How do I prepare for becoming a fighter pilot?
Question
How do I prepare for becoming a fighter pilot?
I am 18 and I have 1 year left before I become a student. This is my situation.
I plan on applying to become a fighter pilot in two years from now. I have already started to fly gliders, which I think is great fun.
This is my dillema.
Of course in both options I will focus on finishing my studies and still do some gliding.
Option A) Develop my own business and play soccer the next two years and part time prepare for my fighter pilot training.
Option B) Do full time preparation for my fighter pilot training the next two years and play soccer.
Answer
Great to hear that you have already started flying gliders as this is will give you some nice handling skills. The RDAF are now officially recommending future military pilots to start flying gliders after years of statistics show that ex glider pilots do really well during the military training.
As for your two options. Setting up your own business can take a lot of your time and most business ideas takes some time before they give some financial return. Also it might be good to have a plan for what to do if you in two years from now have a really successful business up and running. The military flight training will most likely take all your time and running a business on the side could be a distraction you don’t want. So if you decide to set up a business have a think about how you could hand running your business over to someone else. You could maybe become a silent partner while you do your military training. Then once the peak of your training is over, then you could slowly start getting involved again.
Two years is a long time in aviation so a lot of things could change. In two years from now the RDAF might not take on any new military pilots. Also the military tests are really tough. Some tests are hard to prepare for and the health examinations are extremely thorough. There is no guarantee, regardless of how much you prepare, that you will be able to pass.
One of the most important things about the military application process is that you demonstrate you have an idea of what the role requires and you have the mental strength for the role. Otherwise your chances of getting through the interviews are slim.
We have produced a booklet of “how do I become a pilot” where one chapter is dedicated to military flying. This chapter is written by an operational RDAF F16 pilot and I think you will benefit hugely from reading this as it provides a lot of insider info about what the role involves and what skills that are important.
We fully understand that becoming a fighter pilot is your top goal but it is always wise to have a plan B. It is nice to hear that you like gliding so much and maybe a plan B could be becoming a civil commercial pilot or a plan C could be a PPL and you financing all your flying through your own company.
If plan B or C sounds like something you could go for if plan A doesn’t work out, then the idea of starting your own company sounds really good. If you become a civil commercial pilot most likely you will not walk straight from flying school and into a pilot job. Having an income from your own business would be great to take you through turbulent times. Let’s say you became a biz-jet pilot, then you could use all that waiting time on standby to support your own business. That could be a really good combo.
Now we are not trying to talk you away from becoming a fighter pilot. Also being a civil pilot is very different to being a military pilot and it might not be something you would like to do with your life.
What ever you decide to do our top advice when it comes to aviation is “keep your options open and have backup plans”.
Just a little final note. This poster below was seen at the Boeing History of Flight museum. We think that the profile (for fighter pilots) is still valid today. We quote from this poster the military profile:
“Cool head in emergencies, good eyes, keen ears, steady hands, and sound bodies with plenty of strength… Immaturity among high-strung, over-confident, impatient candidates is not desired”.
We would love to support you in your preparation to become a fighter pilot or a civil commercial pilot. The best thing is probably to give us a call on +45 5352 7700. The first 15 minutes are free so you can get a feel for if our coaching and support is for you.
Here is a link to our book “how do I become a pilot”: https://askapilot.net/product/how-do-i-become-a-pilot/
Happy landings
