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When he said you don't have to be good at math, my soul left my body in happiness.

U forgot to mention the other method of sneaking into the Air Force base in Grand theft auto 5 and stealing the f16

I will come back to this video in 5 years when I become a Pilot. I will be enlisting in the Air force on Thursday after completing my ASVAB and Physical. I cannot thank you enough sir for this extremely valuable video. The recruiter didn't explain the process as simple as in this video on how to become a Pilot. Now, I understand exactly what I must do. I will get a Refueler Maintenance job, while actively pursing a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering fully online at SNHU, and go on to enroll in Officer training school after I complete my 4 years active duty and bachelors. I will be a pilot someday in the near future. Wish me luck. 1/30/2023 Edit: I passed the ASVAB with a 92 and passed Physical Next week I will sign on for 5th Gen fighter maintenance 11/21/2023 Edit: Have passed BMT, Passed Tech School, Got to First Duty Location for some months. Still pursuing. Doing Crew Chief things learning more and more about how these jets work. It's all working out so far. 2/25/2024 Edit: Everything is still on track. Going to become an officer in 2.5 - 3 years. Still on the trajectory to commission, going back to college soon and trying to stand out as a crew chief as well as do volunteering and make myself pronounced so when I submit my OTS package I stand out versus the thousands of other applicants who are trying to get pilot spots through OTS. I'm competing with people who have masters and doctorette degrees, far more years of experience, more rank than me, more volunteering hours, more deployments/tdy's, more things they can put on their resume.... so it will be tough, however that won't stop me from trying. There's something called the CCAF, which takes most people a while to get, however I will get it far earlier than others by using CLEPS and continue my education even after my bachelors. 2. The 5 level thing, I will have gotten far earlier than others, proving I know my job and I know my job well and can do all those tasks. 3. Leadership has noticed my will and determination everyday, how I show up an hour early everyday, leave an hour later, work hard everyday and am willing to do whatever I am tasked with, am willing to work whenever, whatever shift they put me on, and on top of all of that I never complain, I just put in the work and learn everyday so I can become a better leader and also go on to help others. I will also do everything in my power to get BTZ, below the zone, allowing me to rank up 6 months earlier from an A1C to an E-4 aka SrA which also looks very good on the resume and package needed for OTS. The air force provides something called AF COOL which I'm going to use to get some flying hours in probably a small Cessna that contributes to my private pilot's license. Also going to try and get certs to make my resume look nicer. There's something called an A & P license from the FAA which I will get later on but that's like 2 years from now. So, I'll literally have a license to fix a plane but also another license to fly said plane. To go back to college you need something called a 5 level and there's a bunch of mechanic tasks you need to complete to start school again. I'm 90% done should be fully complete in march allowing me to go back to school. The cool thing about applying to become a pilot through officer training school is you technically don't even need your degree yet, you can submit your paperwork if you are 1 year away from getting a bachelors degree you just need some special paperwork. This will allow me to try two times to submit an OTS package or more if I intend on extending thus giving me more chances at a spot and bettering my odds despite how slim they are. Also, the whole process is very political at least if you're like me and become enlisted before becoming an officer. Basically, you need to stand out and create good relationships between the leadership and superiors wherever you work because they will have to sign your papers and guess what, if they don't like you they won't sign your papers to even get a chance at OTS to even get a chance at trying to become a pilot. That's pretty much it. Trying to eat healthy and go gym everyday so I am more than capable and physical fit later on down the road especially for the required class 3 flight physical. Will start studying for the AFOQT and TBAS tests as well. Will post another update later.

I’m actually here because I’m writing a book and a minor character is a retired Air Force pilot. So I needed to dig into the basics of the requirements for the Air Force and this video was so damn helpful! Thank you so much!

Me sitting on the couch: "Yeah, I could do this"

I've been in the USAF 19 years total with 16 of them as a flyer. I'm somewhere north of 2000 hours now and it's been an absolute blast. *Edit* To clarify, I have been an aviator all 19 years. 16 years are operational and 3 were spent in training. It’s a long road, but worth it.

Thank you a lot. You don’t realize how much this helped. I have to wright notes for a sequence of events essay. Usually I have to watch multiple videos, but I think I got all the info I need here.

The college degree requirement is pretty stupid, being that you can study literally anything. If the degree isn't related to science, mechanical engineering, or something related to flying, it makes no sense to have this requirement.

I was so happy when he said "you dont have to know math"!

This scared me, but then I remembered the Air Force is in dire need of more pilots

this video is made to perfection. Not only is the cinematography really well placed but it is also very well in tune with the information provided. Thank you very much Sam for this video I'm alot more confident and understanding with the steps, process and requirements to become a U.S Air Force Pilot.

This is by far the most helpful, in-depth, and clearly explained resource I’ve ever found on how to become an Air Force pilot! Thank you!! :) and I’m so glad it doesn’t matter what subject your degree is in, that way I can study my other passion, animal behavior, and become a zookeeper while being a pilot in the Air National Guard

Imagine going through all that just to be told you are going to be a drone pilot. I would be pissed.

My mti once said, “ we’ll damn, you can major in underwater basket weaving and still become a pilot!”

Dude thanks so much for making this video, I'm enlisting into the Air National Guard in a few weeks and plan on going the College ROTC route after basic training. After watching this video I'm fairly confident in my abilities and now determined more than ever to get those wings. I really appreciate this a lot man, especially since I just graduated from High School yesterday and needed a set goal to work towards.

Many of my family members have served in the military, with my great grandpa serving in the army during WWII, and my grandpa serving in the air force working on the radios of the aircraft during I believe vietnam, and my uncle tried, but didn't go through after being told he could only work on piloting helicopters, and my dad tried to go into the military, but got rejected due to him having a wall in his heart. For the past few years I have been wanting to go into the air force and fly, but haven't known where to start. Thankfully this video helped me, and I may follow the advice and go to college to go into the airforce. Originally I wanted to fly the F-35, but the past couple of years I've been thinking about the F-16, F-15, or F-22. In all, thank you for the video, and I will follow the advice

Part of me wishes I’d gone down the military track! Awesome video 👍🏻

I dreamed about being an Air Force pilot in the early 80’s. All I ever thought about was fighter jets, and how I would get there. I didn’t have any real resources back then other than a school councilor who basically told me to get really good grades, play in sports, be well rounded and then get an engineering degree. I started to see my dream slip away because I wasn’t that good at school, nor as an athlete in my small hick town. A recruiter would come out our way once or twice a year, and didn’t have time to tell me all that I needed to know. By the time I barely passed high school all the damage has been done. I ended up being a grunt in the USMC, became pretty physically fit, but hatted everyday as I seen harriers and F-18 hornets fly by. Not saying the Marines in general is bad, it wasn’t what I wanted at all. I wish I had the resources that you all have now...you have a clear path how to get there.. take advantage of it, otherwise you’ll be like me ... watching people do what I would of died for on KZfaq. I did get my private pilot license , turn out I’m a good pilot, not Air Force good though.

I was in the Air Force Reserve with great job reviews. I had a BS degree in Aeronautics 121 ASVAB a pilots license AND an Airframe Power Plant license and was a liaison engineer on the C-17 as a civilian. I tried to apply but I soon found out that those pilot slots are reserved for friends of the commander, government officials kids and other "insiders" .

Thanks KZfaq that recommended me your channel. Right now I’m subscribing your channel. Thank you so much Sam! 🙏🏻

Finally a good video that actually tells you how to be a fighter pilot unlike some other people just talk about their lives story

Shortcut: You can fly in formation with fighter jets, all you need to do is squawk 7500 in your civilian plane.

I wish i heard this information when i was younger - in middle school i was told both by teachers, recruiters, and school advisers that my vision was too nearsighted to be ever able to fly for the military… i gave up from that moment on… im now 42 and although military flight may be off the table- i am seriously considering attending Liberty University’s Aviation major- my hope is that this amazing video will reach those who have this af pilot dream… All the Best and Thank You To Cpt. Eckholm for Your Service, Selflessness and Sorties and Sound Advice… Fly - Fight - Win

Thank you for telling me what I needed. I will use what you have told me to follow in your footsteps 😄

Let me tell you, this was the most helpful, well-scripted, and well-produced video I have viewed on this topic. Thank you so much for putting this information on KZfaq in such a clear and concise way. Thank you!

Never would I have imagined as a 22 y.o. when I was in UPT flying the T-38 - still one of my favorite aircraft - that the Talon would still be doing that same job 50 years later. Yep, 50 years ago today I was marveling that I was allowed to fly that beauty solo. I had the F-105 Thunderchief on my dream sheet to get as my first assignment. Vietnam was in high gear and I was "pipeline SEA". Probably less than 1 in 1,000 people reading this has ever seen or heard that term. The ones who are familiar with it obviously lived through it. Welcome home. Honor and R.I.P to those who gave their all and returned under a flag. To those who wonder whether they can earn military pilot wings, I will say what I have told many students at Embry-Riddle -- "If you can visualize it, you can achieve it."

This was probably the most helpful video I found on this topic. Thank you for this.

I'm in the civil air patrol, and just two weeks before I joined someone from my squadron went to Europe to train on the A-10. With CAP it looks good for colage, you can transfer into the military at a higher pay grade, and also get flight experience and drill experience.

I'm a 14 year old kid from Australia and want to become an astronaut when I'm older and I need at least 1000 hours of flying time in a jet craft. First I'd need to move to the US and then study for a degree in aerospace engineering and then I'd be able to join the air force and go from there. I'm leaving this comment so I can come back to it when I'm older

When he said I gotta go to college to be a pilot I wanted to cry

Here's a helpful tidbit: the AF will use your AFOQT+TBAS+any flight hours that you may have to come up with a "Composite" pilot qualification score. There is a scale that will rate you from 0-100 in this composite score. Typically nowadays people that get pilot slots are in the 90+ range of this score if not close to perfect depending on how you commission into the AF. You can only take the TBAS twice at an AF base that offers it. Before you take it, you should probably do some flight hours and ground school if you can afford it. There is a lot of questions with regards to "heading", as an example, taken from the 3rd person point of view as you look at a map on the TBAS. If you want to do well on it, you absolutely need to be comfortable figuring out these basics because you are graded not only on whether the answers are right but also how fast you answer. If you can't afford classes, at least read as much as you can and watch youtube on basics of flight training to familiarize yourself with terms such as AoA (Angle of Attack), Attitute, Heading, etc. Lots of resources out there.

So much for aiming high and being the best and brightest!

I soon as he said that you don't have to be good at maths or science, I fell off my chair with relief.

Love this video! I'm currently pursuing my goal and longterm dream on such a time crunch. Right now I am enlisting in the Florida ANG as I finish my degree in physics. When I was 20, my mom talked me out of joining, and what a surprise this Christmas it was to tell her I've joined 🙃. This video is great! With this motivation, I got a 4.0 gpa my last semester and moving forward stronger than ever. Thanks for this guideline!

Thank you so much for increasing my hope!

My grandfather and great uncle were both aviators in the air force. One a backseater and mechanic and one a bomber. Ive dealt with a lot of medical problems but im working on getting myself in enough shape to where they no longer cause problems. Halfway through my aviation degree. Im hoping by the time im 26 or so to be a pilot in the air force. This video helped me calm my nerves a little bit😂

Sam, loved your video and your enthusiasm! I retired from, and served for 36 years on active and reserve duty, the Navy (as a Chaplain for 25 of those years). So proud to see young women and men like you serving their Nation. Keep up the great work and kudos for all your successes! By the way, I'm a fan of Swayne Martin's channel also. Both of you are fantastic.

I wish I could be a fighter pilot. Used to be my dream job as a kid. I love military aviation and going to airshows every year. Unfortunately as I get older, I realize I may not have what it takes to be one. Its more than I thought.

I’m hoping to be an airline and maybe even an Air Force pilot in my career someday, and this video really showed me how to follow those dreams plus brought my hopes up haha. Thank you for making this video!

This was very helpful =) Thanks man, you're awesome!

Hey sam you might remember me, I was the kid who commented on your last tik tok asking for some tips on becoming a fighter pilot. And I would just like to say thank you so much for making this video!

Hey Sam, 28 year old enlisting after my civilian life took a turn. Thanks so much for your videos, you give even those of us at the upper end of quali that much needed push.

Great and very helpful video! Next time, please make some videos if someone wants to become an army pilot, a navy pilot, a marine corp pilot as well as a coast guard pilot. You do an excellent job because you give important information.🙂👍

Great video! If I flew an aircraft in the USAF it would have to be the F-15 gen 2 Strike Eagle! Also I didn’t know about the AF Reserve path good to know! Thanks so much Sam! 😊

Thank you so much for making this. My eyesight isn’t great and i thought this would immediately disqualify me bit your video has given me a world of hope as my eyes are easily correctable to better than 20/20. I am hopeful that through this i will pass the requirement and live this dream. Thanks

Such an informative channel. You deserve more subscribers man! Keep it up. I’m currently a pre-medical student who interested in becoming a flight-surgeon, and this channel might be a useful tool to keep me informed. You helped me answer some of the misconceptions about becoming a pilot. Thanks!

I applied to the RAAF back in 1997 when I finished high-school. I was bounced on my family's medical history. I passed every other test they had. I was very good at physics in school. Flying an F-18 is all I ever wanted to do since I was 13 years old. I studied hard in school, and trained in the gym every week with someone my neighbour recommended. My neighbour was an RAAF F-18 pilot and gave me incredible instruction. I still didn't make it based on my parents medical histories. I couldn't control that. I believe the entrance limits are different now, but being a fighter pilot is all i ever wanted to do. 25 years later, I do have a very lucrative career but I am not pulling Mach 1 daily. Respect to the men and women that get to live my dream everyday. 🙏

I enrolled in AFROTC in 1971 with the intentions of becoming a pilot. I enrolled my second semester of college and had a 4.0 GPA majoring in Aeronautical Engineering. The command staff of our ROTC nominated me for the (then) USAF scholarship that would pay my college tuition, books, fees, and $150/month stipend. To receive the scholarship I had to pass the medical physical. I took the physical and was told I was rejected for "excessive refractive error". (Color blind). The AF Major took me over to the US Army command because they had the same program for the Army. The Lt Col. in charge looked at my medical records and contacted the Army medical people. After a discussion with them, he turned to me and said I would not even pass a draft physical. I am still disheartened by that after all these years.

I recently joined the Air Force myself and this is a great video for those who want to be the pilots to the aircraft but i also want to bring to light that pilots aren't the only ones who fly. there are a handful of enlisted jobs that also get to be up in the air alongside the pilots and they are just as cool. These jobs have lots of training that accompanies it too but they might be a good route for those who still want to fly but might not have college as a viable first option. I had the privilege of getting to meet a few of the instructors and students who became fliers and they are a really great bunch. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to walk among the clouds. Maybe you can do a video sometime on the enlisted aviator jobs available too. I think that would help a lot of people see a broader view of the force as a whole.

I am only 13 right now but I have always wanted to be a USAF pilot since I was 7 you have inspired me to keep pushing for my dream even harder thank you

so i’m still a young teen but as of now it’s my dream to get my head up in the clouds i can’t wait to do it i love planes and man this helps showing which path i need to go down thanks man appreciate it if any veterans/pilot of the air force have any advice for me i will gladly accept it

saw a few Top Gun clips and now my feed is filled with pilot videos. Ok, it was alot of clips!

It's all about timing. I was in ROTC, scored well on all the tests, passed the physical....up to the eye test. My vision was around 20/25. That was it. Couldn't be a pilot. If I was 30 years younger my vision would have been OK. I ended up doing everything on the civilian side of things. Eventually flew 747s all over the world. If you want it enough you'll make it happen.

Good job on this video. 2 things to add to inform the audience a little more: 1) If you have your Private Pilot license (PPL) and beyond, you won’t be sent to IFT. 2) Upon completing UPT and if you drop fighters, you will go through a 2.5 month course called Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) before heading to B-Course.

Really great and really informative! It was nice to see a short, concise video about the requirements of becoming an Air Force pilot, what it takes and the length of the training! Out of curiosity, have you done or will you do a similar video about how to become a naval aviator and what it takes? Or do you know of similar videos on KZfaq? Have a nice day!

Thank you I did learned n picked lots of info 👍

My dude this is gonna help me live my dreams these are the exact questions i needed answers for, some are a given like the college degree but i was confused on the little things thank you so much for this video

Very well made video. Excellent breakdown and delivery for people interested in flying for the USAF. Glad you mentioned the Guard and Reserves too.

I'm in the ANG and I'll be taking the AFOQT and boarding when I get back from my deployment. I wish we had fighters or some kind of heavy airlift planes but we don't so I guess I'm stuck with what we have, but if you would've asked me whether I would even be going this route 4-5 years ago, I would've laughed at you, so whether I'm selected or not, I'm excited to even attempt this.

Dude you are the best! Thank you! And also, I said "Yep that looks incredible" because I saw Top Gun Maverick 😂

You've given me so much hope T.T thank you!

This video is absolutely awesome! I am an ROTC instructor and I will definitely share it across our social media sites. Thank you so much for making this!

My cousin got his first plane in the AF. My grandparents are so proud of him.

My son is a USAF pilot currently training to fly the F-35A. He was ROTC undergrad. It is a long road, but he feels definitely worth it.

First off I just wanted to applaud you for your skills in editing. Secondly, I came to your video because I currently live in Del Rio Texas which houses Laughlin AFB. It’s funny to see it on the list because my whole life I knew it as the base for pilots to train lol.

Correction: You are not required to have a scholarship for ROTC (at least not for AFROTC). Wish this vid was around when I was in high school haha. Still made it to pilot training though

Thanks brother this really helped

I left each ads to play,thats my way of saying thank you❤. Am dave from Nigeria,based in Atlanta ❤

DUDE I don’t know how to thank you for all your super helpful information. i’m wanting to become a F-22 Raptor pilot. i think this video answered all the questions i had and even some more information i didn’t even know. PLS PLS more videos man, KEEP IT UP!! 💙💙

Just enlisted in the Guard, if I don't get a pilot slot with my unit after I graduate, I'm finna pull a swayne martin and be an airline pilot.

😂 boy I’m glad you gave the back voice cause I was about to say you said no experience needed ! Lol that tickled me

Thank you for making this video man. I hope someday in the future in can become a combat pilot in the air force

This was super to the point and you listed a lot of useful information. Thank you so much

Dude thank you for these videos I was so discouraged by everybody because I wear glasses and want to be a pilot in the airforce. I’m so ready to enlist and get my journey started

Thank you Sam, great video.

Have my first meeting on Monday . Wish me luck . Thanks for all the information.

Wow man, this video was so helpful. It’s strenuous trying to find the right route sometimes but this video gave me an extra pep.

Nice to have a KZfaqr that’s an AF pilot. That’s what I’m working towards. Looking forward to seeing more blogs from you.

I'm 29 in December and after I saw pearl harbor as a kid I always wanted to learn to fly. Unfortunately my aunt told me I needed to be good at math(which I wasnt) and just didn't think of it again. But always watched in awe whenever I'd see a plane even till this day. I'm married and have a daughter but enrolling in flight school soon. The regret of not atleast getting my commercial license and attempting to atleast fly for fedex is not something I want to live with. But dang, a f35 man....would that be cool 😎. Thanks for your vid!

right will come back to this video in about 7 years when im done with step one see you then!

Hey Sam, good video 👍🏻 just a slight point of correction at 6:24: if you are prior-enlisted, you don’t _have_ to go to OTS; you can still go to the Academy through the LEAD program, or ROTC. Source: that’s how I got to the Academy, where I think you and I had a few classes together. Hope you’re well!

Great information! Very easy to follow and very well spoken! Thanks Sam!

This is the job for me. Thank you, good sir.

5:18 Ayy that looks like Embry-Riddle. I see that ERAU is in fact used throughout the video, that's awesome.

Thanks for the info man, I'm a Weapons troop who worked 4 years on the raptor and now work on the F-16. Been working on my degree to try and pursue commissioning and becoming a pilot, a lot of great info here. Now to get my act together and hard charge finishing school lol

Hey bro ,just checked out your video today ,absolutely loved it , atb for your career bro ,you are doing a fantastic job by serving your country USA Love from INDIA

My dad was never a pilot but he did go to OTS as he had his 4 year degree thanks to the GI Bill. He was able to go through the GI Bill because he was enlisted in the Marine Corps for 6 years (and hated being a Marine and not to mention he enlisted when he was 16). He was in the USAF for 20 years and was stationed at Vance AFB in OK which is where I was born. This is some really incredible information about how to become a pilot. Even if I wanted to enter now I’m too old but I did enlist when I was 24 but had to get a medical discharge but I had planned to do 20 years and then retire like my dad did. When I was medically discharged it was a month before 9/11 which relieved my parent however I chose to go into EMS as a medic and that I did do for about 10 years and loved. I chose that thanks to 9/11 and my dad didn’t think I was strong enough to do and I proved him wrong. I had actually told him I wanted to get my EMT-B which was required to even get in the paramedic program and he tried to discourage me. After I got my EMT-B I told him I was going for paramedic and he again didn’t think I could do it. After 8 years I got into the respiratory therapy program and did that for 5 years. When you have the Will to go after something you can do it.

Thank you for your service

Thank you so much for making this video! It was very helpful and cleared up a lot of things I thought would be a disqualifying factor or things I had doubts about. Again thank you and maybe one day I'll be a Pilot in the Military!

YESSS! THANK YOU, I started wearing glasses and my dream of becoming a fighter pilot was crushed. You saved my life.

Very accurate and concise video!

Well my dream job is to fly an f22. I now only fly f22s from msfs and i hope one day i will see one in person or even better fly it. Very helpful video my man appreciate your job!

This is amazing! Thank you so much for this video!

Awesome video! I am a HUGE avgeek and want to be in the Airforce so this helped.Nice F-22 raptor model in the background! That’s my favorite fighter plane

Jeez, Lt. I forgot how young I once was, lol! Hope you're enjoying your career. Sincerely, JLB, Maj. Gen., USAF (ret.)

I really wish I would’ve seen this video 10 years ago 😭 Going to be 33 in august and being a pilot for the AF has always been my lifelong dream.. especially flying the F-16.. oh baby, what a sexy plane

Lol, “if there’s a will there’s a wavier” gold

I’ve always been wanted to continue my grandfathers legacy. Thank you

Requirements to even get into the initial sorting process here in Italy (and Denmark, as I have dual citizenship) are so much stricter than in the USA.. I am 23 and already too old to even attempt to get in, not to mention the medical/physical requirements that are absolutely insane here as well. I’ve never wanted to be a US citizen so badly. Got my bachelors in Physics and now going to do a masters in theoretical physics for the next 2 years, and while I think physics is one of my passions, being a fighter jet pilot surpasses that by a lifetime. If anyone here has some kind comforting words, or wants to be brutally honest with me, please do, I’d like to hear it.