@@flynhayn3466 lasik tends to not be able to correct total blindness in an eye but rather corrects near and farsightedness in people who still can see in the eye
I'm watching this because I've dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot. I thought nothing will stop me but the whole family did. So here I am, studying to be a commercial pilot instead. New sub!
I'm 15 and dream of becoming a as fighter pilot. You should've seen his video "make t hen tell you no." You can't let people who are in no professional position to tell you no cause you to give up on your dreams. Many people including my friends have told me to choose something simpler, as well as my teachers. But the only people who I'm going to allow to me no are the pros themselves.
becoming a Fighter pilot was extremely hard in the 90's, perfect vision, great grades, great college degree. It has to do with what was going on in the 80's, you had 3 very popular movies come out in that decade about being a fighter pilot. Officer and a Gentleman, Iron Eagle, and Top Gun. Instantly you had millions of guys interested in becoming fighter pilots and enlisting in the Air Force and Navy. So they had soooo many candidates wanting to be pilots, they raised the requirements i.e. engineering degrees, high GPA's in high school for the Academy and college for OCS and ROTC. Then the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. drastically cut the military, especially the number of squadrons and fighter wings. So you already had a huge amount of fighter pilots with much less squadrons. I called a Air Force recruiter and he told me they had 2 fighter pilot slots in the entire country 1 guy had a 4.0 GPA the other had a 3.8 both engineering degrees. That's the kind of competition you were facing.
Bob johnson as I was training to become a Australian fighter pilot, they tested my vision and realised how bad my vision was, (4 years ago) so I had to go to the doctors and they burned off 1 out of 4 layers of my eye, now I am like an owl, but I am training now with the classics
Went to Willie in 91 and Bob Johnson is right. Graham-Ruddman budget cuts were coming down, eliminated whole wings, we had eight- yes eight UPT students in my class. Several were "Banked" due to no aircraft.
It’s amazing how times change, now the Air Force is hurting for pilots more than ever. The pipeline is very backed up as a result of the increased initiative to push more students through training with every fiscal year. These past 3 years have seen some unprecedented pilot selection numbers, definitely a very good time to go in. Definitely glad I am fortunate enough to be one of those selected to fill the shortage.
TweetyBird I’m a senior and graduating to go active duty airmen and do college at the same time to become a officer and pilot, do you think they’ll still be selecting a lot of pilots at the time I’d be able to become a pilot?
Xander Mossier Yes absolutely! The key for the Air Force right is stable production over time, so this should be big thing for a while. Though the competitiveness of the slots depends on which commissioning source you go through, I recommend going through AFROTC along with getting your college degree, you can still enlist beforehand into the reserves or guard as well if that suites you.
@@vodkacannon 1. No lol it makes you worthless to society 2. Why would that matter? Does that make me any less intelligent when you don't even know who I am? Interesting view.
Doktor you’re a miserable fuck and any adult reading anything you are saying is laughing at you like I am. Grow the fuck up cool guy. You get no points for trying to”troll liberals”
I wanted to be a Fighter Pilot since the age of 5 years old and was obsessed with it my entire childhood all the way through my mid 20's. NO JOKE. About half way through college, (despised college and only did it for the Officer requirement) my eyes went bad from all of the required essay writing on computers. I swear the blue screen on the Word Perfect document program on computers back in the mid 1990's ruined my eyes. After asking about getting the Lasik procedure for the vision requirement to the recruiter at the Officer Selection office, the recruiter told me the military would NOT even hire me to clean toilets if I had the Lasik procedure done...that was it, my fighter pilot dream was done. That was back in 1996 and I am still not over it.
Chase your dream bud, dont give up. Its my dream to be a fighter pilot in the USAF and I live in the Uk and I'm literally doing everything in order to become a pilot, dont give up!
Rifle Twist - I can imagine. While military flying was only a fleeting ambition of mine, commercial flying was not. And when I discovered I may be too tall to fly for a living, I literally cried. That was in the 90’s, and is probably not the case. So I still hold a candle for earning commercial certification one day, even if I never fly for a living.
SyZ7OC - Are you a born US citizen or naturalized? Because those are requirements of being an officer in the USAF. You can always aim for the Royal Air Force.
Red Bluesome yeah I think Im gonna join the RAF and maybe get the chance to fly the F-35 as they have ordered a few of ‘em if not, Typhoon os the next candidate on my list ha ha ;)
I'm coming off active duty in May, transferring to guard while I complete ROTC with a degree in Aviation and Transportation with a pilots licenses (private and commercial). I will graduate when I'm 37... As far as becoming a pilot and in your opinion, do you think I would have a better chance getting a pilot slot (due to my age) in an active, guard, or reserve unit?
Good video. I'm a USAF UPT grad (Willie, 88-03) and at that time the 20/20 uncorrected vision requirement to start UPT was rigidly enforced. I'm pleased they eased up on that as it always seemed ridiculous that as soon as you actually showed on the flightline you could fly with glasses. I'm glad they aren't now eliminating otherwise excellent candidates for this somewhat arbitrary reason.
I was 25 years too early for this pilot shortage. It definitely was tougher to get going in the 80's and 90's. Best of luck to anyone doing it. Post it on YT!
Thank you so much!! I was one of those that casted myself out as well... I was told because of my depth perception issues I could never fly Fighters for the Marine Corps... So I finished my four years in the Infantry and quit College after my second year, and did civilian Flight School out of my own pocket, I have my commercial pilot's license now.. I'm only 26 so what the hell, I might just go back to school and give it another shot.. I subscribed to you and hope to see more! Thank you again for the inspiration 👍
It seems like "self elimination" is in fact part of the pilot selection process. If you give up that easy then being a fighter pilot would not work for you anyway.
This was very informative. I personally know someone who was very interested and had good aptitude (I went along on a flying lesson many years ago) but he believed the myths about too tall and flawed vision. Thanks for including the photo of Tom Cruise on the box. That didn't help slow that myth at all, and was good for a big laugh. Great info, well delivered.
I’m a 19 year old 3rd class intelligence specialist in the Navy Reserves. I’m pushing hard to pull off my dream career of a Naval Aviator (hopefully F-35s). I’m going to college full time getting an aviation degree and am half way through the curriculum for a VFR license. People throw all kinds of reasons that becoming a pilot is unlikely from eyes to the fact that it’s really competitive. These videos are encouraging and filled with valuable advice. Thanks for the posts and keep them coming!
older fighter aircraft had smaller cockpits - and shorter men fit more comfortably. my dad (who is on the dfc wall at march) flew f-80s then f-86 in korea. he then flew f-105s and then f-4 in vietnam; he confirmed the height factor. there were no af gui dlines to prohibit taller men from flying; but the first time i got in the phantom sim i was very cramped; my helmet hit canopy repeatedly, it was incredibly annoying to say the least. the “cabin” of the 130 sim was like a entire house. the f-15 has a noticeably larger living space than the older fighters as do 130s, 52s,etc. so many taller pilots in those days went mats, mac or sac. i grew up around the best pilots on earth - airforce and later joined them in service. we’ve had dinners with ed white, chuck yeager, et al at our home. i wish you could have been present for those late night conversations. 33rd tac - out
My first week in NROTC, all the freshmen were in a room and one of the seniors came in and asked us how many of us were aerospace engineering majors. Just about everybody raised their hand. He then said "how many of you know you can fly with a history degree?" Half of the class changed majors within the following week! Regarding the vision myth, I was 20/40 entering flight training, and got the NAMI Whammy. Welcome to the back seat, Home Fries!
I'm 15 with the lifelong dream of becoming a fighter pilot. People have always been telling me that I'm not good enough because I'm not the "cool kid." I'm going through the entire 37 video playlist and soaking the inspiration and words of wisdom. Love your channel, keep up the good work.
My dad was a career USAF fighter pilot circa ‘50s - 70s; my brother a career Navy helicopter pilot (80s - 2000ish) Dad was a college dropout, brother had a C average non-technical college degree. Dad had sinus problems, brother was highly prone to motion sickness and had one eye permanently dilated due to injury. None of this slowed either down. Both retired as high ranking officers. Meanwhile I get nearly straight A’s in college and end up a sport skydiver...
Thanks C.W.! My son is an 8th grader...and I have been taking him to the Blue Angels Airshows since he was young.. and he loves jets and flying. Your video and guide is Awesome! Thanks for the straight-up direct advice... He wants to set his sights on the Airforce Academy.. but seeing other options that Great to have the Plan B's!
John Ryan not true at all, the new F-35 will be in service until 2070, and even after that there will be 6th gen fighters. It’ll be a long time before UAVs replace manned vehicles. Outside of the military, there’s a huge demand for civilian airliner pilots, over 600,000 slots to be specific.
Thank you for clearing the common misconceptions. I always worried because I have a slight astigmatism and I constantly thought I needed a technical degree. Your videos helped me alot in making my college decisions and definitely increased my confidence. Hearing how you got your slot and career. It definitely clears that any is possible if we keep our mind on it. Looking forward to the skies!
you really should. I can tell you from experience (I'm in my 50's now)...there's a few things I wish I would have tried when I was younger...the things I tried and failed at don't bother me at all now, because at least I know. What bothers me is not knowing if I could have made it at the things I did not try. Aaaand....the effort I put into the 'failures' helped me to be successful at other things. best of luck.
Great video. I self eliminated due to a vision test when I was working on my private pilot's license. Regretted that decision later in life, but to late to change that now. My son and I enjoy the videos. Thanks for sharing.
I’m 15 right now and looking to become a fighter pilot after high school and this has helped me a lot in trying to figure out the route I should take to accomplish my dream
Thanks for the video sir, major confidence boost. Currently an active duty Army infantryman with another year left. Looking to get out, get my degree then bounce back into the Navy to get my flight slot and be a rhino driver.
Perfect vision certainly was an issue with the RAAF back in the 80s. At University I was interested in joining as a pilot and while everything else stacked up (education etc) I was told my vision wasn't up to it. But they said I could be flight crew instead. lol. I became a journalist instead. :)
Thank you for this video! My dad flew f-18s, f-16s down in fallon, and now flies Czech aircraft pretending to be the bad guy for a contractor called draken. As you could imagine, my life goal has been to follow in my dads footsteps, possibly flying the new f-35, but I was worried about my eyesight and height (I’m 6’6 but my dad checked the anthropomorphic chart and I am well within the limits). This video is so motivating for me. I’m applying to the USNA class of 2026 and I hope I get in so I can start my career as an honorable Navy officer.
Great Video! C.W. I'm shipping out to boot camp soon and have a specialist job lined up but I have intentions on going pilot. So i'll be going enlisted to officer. I think the best part and most useful part of the video for me is the relevant flight experience that you recommended. building up the hours and it makes sense, gonna take your advice when it comes to it. Thanks!
Thank you so much for clearing up some of these myths. I've been juggling the idea of becoming a fighter pilot recently and I'm glad the vision thing isn't true. I would cry if they wouldn't let me become a fighter pilot because of my vision not being perfect 20/20
I wish I knew these things when I was a few years younger. I always thought you had to be the most perfect and smartest person on the planet to be a fighter pilot and that even then it was nearly impossible. Glad you're making this video for younger people to rip apart alot of the bull shit that people pull out of their ass. Unfortunately though, I bet it's going to be harder after Top Gun Maverick comes out lol
When I was younger I wanted to be a fighter pilot and had all these aspirations with no guidance to get there. After talking with a lot of other people about it and being given the wrong information and then some accurate but discouraging information, I ended up enlisting in the Marines as an engineer. What a 180 that was... I wish youtube was around at that time.
When it gets tough to keep going and pushing, and even when im not certain i want to do it or when im quite frankly scared of the future, you definitely are keeping me going towards my dream since i was a kid.
CW...thanks for all of the GOOD AND ACCURATE info. I was lucky to have enlisted in the Aviation Cadet program in 1959...I had good vision and was short enough to fly T-33’s and not lose my kneecaps on ejection! You are entirely correct about ability to fly...it takes a little intelligence and a lot of spatial awareness...and I do not know how to get that! You know you are good when you can fly and not be aware that you are in an aircraft...it is just YOU!
This video is filled with the spectrum of possibilities...there are things you can do to put yourself in the sweet spot when fighters training slots are filled. Those myths are just the result of the numbers and all those myths are true to a degree. Gpa, service academy, technical major, perfect vision, perfect fitness, WHO YOU KNOW/WHO’S YOUR DADDY/SEA DADDY, your sex, your ethnicity...it will determine if you beat out the competition. Just as important...is the needs of the service at the time you are in the chase/application window. Timing as much as lucky timing.
Howdy, I just found your channel and look forward to reading some of your books. However, with regard to #1, my cousin Shawn won an appointment to the Naval Academy, his father was a retired Captain in the Navy. Anyway, he graduated near the top of his class, and in his graduating class, class of '94, the top 15 people, not percent, got the option for Pensacola and the top 5 people had the oppurtunity to go to BUD/S for SEAL selection. It was during the draw down of the Clinton years and the Navy was only handing out reserve commissions and were doing a lot of buy outs, getting people to retire early and whatnot. Shawn took a commission in the USMC because they had a massive Captain shortage and were giving straight commissions out to everyone they could get. So he went to Pensacola and graduated 1 in his flight class. However, despite the Academy and his graduating place in his flight class, he did not get Hornets, he became an electronic warfare officer in EA6B's. The reason given, was his vision. I had always heard that your vision had to be correctable to 20/20, and that was fine. I don't remember what his vision corrected to, but it did get him dropped and his choices were to be a navigator or go the EA6B route. He went that route and ended up getting into electronic warfare in a very big way and finally retired as a Lt Colonel a couple of years ago. Had multiple deployments to Kosovo taking down Slobovich in the mid 90's, then Afghanistan and Iraq. I have one question for you, Hornets tend to be underrated, by internet experts, how was your experience with the jet? Thank you for the videos and I look forward to the books. Have a great day!
I wish these videos were around when I was in High School!!! I'm a bit older now but like you said people self-eliminate and that is very true! I love these videos and they are a great motivator for those who have been living with a tad of regret about not making the effort!
When I went to Navy OCS, the head flight surgeon threw out my waiver. All the others said it was fine except for him. I had no idea what to do. I left and tried the AF reserves but couldnt get anywhere :(
Maaan, mental health stuff sucks with delaying life. Turning 30 this year and havnt been able to get any prep stuff done so my dream of fighter pilot has been on hold indefinitely. Could get a single engine like my uncle but that doesn’t appeal to me at all. *sigh* There’s always Rally and HEMA.
I thought I was on my way to the Air Force Academy (passed all the tests, got a Senator nomination) until they told me they couldn't waive my sleep walking after age 12 condition. Everything worked out fine in my life - I went to school, player college baseball, married, kids, good job, etc. - but I always wonder what my life would have been like. I practically get emotional everytime I see a fighter jet fly - I love those things so much. Someday I HOPE to fly as a passenger in an F-15 or F-16.
Great video thanks for the information correction. Wish I had someone like you to give me the correct information growing up. I did have the chance to be a medic for 10yrs in the Army and had a blast. I’ll make sure to send and share this video to anyone that says they want to become a fighter or any pilot in the Air Force.
often wondered about the eyesight question. A long time ago I was watching a scramble of a pair of RAF Phantoms (FGR 2, with the RR Spey engines) noticed one of the pilots wearing glasses.
I was disqualified for all flying jobs in the Air Force, but by watching your videos it has given me hope for future reference. Currently joining the Reserves for 2A5, maybe in three years with my college degree I can still become a pilot! Thank you for your informations!
Hey man, I appreciate you taking the time to make these videos! They're very inspirational, as I personally have always wanted to shoot for the best and most competitive slots (strike) in the Navy. It would be awesome if you could make a follow up video, as you mentioned at the end, to give tips on how to be successful during OCS & UPT.
NOW is the best time to do this! I went after military flight training in the late 80's and early 90's. Embry-Riddle degree BS 3.8 Aeronautics, an AP License , FAR/ AQT , FAST test score very good. Excellent prior service record. 20/25 vision. NO GO NO WAIVIERS at the time. I tried Army WOFT , Naval AOCS , NROTC, Marine option flight every single door i could try. They would not allow eye surgery either. The reserve and guard told me they had they had several candidates with Master degrees and Commercial licenses. Flash foward 2019 and I found out one of the kids in our church got an ARMY HIGH SCHOOL TO FLIGHT SCHOOL slot 19 years old. Average grades, rocked the test and one semester AF high school rotc.. So if you get off your butt and DO IT NOW! I couldnt get in back in the day but I am good with it as I tried every angle at the time and it wasnt meant to be!
What a great video! It's true in the '70's at least you did have to have 20-20 vision. My dad became an AF pilot even though he had a low heartbeat, 40 beats per minute, he was a runner. This was in 1950 he joined the AF at 18 and at 20 the AF needed pilots so they started recruiting within the AF, as long as you could pass the requirements excluding the college. If you wanted to advance in rank you needed to get a degree. He graduated pilot training at the top of his class and elected to fly cargo planes, C-124's. That way he could take a corresponds courses while flying. He retired at 38 years old as an LC. Like you said in an earlier video, flying isn't your primary job it's everything else you had to do to advance in rank.
I would become a fighter pilot, my parents are pissed off with me thinking that I’m lazy and saying I have no excuses and that I have 20/20 vision, saying I don’t try hard enough and all, but then again I’m paralysed.
I believed I had no chance of being a pilot for the military so here I am in ATC training for the Marines. I wish I would have searched a little harder
Then once you get your foot in the door, you study a ton to get your foot in another door, then again and again before ever stepping into a plane, then every flight is basically a test you prepare for, then based on the number of slots, your grades compared to everyone else, and needs for other platforms, you get your foot in the door to get in the jet pipeline as opposed to multi engine or props or helos depending on branch. Then you get to do more studying and more tests and maybe actually fly a jet, then if you don't get attrited, which there is a fair chance of depending on manning (stories of people getting attrited weeks away from winging due to changes in requirements like no more than 3 unsats down to 2 for the entirety of your training pipeline), you get your wings and finally go to your real platform to train up and go to your first war fighting squadron to go do your job. Flight school is not a sure thing at all. Military aviation is all about aptitude. You shall be proficient enough to fly solo in ~20 hours, you shall be this good by this time. Lots of people can learn to fly, but exceeding the standards with extremely limited experience and time is what truly determines your standing through flight school.
I confirm for french ppl who would likes to be fighter pilot ... it is same about astigmatism. I am astigmatic like Mover and it never was an issue. Same advice: Go ... try it ... take your chance.
I know you're primarily a hornet driver, and I am exceedingly jealous of any pilot, fighter or otherwise, but I am SUPER jealous that you flew the Viper. Favourite jet of all time.
I wish you were around 13 years ago. Would of stayed in ROTC instead of enlisting in USMC infantry. Bad vision, average grades, and everyone giving me all the myths you covered. Now I'm 35 with history of PTSD.
Good that you stipulated that the vision requirements are different from the 1980's. You would be correct. Requirements change with the needs of the services as you're fully aware. Flying that F18 looks more fun that flying an old alpha and charlie model Army OH-58 with broken radar alt. and ancient avionics :) Fun times. Hats off to you and your channel. Fly & keep safe.
Problem is you've got to fit in the trainer. The T45 has the most restrictive sitting height for strike pipeline. Sitting height and weight are the biggest concerns.
Back in 1995 I was enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reservist to finish college and my recruiter, who was an EA-6B Prowler pilot, told me that I needed 20/35 uncorrected I believe it was and that eye surgery at that time was considered experimental by USMC and I would need a waiver that I wasn’t going to get because those waivers were passed out to active duty first. He said it was possible but not likely for me. That was a discouragement! I was told to pick something else. Was I sold a bag of goods back then? It qualifies as my biggest regret.
As the perfect vision myth was once fact prior to the 2000s, perfect vision was a requirement during the WWII and perhaps Vietnam era due to the tactics of that time. Perfect vision was vital for what was known as Dog Fighting, when pilots actually had to aviate into position to shoot at each other. Today, the weaponry is so advanced (especially with the guidance technology and stealth capability) that Dog Fighting is a thing of the past.
Weird shit. In Poland they still have the requirements modeled after astronaut recruitment programmes apparently. Near perfect vision is required and a *very* near perfect spine. Lasik is apparently a "don't ask don't tell" affair. Graduation from the Polish Air Force Academy was not required only for a limited time and even then civil alumni had to finish circa 2 year long stationary course... in the Polish Air Force Academy. Last but not least, the requirements got tighter around the time PAF introduced F-16 into service, no matter whether you're applying for F-16 or another supersonic jet. As there's no such thing as application for a specific machine to fly in PAF :D
It's more the fact that the Polish Airforce is not that big so they can pick and choose, the Israelis are the same way, talk about a bear of a course to get thru, that would be number #1. The United States when you add it all up, they have a lot of seats to fill and turn over due to a lot of seats at the Airlines. It all comes down to how big your country is, how big your population is and well how much money a Nation State will spend on its defense. Every nation has it way of doing such things- Yeah they loosed things up here in the States the Last 20 years, I myself been flying for almost 44 years on the civil side of things and from when I started to now, things that would disqualify you from flying don't in 2019. Poland had Winged Hussars talk about an exclusive group of Kebab Removers!
The vision one was the most worrying thing for me. For some reason before I had 20/20 vision better than everyone I knew but suddenly my vision became some what blurry and I thought that ended my chance at becoming a pilot.
I go thru this every year, wanting to do this, and i keep hearing im too old. Even when i was 27 when i was able to do this. Thank you for your reply..
You will likely have a private and/or instrument rating prior to commissioning (many do, as it gives you an edge during selection), but a commercial license still requires testing.
You get your flight hours which I believe cost the most and you know how to fly so what a lot of pilots do is just register and test then fly commercial or shipping planes
Technically, no not automatically. However, you just fill out a form and spend $200 and take an easy (after doing military pilot training) writen test, and the FAA gives you a single engine and multiengine land commercial pilot license with instrument rating.
