Air Forces open to Irish Citizen as pilot?
 

Hey Guys,

Apologies if this has been asked before but I have been searching for Military Air Forces worldwide who allow non-nationals to become pilots!! As an Irish man who has just completed a masters I was searching to see if Republic of Ireland Citizens can join the RAF as pilots but unfortunately they cannot!! Can anyone shine some light on any country which will allow an Irish Citizen to become a military pilot? PM me if you so wish, thank you.

Ireland?

OK, someone had to.... :E

Don't know what you mean

He's suggesting you could apply to the Irish Air Corps Gally 2. The thing about PPRuNe that you have to understand is that the ratio of helpful to smart aleck replies you can expect is about 1:3.

I joined as an Irish citizen in 1968 as a navigator. I believe anyone from the ROI was welcome to join; they certaintly were in WW2. I was also PV cleared while on Victors. Can't see why they would change the rules but then what do I know.

I thought the USAF would have been a possibility but evidently not:

Contact Us: Frequently Asked Questions - airforce.com

I am a non-U.S. citizen. Can I join?

Enlistment into the U.S. Air Force by citizens of countries other than the United States is limited to those foreign nationals who are legally residing in the United States and possess an Immigrations and Naturalization Service Alien Registration Card (INS Form I-151/551, commonly known as a "Green Card"). Applicants must be between 17 and 27; meet the mental, moral and physical standards for enlistment; and must speak, read and write English fluently.

It would appear that they (the RAF) haven't.....

Nationality and residency - Careers

But they do say "For security reasons, there are stricter nationality requirements for some jobs" (which may (I guess) include pilot). There are also residency requirements for entry as a pilot ["Whether or not you were born in the United Kingdom, you should have resided there for the five years immediately preceding your application."] (click here).

I know of at least 2 ROI citizens who were pilots in the RAF. Ask.

I was onto the RAF and they said that if you do not have UK Citizenship then being a pilot is out of the question. I was just wondering if any other country have more relaxed citizenship rules?

I joined the RAF in 1985 and left in 2008. My mother tells me that I'm Irish, somewhat supported by an Irish passport. :)

No details I'm afraid, but met an Irish lad in Tucson who is/was a fast jet pilot with USMC.

Why was the suggestion to join the Irish Air Corps considered to be trolling? :confused:

I'm wary of how you sell the idea of joining another country's military. Not born there, no connection with the place, no home there, perhaps not ever set foot there... yet willing to fight and die for them? I would imagine it'd look like you've seen some glossy photos of fast jets and fancy chasing that, without really thinking about what being a military pilot means.

5F6B, I see your point.