How to Become a Military Pilot

Highly precise and skilled, aviators in the armed forces fly aircraft from fighter jets to multiengine transports.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 10:54 AM ET

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U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Raymond Bretana, UH-60 pilot for Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, Assault Helicopter Battalion, attached to the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, prepares start-up procedures on a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter before conducting a training flight at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, November 3, 2022. [Courtesy: U.S. Army]

Key Takeaways:

Military pilots are highly skilled, respected aviators across various U.S. branches, with a rigorous path to entry.
Becoming a pilot typically requires a four-year degree, attaining officer status (via academies, OTS, or ROTC), and meeting strict physical, mental, and demographic standards.
After eligibility, training involves ground school and progressive flight instruction on basic, advanced, and finally, type-specific aircraft.
Pilots undertake diverse missions, from support to combat, with opportunities for career progression based on performance.

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Military pilots are among the most skilled and highly trained aviators in the world. Extremely precise and skilled, pilots flying aircraft from fighter jets to multiengine transports are held to lofty standards and respected for their work.

Becoming a fighter pilot is a dream for many. Military flying has been around since the world wars, but as technology advanced—and media representation in movies such as Top Gun increased—the general public’s fascination with military pilots, especially fighter pilots, has only increased.

John McDermott

John McDermott is a student at Northwestern University. He is also a student pilot with hopes of flying for the airlines. A self-proclaimed ""avgeek,"" John will rave about aviation at length to whoever will listen, and he is keen to call out any airplane he sees, whether or not anyone around him cares about flying at all. John previously worked as a Journalist and Editor-In-Chief at Aeronautics Online Aviation News and Media. In his spare time, John enjoys running, photography, and watching planes approach Chicago O'Hare from over Lake Michigan.