AFOQT is a battery of tests similar to the Scholastic Aptitude Test and measures verbal and mathematical comprehension, along with other specific aptitudes, based on mechanical and engineering regimes. Once a candidate has passed the AFOQT successfully, then selected for a pilot slot, he moves on to Introductory Flight Screening (IFS).
The IFS program operates from Pueblo Colorado. Candidates are put through 40 days of aviation orientation with a mixed ground and flight syllabus using the Mitsubishi DA-20 as a basic trainer. The curricula takes a candidate through the essentials of military flight, and allows the individual to begin a sense of what flight track she might want to pursue.
After completing IFS, the candidate moves on to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT). This program is housed at Sheppard AFB Texas. Here, the candidate is absorbed in joint international military flight operations. The course is 54 weeks long, and once completed, the candidate moves on to the next step, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT).
JSUPT is operated jointly by the Air Force and the U.S. Navy, housed at either Vance AFB, Oklahoma, or Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida. Here, a candidate is introduced to a range of aircraft, starting with the jet-powered T-37 or the Navy's T-34 Turbomentor. This program lasts 52 weeks, and at the end of that time the pilot candidate is entitled to wear the silver wings of an Air Force pilot.
During the JSUPT program, candidates have a chance to compete for various pilot tracks, including the Fighter / Bomber Track, Airlift / Tanker Track, Multiengine Turboprop Track and Rotary-Wing Track. Once the new pilot is selected for one of the preferred tracks by the Air Force, the pilot begins a series of intensive intermediate and advanced programs in the chosen area of focus. Once these additional steps are completed, pilots become part of the regular U.S. Air Force aviation community.