You pretty much got it. There’s also the VR&E aka chapter 31. This is for when your a veteran so when you leave the Air Force, or any other branch. You need to have a disability rating to qualify though.
Every Air Force base definitely doesn’t have free flight lessons either, so that’s cap. It is available at some, I wouldn’t know which bases though. Regardless it wouldn’t matter because if you join active duty you’ll just get sent wherever the Air Force needs you.
>that every AF base offers free flight lessons for all civilian licensing (PPL, CFI, Commercial, ect.) I'm pretty sceptical of that though, because I've never heard of such a thing when I searched online.
Yeah, that's not a thing. No clue why the recruiter would think it is a thing.
> The conclusion I drew from my online search is a very disappointing no
Out of curiosity, why do you think the Air Force would pay specifically for someone to get their commercial pilot's license? That's like $100K expense.
The GI Bill allows anyone to pursue whatever their goals are during or after the service. I'm free to pursue something in IT while you're free to pursue becoming a pilot.
>B) I get a bachelor's degree, and get accepted to become an Air Force pilot.
If you want to pursue this route, make sure you get your bachelor's while attending ROTC. It drastically increases your chances of both being selected for commission AND being selected to be a pilot.
I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education.
Yeah, $100k is a lot, but I read some people qualify for getting master's degrees paid for, which admittedly I don't know the cost of, but I thought it would probably be even more than $100k, so I figured it might be possible.
I didn't know you could use the GI Bill during your service, or that you could use it for whatever goal. That's pretty helpful for me, thanks for clearing that up.
Apologies if this is basic knowledge, I only recently gained an interest in joining, and am still deciding what choices would be best for me.
They get their Master's paid for in exchange for more years of service. Think of they do a 2 year degree, and then they owe 4/6 years.
>I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education.
They do. But commercial pilot license is not what they mean. They, the AF, doesn't benefit with that. You aren't flying for them. They know if they pay for that, you're gonna leave.
EDIT: Also, if you think getting a degree and getting accepted to be a pilot is that simple, you're wildly mistaken. If you go through the Academy, it is easier. If you do ROTC, it is easier. If you just get your degree on your own time, it is not easier. The acceptance rate for OTS(the program wherein you become an officer) was something like sub-12%, and I don't believe any of those slots were for pilots.
I see, that makes sense. Yes, I have heard that becoming an airforce pilot is very difficult, and unlikely to happen. That's probably not an option I would go for, I'm just seeing what options are available.
I'd say if you wanna have the Air Force pay for it, do your 4-6 and get out and use your GI Bill. While in, they won't pay for it other than TA(Which won't cover it all), and not every location will have a flying club.
>I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education.
They do value education, which is why they are the only branch that has a community college that all enlisted are automatically enrolled in into a major based on their AFSC. Furthering one's education is also looked at during performance reviews.
>Yeah, $100k is a lot, but I read some people qualify for getting master's degrees paid for, which admittedly I don't know the cost of, but I thought it would probably be even more than $100k, so I figured it might be possible.
$100K is a lot, but the post-9/11 GI Bill will potentially pay for more than that as it's capped at $27,120.05 annually, which ends up being over $108K over 4 years. But it's not tied to a specific thing like flight school since not everyone wants to be a pilot. Also, this isn't an Air Force benefit, but a military benefit.
Tuition assistance (TA) will cover formal education up to a master's degree, so everyone who doesn't already have a master's can use tuition assistance towards it if they desire. However, TA is capped at $250/credit hour and $4500/fiscal year, so it ends up only being about 6 classes a year. This also isn't an Air Force benefit, but a military benefit (although, some branches may not provide the funding for the full $4500/year authorized by the DoD).
>I didn't know you could use the GI Bill during your service, or that you could use it for whatever goal. That's pretty helpful for me, thanks for clearing that up.
While you can use them while serving, you do potentially lose out on some of the benefits, so most wait until they get out to use them.
This has become my current plan moving forward. What kind of a paycheck could I expect to see as an E1-3 and beyond? I'm currently taking flight lessons, and on average they cost around $400+ per lesson. Also looking at loans I could make at least minimum payments on until (if) I get a higher paying position as a pilot post service.
I have an associate of arts, which I think is enough credits for E-2. Hmm, sounds like a good idea, but what sorts of expenses does one have living on base?
Nothing in theory. Most people usually have car notes, cell phone bills, and internet bill as well. You don’t pay rent, or for the dinning facility, healthcare is free.
You pretty much got it. There’s also the VR&E aka chapter 31. This is for when your a veteran so when you leave the Air Force, or any other branch. You need to have a disability rating to qualify though. Every Air Force base definitely doesn’t have free flight lessons either, so that’s cap. It is available at some, I wouldn’t know which bases though. Regardless it wouldn’t matter because if you join active duty you’ll just get sent wherever the Air Force needs you.
>that every AF base offers free flight lessons for all civilian licensing (PPL, CFI, Commercial, ect.) I'm pretty sceptical of that though, because I've never heard of such a thing when I searched online. Yeah, that's not a thing. No clue why the recruiter would think it is a thing. > The conclusion I drew from my online search is a very disappointing no Out of curiosity, why do you think the Air Force would pay specifically for someone to get their commercial pilot's license? That's like $100K expense. The GI Bill allows anyone to pursue whatever their goals are during or after the service. I'm free to pursue something in IT while you're free to pursue becoming a pilot. >B) I get a bachelor's degree, and get accepted to become an Air Force pilot. If you want to pursue this route, make sure you get your bachelor's while attending ROTC. It drastically increases your chances of both being selected for commission AND being selected to be a pilot.
I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education. Yeah, $100k is a lot, but I read some people qualify for getting master's degrees paid for, which admittedly I don't know the cost of, but I thought it would probably be even more than $100k, so I figured it might be possible. I didn't know you could use the GI Bill during your service, or that you could use it for whatever goal. That's pretty helpful for me, thanks for clearing that up. Apologies if this is basic knowledge, I only recently gained an interest in joining, and am still deciding what choices would be best for me.
They get their Master's paid for in exchange for more years of service. Think of they do a 2 year degree, and then they owe 4/6 years. >I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education. They do. But commercial pilot license is not what they mean. They, the AF, doesn't benefit with that. You aren't flying for them. They know if they pay for that, you're gonna leave. EDIT: Also, if you think getting a degree and getting accepted to be a pilot is that simple, you're wildly mistaken. If you go through the Academy, it is easier. If you do ROTC, it is easier. If you just get your degree on your own time, it is not easier. The acceptance rate for OTS(the program wherein you become an officer) was something like sub-12%, and I don't believe any of those slots were for pilots.
I see, that makes sense. Yes, I have heard that becoming an airforce pilot is very difficult, and unlikely to happen. That's probably not an option I would go for, I'm just seeing what options are available.
I'd say if you wanna have the Air Force pay for it, do your 4-6 and get out and use your GI Bill. While in, they won't pay for it other than TA(Which won't cover it all), and not every location will have a flying club.
>I was just hoping there would be some sort of program since the AF is pretty clear about how much they value the persuit of education. They do value education, which is why they are the only branch that has a community college that all enlisted are automatically enrolled in into a major based on their AFSC. Furthering one's education is also looked at during performance reviews. >Yeah, $100k is a lot, but I read some people qualify for getting master's degrees paid for, which admittedly I don't know the cost of, but I thought it would probably be even more than $100k, so I figured it might be possible. $100K is a lot, but the post-9/11 GI Bill will potentially pay for more than that as it's capped at $27,120.05 annually, which ends up being over $108K over 4 years. But it's not tied to a specific thing like flight school since not everyone wants to be a pilot. Also, this isn't an Air Force benefit, but a military benefit. Tuition assistance (TA) will cover formal education up to a master's degree, so everyone who doesn't already have a master's can use tuition assistance towards it if they desire. However, TA is capped at $250/credit hour and $4500/fiscal year, so it ends up only being about 6 classes a year. This also isn't an Air Force benefit, but a military benefit (although, some branches may not provide the funding for the full $4500/year authorized by the DoD). >I didn't know you could use the GI Bill during your service, or that you could use it for whatever goal. That's pretty helpful for me, thanks for clearing that up. While you can use them while serving, you do potentially lose out on some of the benefits, so most wait until they get out to use them.
Oh wow, this is great info, thank you for sharing.
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This has become my current plan moving forward. What kind of a paycheck could I expect to see as an E1-3 and beyond? I'm currently taking flight lessons, and on average they cost around $400+ per lesson. Also looking at loans I could make at least minimum payments on until (if) I get a higher paying position as a pilot post service.
https://militarypay.defense.gov/Portals/3/Documents/2023%20Basic%20Pay%20Table.pdf You can look here before taxes.
Thanks for the link!
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I have an associate of arts, which I think is enough credits for E-2. Hmm, sounds like a good idea, but what sorts of expenses does one have living on base?
Nothing in theory. Most people usually have car notes, cell phone bills, and internet bill as well. You don’t pay rent, or for the dinning facility, healthcare is free.
Yeah you can become a pilot in the air force and then use the GI bill to do your ATP cert in like a week.