If you can qualify to fly, why is a college degree necessary?
Education always helps. General ignorance is detrimental to success in any endeavor
“why is a college degree necessary?”
Officers in the military run the place and they have degrees so they used it to exclude those without to limit competition. Fact is the Navy and Army have enlisted pilots.
No degree is needed to be a pilot (a decent high school education is all that is really needed), but the military sets the standard and screwed that all to Hell.
The primary reason for the military pilot shortage is that 30% of the civilian pilot pool is retiring right now. They draw heavily on military pilots since the 1,500 minimum flight time rule was imposed recently. Even many military pilots don’t have the 1,500 hours.
“If you can qualify to fly, why is a college degree necessary?”
Exactly! When I joined the Air Force back in 1964, I would drool at the thought of being a fighter pilot. But, being a mere enlisted guy, that door wasn’t open for me.
About thirty years ago I still had the itch to fly, so I started flight lessons. I soloed in five hours, and flew a lot after that goal was reached. I proved to myself I had the aptitude, and the ability...even without a degree in “business administration”, or some other ridiculous requirement for flying.
The Air Force could reopen the Warrant Officer program, do some testing, training, and promotions, and at least put these guys flying transports, and non-combat missions. I’d bet that some of the transport pilots probably longed to fly fighters, but at the time it was a harder gig to get.
I think Tech Sgt, or above, should be eligible for this program. It would free-up the college-commissioned boys and girls to fly the fighters.
Very little additional funds, comparatively speaking.
That you need to ask the question answers it.