Im 24 years old without a degree, both CCT and being a pilot interest me a lot. Just wondering if its feasible to eventually do both? How would my age factor into trying to get a pilot slot later on? I know you have to be accepted into flight school before 30th birthday, but would they subtract prior service years from being in CCT?

I know it sounds crazy, but thought I would ask anyways.
Thanks

Prior service time is not subtracted from your age to meet the pilot requirements.

Once qualified as a general pilot (1-2 years) you will be more or less required to serve for at least 10 years as a pilot.

If you want to do both it seems like starting with CCT would be the way to go, but the timeline would be tight.

Either way, don't pick one job expecting to be able to do the other later on... you just might end up flying around wishing you were jumping out the back, or looking up and wishing you were the one zipping around and dropping the bombs.

You're a little old. There are a few CCT who have done it, but they started at 18,and were experienced by age 24.

Pilot to ALO might be possible, but I doubt the AF would let you go Pilot to CCT. For starters you'd be a Major or Major select before you could start the STO pipeline. 12 plus years in before you get to a STS.

It's not often that I post on this forum, but currently being on my second JTAC deployment as a CCT this actually pissed me off pretty badly.

I get that the user who posted this question probably didn't mean to incur my wrath, but he did anyways. What makes me (and a ***** of other pipe-hitters) angry is seeing when people are thinking about using our careerfield as some kind of "stepping stone" for their other career plans. Knowing that there are people out there more concerned with putting the beret on their resume than on their heads lights me up pretty badly...I've had good friends die performing their duties of a controller, and knowing that there were no higher callings than to be a hard-charging, pipe-hitting killer. In my humble opinion, if you're thinking about doing this job just until something "better" comes along, then I personally don't want you anywhere NEAR my team.

Just my two cents...other Operators feel free to weigh in, I have no problems with guys disagreeing with me on this. But listening to potential wannabes talk about being an operator just to try it out bothers me to no end.

KE

KE,

I'm not sure where you came to your conclusions of the OP trying to use CCT as stepping stone. He has a fairly reasonable question here, now looking at the AF option a little late in the game to do both but none the less. I can see your point of view of not wanting someone like you stated but I would think the pipeline does a pretty good job of removing those who aren't dedicated 100%. He has recieved the feedback he needed and now it's decision time, CCT v Pilot I see no insult here.

KE,

I did not take it like that myself, but also see your point. It happens quite a bit with the "PJ to you name it" questions, the TACP then gonna go CCT questions, etc...but remember it's coming from a wannabe with little information except what he gets here and other places, trying to decide what they want to do.

My thoughts would be that IF a guy makes it into CCT, he will very likely stay, and forget any other aspirations because (along with PJ :)) he's got one of the two best jobs in the Air Force.

Stay safe brother, and tell the boys hello.

The OP expressed feasibility of career path of CCT to rated pilot with background of being 24 years of age with lack of a required baccalaureate. Furthermore his “my intro” post of December 2, 2007 disclosing “Thinking of going cct or tacp. Havnt made up my mind yet. Leaning more towards cct because it seems to have more of a long term military careerfield in it if I want to become an officer, and then atc in the civi world when Im all done” bears some consideration in analysis of why such posts are seen in an unfavorable way by those who are operational and are there contributing to getting missions accomplished.

A question of how feasible is it for me is also: how realistic, how practical, and how achievable. The answer in this case must consider both performance and behavior of the individual as all the other entry qualification requirements of age, physical fitness, functional fitness (eyes, hearing etc.), length of time to get trained and service obligation once trained are common knowledge published in policy and guidance documents.

Feasible would consequently necessitate off-duty education to obtain the baccalaureate not to ignore all the other squares needed to get filled to get picked up by a commissioning program (OTS) and to concurrently get picked up to enter pilot training. The feasibility becomes significantly uncertain with so many potential alternate realities to consider, no reliable answer to one person’s quest in life can be given other than try or don’t try.

The suggesting the “pipeline does a pretty good job of removing those who aren't dedicated 100%”, is erroneous reasoning. The performance and behavior needed to get through the pipeline does not require a person devoted for life or even a career to be there performing PJ, CCT or other AFSC duties. The entry need of being there performing duties expectancy of the Air Force extends only through the time of the enlistment contract and the Air Force has no cares of how dedicated any members is or isn’t. What counts is availability to be there, reliability to do, dependability in doing, and survivability.

After all there are contributors participating actively in conversations on the specialtactics forums having the dedication to get selected multiple time and got eliminated out multiple times and still trying for one-more-chance to be. This does not make the person bad or wrong, but it does give a lack of operational environment awareness of the insensitivity a question may intentionally or unintentional project. Questions such as the OP asked intrudes into being intimate violation of trust of teammates need in each other to be there doing in a perilous and hazardous operational environment.

The “seeing when people are thinking about using our career field as some kind of "stepping stone" for their other career plans” expresses the reality of attitude predisposing individuals once assigned to an operational team of now that I am a cool guy it’s time for me to be about me and my availability is to go to school to become something else and everybody else’s availability is to go deploy while I go to school before my age disqualifies me. More often what happens is the occasional rookie start sliding in doing PT and slacking in the continuing education of becoming more proficient and knowledgeable to performing duties of AFSC. The very few some just need a nudge and other rare few some need a significant reality check.

The OP didn’t intend to insult, but the response post disclosing “currently being on my second JTAC deployment” is certainly indicating the need to trust a person being the dependable and reliable teammate is strongly appreciated.

Those who provide social influence here to obtain command of being an authority figure need to walk the walk to back up their talk of at least completing all the required training for award of AFSCs these forums exist to discuss. The OP has been visiting these forums since December 2007 and the multiple focuses of this specific is it feasible question has been asked and answered many times. Four plus years of trying to decide and no results of enlisting or entry into a commissioning program strongly suggests many influence of lacking self-direction and self-discipline. Consequently there is a disrespecting element of intentions of not what is being asked but the OP’s inability to follow through on intentions combined with no attempt to gain any insight from answers given to similar questions posted by others posted since December 2007 and today hidden in his question.

I’m tolerant of such questions for reasons TE pointed out of such questions coming from a wannabe with little information except what he gets here and other places, trying to decide what they want to do. I do occasionally get a bit disappointed as there should be a maturity influence and an observation learning curve improvement influence between 17/18 year old making transition form adolescence to adult and a 24 year old or older young adult (a behavior change). I do not express my disappointment of such questions as expressing such disappointment becomes counterproductive with conflict and being a time waster as the person seldom if ever arrives to get trained and if they do they are unable to successfully progress through all the required training.

Yeah more like highly likely. Many of the F-16 squadrons I've worked with voiced their complaints about being tasked for an ALO tour and tried to avoid it if possible. I believe the JTAC community would love to have a pilot who actually wanted to be an ALO, if even just for a fraction of their career.

In defense of the pilots who don't want to be ALOs, most pilots join the Air Force to fly. Likewise, I would surmise that most CCT would be unhappy doing a recruiting tour. Perhaps that is not a fair comparison since ALOs still get to go to the fight, but like I said, most pilots join to fly and that's what they are trained to do.

As an aside, there was a CCT in my pilot training class. His timeline was probably close to the one mentioned by TheRoad64.

With respect to KiloEcho's sentiments, I also come from a world where "there [are] no higher callings"... the pressure to conform is intense. Voicing your desire to do a different job can incur great wrath from those who love what they do, and there is no "trying it out".

I never thought of flying as a stepping stone and nobody should. To those trying to decide what they want to do, I know it is tough. These are no small decisions. My advice, many years later, is to go with your gut. Get the information you need, think about it, get counsel, and after all is said and done, go with your gut. Sometimes the biggest step is the first one.
I love flying. There is nothing quite like it in the world. When it came down to it, becoming a pilot was the most logical decision I could make. I listened to friends, family, and cadre. I considered my relationships, my future plans, and my abilities (injuries at the time). After all that, I made my decision... and ignored my gut. The only problem is, that feeling never goes away.
I am happy, but I am still looking for the same things I was looking for back then. I want a challenge, a family/community, a job that makes a difference, and one that doesn't chain me to a desk. Every time an operator leaves my aircraft I can't help but want to join them. Watching from any distance is too far.
I think everyone wants to know what they are made of and be part of something bigger than themselves. I imagine that most people desire the brotherhood that comes through shared suffering and doing something tough. If you find yourself coming back to these forums on a regular basis and you can't explain why, my suggestion is to stop thinking about joining special tactics and to start doing it.

I've been in for five years now. I am amazed at how much I have grown, how much I have learned, and how much life has changed since I started on this path. Five years isn't long, but its long enough to look back and see the trajectory your decisions have made. A few nuggets I've picked up along the way are:
1. Take care of people. You are not your job. Your job is not you. What matters most is the guy next you, the guys on the ground, the people you work with, and your family back home. Take care of them first.
2. Go with your gut. Get the whole story. Listen to the best advice and the worst criticisms. Consider the past and the future. Find out what you have to work with. Acknowledge your strengths, weaknesses, and fears. Then, go with your gut.
3. Live without regrets.

If you've read this far then you're probably a wannabe and you know what you have to do. Make a decision and go with it. That's the best you can do… and whatever you decide it takes real courage to make decisions like this. Don't plan on cross training. It is not easy. Especially as a pilot. You will have to convince your peers that you've still got their backs, convince your commander that cross training is best for you and the AF, convince your career functional at AFPC of the same thing, and in the end still convince the ST guys that you deserve the chance. Add extra training on top of an already busy schedule and you're just making it harder on yourself. Go with your gut now, because it only gets tougher later.

Go call the recruiter, hit the gym, get in the pool, stay strong, and never quit.

Chris