Expert: Matt - 6/12/2009

Question
Matt,
I have a 19yr old son who wants to become a marine helicopter pilot. he has taken his first year of college, his grades are average, hes in excellent shape, and perfect vision. Can you recommend the best route to take to achieve his goal ?

Answer
First of all, I think its great that at 19 he already knows what he wants to do - that puts him light years ahead of most 19 year olds. As far as becoming a marine corps pilot, the path is fairly straightforward. Make sure to stress to  him the need to keep his grades up. Also, to stay in excellent shape, do not use drugs, do not get arrested or in trouble. The first step he should take is go to www.marineofficer.com and fill out the info survey. Once he does this and submits it, an OSO (officer selection officer) will contact him within a few days. Notice how it says Officer SELECTION Oficer? Thats because in the marine corps, officers are selected, not recruited. When I was applying to  become an officer and a pilot, about 50 percent of the guys who came into the OSO's office never made it to OCS (Officer Candidates School...officer boot camp) This is because of how picky and selective they are, and they should be. As an officer the resonsibility is incredible, and as a pilot even moreso. Once he contacts his OSO, the process will speed up but become more clear, Id highly reccommend you as his father go into the OSO at least once to meet him and learn about what your son is getting into...its not for everyone. As far as his major in college, do not worry about what he studies, tell him to pick a major that interests him and that he will do well in. Anything above a 2.8 gpa will make you fairly competitive, but Id say to shoot for 3.2 or above. For fitness, the marine corps PFT (Physical Fitness Test) is the baseline test the OSO will use to evaluate your sons overall fitness level. It will consist of pullups (5 pts each, max is 20)...situps (1 pt each, max is 100 in 2min) and a 3 mile run (18:00 to get all the points and 1 pt off for every 10 sec over 18min) for a total possible score of 300. Heres a basic breakdown of it to make it easier to understand

sample
Pullups 18x5 = 90
Situps 100x1 = 100
3 Mile Run 20:00 = 88 (1 pt off for every 10 sec above 18min)
Total Score = 278

This is just a sample, but anything above a 275 will make him competitive. Best of luck to you and your son stuart.