TMBishop7 From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 7 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 3551 times:
I've heard that Israeli fighter pilots are some of the youngest in the world, that pilots between 18-22 years are common, is this true?... the reason I find this believable is that reflexes are best at that age, and then reflexes will even start to slow in the mid 20's range. Can anyone confirm/ disprove this for me?
Sorry if this has been covered, my first time on this board...
LY744 From Canada, joined Feb 2001, 5536 posts, RR: 11 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 5 hours ago) and read 3545 times:
Every Israeli gets drafted into the military at the age of 18, future pilots are no exception. The flight training in the IDF/AF used to take 2 years, so a typical graduate would have been 20 years old, although of course there are plenty of exceptions. Pilots would then serve for 5 or 6 years (depending on the platform they were assigned to). Usually there would be a period of 6-24 months after graduating flight school during which the pilot would receive additional training that would make him ready to take part in combat. So pilots as young as 21-22 were taking part in combat sorties.
The difference from other air forces is that Israeli pilots, even though are officers, do not have to have any post secondary education, which is why they accomplish their training at a younger age.
Recently there was an academic component added to the flight school, so the training now lasts 3 years. The graduates then serve for 9 additonal years (until the age of 30 for a typical pilot).
BTW, even after they are discharged from active duty service, pilots still continue to serve as reservists for many years, typically flying once a week. They are called up in case of war to complete the combat staffing of their flight unit. I estimate that more than half of the flight crew in a typical IDF/AF squadron are reservists.
AirRyan From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 2529 posts, RR: 6 Reply 2, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 4 hours ago) and read 3525 times:
Well I'll tell you one thing, here in the US a 4 year college degree has become more and more a business between the institutions and banks. There are so many college grads nowadays I was surprised by how many of them were actually enlisting in the Army rather than going to OCS!
The Army Warrant Officer pilots are actually a great asset, and the Marines would be wise to employ them as pilots as well considering most of their pilots are helicotper pilots just like in the Army.
Maiznblu_757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 5112 posts, RR: 52 Reply 3, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 3490 times:
Quoting AirRyan (Reply 2): The Army Warrant Officer pilots are actually a great asset, and the Marines would be wise to employ them as pilots as well considering most of their pilots are helicotper pilots just like in the Army
Well, the Navy is doing it now (Helo's and P-3's) so maybe the Marines are not to far off. Unfortunately, Anti-Terrorism Specialists are not allowed to enter this program. Go Figure
AirRyan From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 2529 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week ago) and read 3486 times:
Quoting Maiznblu_757 (Reply 3): Well, the Navy is doing it now (Helo's and P-3's) so maybe the Marines are not to far off. Unfortunately, Anti-Terrorism Specialists are not allowed to enter this program. Go Figure
Navy WO's without bachelor degrees are going to Pensacola and coming away with Naval Aviator Wings?
Navy Establishes Trial Warrant Officer-to-Pilot Program
Story Number: NNS060125-08
Release Date: 1/25/2006 12:59:00 PM
From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy is seeking applications from highly-qualified and hard-charging Sailors for a pilot program that will place 30 selected Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) in aircraft cockpits as pilots and naval flight officers.
The intent is to create flying specialists unencumbered by the traditional career paths of the unrestricted line (URL) community.
"The concept is simple," said Cmdr. Steve Knott, head of Aviation Placement, PERS-433. "Replace a percentage of the pilots and NFOs in squadrons that have large junior officer aviator populations and corresponding low department head opportunity with Chief Warrant Officers who can return to these squadrons again and again and perform the same duties they did before, with no career penalty.”
Targeted communities include Patrol (VP), Electronic Attack (VQ(P) and VQ(T)) and the HSC and HSL helicopter communities.
Targeted enlisted candidates include those between paygrades E-5 and E-7 and also young enough to be commissioned by their 27th birthday (29 for NFOs); they must also possess an associate’s degree or higher, meet aviation physical qualifications, pass Aviation Standard Battery Test (ASTB) minimums and be eligible for a secret security clearance.
Enlisted Sailors from the Nuclear, Naval Special Warfare(SEAL/SWCC), Naval Special Operations (EOD/Diver) and the Master-at-Arms communities are not eligible.
Selectees will not be eligible for department head (DH) tours and will fill junior officer (JO) billets only. The intent is for flying CWOs not to fill JO billets that are normally considered career milestones for URL officers.
Thirty Sailors will be selected for the pilot program, commissioned as CWO2 prior to LDO/CWO indoctrination, and subsequently undergo flight training. Once winged, program CWOs incur an 8-year minimum service requirement for pilots (6 years for NFOs) and complete traditional sea/shore rotations between operational units and shore-based aviation production sources only (FRS, TRACOM, NSAWC, and Weapon schools).
The newly-winged aviators will receive Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) training and then report to the fleet.
Applications are due to Navy Personnel Command (PERS-432M) no later than March 31.
For more information, refer to NAVADMIN 031/06, available at www.npc.navy.mil or contact your Command Career Counselor.
AirRyan From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 2529 posts, RR: 6 Reply 6, posted (6 years 10 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 3418 times:
Wow, that is very interesting even if it doesn't sound as open as the Army warrant officers. No doubt, the Marines are the ones who woud most benefit from a form of WO pilots, but still even they go through 6 months of TBS after OCS and that's time spent out of the cockpit. I believe the Coast Guard also has a pretty good program for E-5's to get a commission and lead to flight training as well.
AeroWeanie From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 1600 posts, RR: 52 Reply 7, posted (6 years 10 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 3406 times:
The Israeli F-16 pilot whose interview was published in the Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) yesterday was 24 years old. This means he was born in 1982, the last time Israel had to intervene in Lebanon.
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 7 posts, 
From Canada, joined Feb 2001, 5536 posts, 
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
