Coast Guard

[eaw913]

I was thinking about how I am going to get my flight training done today, and I came across some information on the Coast Guard. I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about how this would work or if going through the Coast Guard for flight training is a good or bad idea.

 

Thanks.

[EC120AV8R]

If you are thinking about joining any military branch as a means to get your flight training, keep some things in mind: you are committing to a period of service, don't take that lightly. If it's just a means to an end, and not something you "always wanted to do", it's probably not a great idea.

 

With the exception of the Army, every branch requires a college degree for officers, and you need to be an officer to be an aviator. Even though the Army does not require a degree (to be a Warrant Officer), you have to be a near perfect candidate to get into WOFT.

 

In the past, the preference for aviator billets in the Coast Guard went to Coast Guard Academy graduates first, OCS graduates who were class honor graduates, and then there are the branch transfers (prior-service aviators form other military branches).

 

The bottom line, it's no short cut and it aint easy. If it were, a whole lot of other folks on these forums looking for a way into a cockpit would be doing it.

[roamer]

It may have changed, but when I was a member of the CG, they did not train thier pilots. They brought pilots in from other branches of service.

[beckwith]

My understanding from a class mate of mine who was trying to go through the CG last year was that the training was done at the Navy flight training bases until you you transfered to your specific aircraft.

[flyingseapig]

Last thing I heard is that even if you are guaranteed an aviation spot through the Coast Guard they still required at least a year of serving on a Coast Guard ship at sea prior to sending them to flight school with the Navy. The only exception's were the inter-service transfers.

[AndrewT]

I was thinking about how I am going to get my flight training done today, and I came across some information on the Coast Guard. I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about how this would work or if going through the Coast Guard for flight training is a good or bad idea.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Just for the flight training? A bad idea. To serve as a CG officer, regardless of whether you make it to flight school or not, then you're getting closer to the mark. I looked through some of your previous posts, and at 18, I'm willing to bet that you haven't been to college yet, so its not worth applying now. Also, please don't go into 60k of debt at 18 to learn to fly. That would also be a bad idea.