"USAF pilot selection for specific aircraft?" Topic

I was wondering what determines whether a pilot is assigned to a KC tanker or F-35 or B1 or B52 or A10? How long does it take to identify who will be assigned which type of aircraft? Thanks in advance!

This might be helpful.
baseops.net/militarypilot

I suspect aptitude plays a large role, though if you are unlucky, and all the coveted slots are filled, they assign you where needed.

From what I've heard from pilot friends class standing plays a role, aptitude (which is probably related to a certain extent to the first point) and other things, along with just plain luck of the draw.

In the RAF they are normally 'streamed' at the end of basic flying training (i.e. at Tucano stage) into Fast Jet, Rotary or Multi-Engined. Some might be re-streamed again if it's later found that they're not suited to their allotted discipline.

I've also been told from USAF it's that it's about class standing. Starting at the top of the class they chose what they want from available slots. Usually the toppers take the fighter slots. I've also been told that the instructors are usually shocked and offended when the toppers take the transport slots.

I reckon that 'politics' and flight instructors' subjective evaluations also factor into the equation.

I can't speak to the USAF but in Army Aviation class rank runs selection. All the available slots/airframes are put on a board and the top ranked student in basic flight picks first followed by number two etc.

There was an article in the local paper about it a year or three ago. Slots are chosen according to class standing. Contrary to what FABET01 posted, the article said it is and has been increasingly common for the top slots to chose transports and support aircraft due to quality of life/multiple deployment issues. No one is shocked or amazed when this happens. The AF recognizes the problem and understands why it exists, so they are trying to figure out how to get their top pilots back into the cockpits of fighters. Ten years ago someone might have been surprised by a transport choice, but not anymore.

Long and short of USAF pilot training:

A newly minted 2LT is shipped off to Colorado for IFS (initial Flight Screening) which is basically an intense condensed 2 week civilian flight school course run by a private organization for the USAF.

After that you ship off to UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training). Phase 1 is in the T-6A Texan II. After completion, students select one of three advanced tracks for Phase II. This selection is based on the following criteria: student preference, class rank, needs of the AF. Basically as a student pilot you get to give the AF your input on what you prefer. The AF then cross references that input against what it has available and your rank order to determine whether or not they can/will give you what you want.

The three Phase II tracks are in the T-38 Talon (Fighter/Bomber track), T-1A Jayhawk (Airlift/Tanker), or TH-57 Creek/UH-1 Huey (Helicopter). At the completion of Phase II, much like at the completion of Phase I, students are allowed to list their preferences for airframes, etc. and depending on class rank and needs of the air force, are assigned to an airframe.

Class rank is determined by a few different criteria but is primarily a factor of your performance as a pilot.

The needs of the air force is a different beast entirely, and is really what takes precedence over anything else. The needs of the air force could mean that the number 1 student pilot ends up flying his last choice of air frame due to lack of availability, while the lowest ranked student pilots gets their first choice. Needs of the air force could even result in student pilots that are ostensibly high-speed high performing flyers getting cut entirely (either from flight school or released from their commissions entirely) due to a lack of openings available.

The time from entering IFS to completion of Phase II varies, a few years ago there was a lot of congestion in the training pipeline and thus a lot of student pilots ended up being stashed in menial jobs for months at a time while they waited for space to open up for them, I've heard stories of people taking almost 4 years to complete the pipeline, but officially I believe its a roughly 2 year turnaround time (in other words, under optimal conditions it would take about 2 years from the start of training to determine what airframe someone is going to fly).

Friend's soon (Naval Academy) went P-3/E-3 10 years ago and it was viewed "dubiously" at that time. Flies a lot of "boxes in the sky" now days.

Deployed multiple times (was monthly for 7+ days or multiple months for a while, now more like short rotations every 6 – 8 weeks) and despite personal fast rank advancement is 1) married now and 2) leaving the service soon. Deployments are a part of the issue but to say more would be out of place on my part.

All job selections in any organization includes "office politics" but the good senior leaders try to not let it get too important. Needs of the Service is a real life thing…

Another reason why many pilots choose transports is for the "life after the military". Very few openings for fighter pilots in civilian life, but if you fly a KC-10 for 10 years then that's 10 years of DC-10 experience.

But this is also why the AF frowns on it's top students trying to go to transports, they are putting their needs/wants ahead of the AF mission.