe Aces (100+) P47 Pilots Association Planes and ...
http://www.airwarweb.net/linksstart.php

17. The Swedish "Dunderbult" - An almost forgotten story about P-47 Th...
... of the north preferred the more "portly" Thunderbolt. In comparison, the Mustangs looked like ... ... of Mustangs had to be rerouted to the Republic factory in Evansville, Indiana. The new ...
http://www.ipmsstockholm. ...f_eng_goldman_p47.htm

18. Naval Products: Vintage & WW2 Aircraft
... 34.95 Quantity in Basket: none USAF Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Code: P47-01 Price: $34.95 Quantity in Basket: none USAF Fairchild C-82 "Packet" Code: C82-01 Price: $34.95 Quantity in Basket: none USAF ...
http://www.veramarnavalpr ...val&Category_Code=VWW

19. Thunderbolt - BRIAN CURLEY:THUNDERBOLT SOUND HOMEPAGE
... thunderbolt marketing lightning hosta republic p 47 thunderbolt elizabeth hilden thunderbolt ... ... of the potmac spectrum thunderbolt motorcycles pulp and paper p47 parkes p 47 thunderbolt mues ...
http://patriot-pro.sitesl ...t-pro-thunderbolt.htm

20. Aircraft Picture Gallery
... T1A, XX289 DE Havilland Rapide G-AKIF De Havilland Dragon G-AGJG Hurricane MKIIC KZ321 Republic P47-D Thunderbolt Lockheed T33AN Silver Star Boeing PT-17 Kaydet Picture Catalina Canso PBY-5A Tornado ...
http://www.free-picture-g ...tures-of-aircraft.htm


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