Clubs, leadership, athletics, and academics are all important.  Remember the the average USAFA cadet had somewhere around a 3.8 GPA in high school.  Academics (GPA, class rank, SAT/ACT scores) count for 60% of the admissions process, so that is the most important.  However, you cannot neglect the other aspects either.   For ...

Usually, they move up to a command possition, fly civilian, or move on to something new.

From what you say, your best chance (in the Air Force anyway) would be to go to college and join AFROTC.  If you do well and are medically qualified, you can earn a pilot slot.  From there, you need to do well in pilot training. I really don't know about the other services (Navy/Marines have fighters, Army only has helicopters).

You should get into either USAFA, ROTC, or OTS and earn a pilot slot.  Once you have a pilot slot, you need to get to a UPT (undergrad. pilot training) base that graduates pilots to bomber training.  For that, you will need to be good at college (to get the right base) and good at UPT (to graduate to bomber training).  In bomber

As a USNA grad I'd say you made the right choice.  Go Navy!! You are correct the at USNA nearly 100% of midshipmen who choose Navy Air get it.  As for your chances of flying TacAir (Navy for tactical jet aircraft), that's pretty good too.  Not many ''heavies'' in the Navy, but there are some.  But there are also lots of ...

I'm a 5ft 2 in pilot in the US Navy right now.  I'm a Hornet driver.  No problem.  I'm good for all Navy fixed wing aircraft and most rotary wing.  I'm disqualified for the H-53, all models, but especially the E model, due to my leg reach limitations. All USAF and USN aircarft designed after about 1990 must be able to ...

You gotta have 20-20 vision when you start you pilot career.  Your eyes can get worse with age, but they must remain correctable to 20-20 to keep flying. With the advent of laser eye correction, most anybody can get 20-20 vision.  But do NOT go to non-military laser eye facility to get your eyes corrected if you want to be a military ...

The military discriminate against blacks?  Ever heard of Collin Powell?  He's a black man that made it to the very top in the military.  The very top.  And he started his military career way back when blacks had all sorts of problems in the non-military professional world.  There are many many very high ranking African ...

Both USAF and USN pilots have tremendous leeway in flying their missions.  They do all their own mission planning and have all sorts of individual laptop computer programs to assist them in that.  And once the mission is planned, they have tremendous latitude in executing the mission and can modify the plan pretty much at ...

It all depends on your definition of ''best''. Navy pilots have to land on and routinely operate from an aircraft carrier.  Tough stuff.  But some USAF pilots have to operate 8 engine aircraft (B-52) and other ''heavy iron'', or operate routinely above 50,000 ft (U-2 and some others) wearing a full pressure suit.  USAF also ...