The road to becoming a tiltrotor aircraft commander What does it take to go from zero flight experience, to pilot in command of a U.S. Marine Corps Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey? Captain Ross Studwell of the VMM-164 Knightriders walks us through the process from the beginning. 40 Vertical 911 magazine By Capt. Ross Studwell Photos by Skip Robinson U.S. Marine Corps pilots begin their path to flight school sometime before, during, or after graduating college. They contact a service academy recruiter, officer selection officer, or a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) recruiter to gain admission into one of the following commissioning programs: ROTC, Platoon Leaders Course (PLC), Officer Commissioning Course (OCC), or one of the service academies. If, during the application process, officer candidates express inter- est in aviation, their cadre or recruiting officer should offer them the opportunity to test for an aviation contract, if one is available. The process for securing an aviation contract includes completing a Naval flight physical screening to ensure the physical ability to fulfill flight duties; scoring high enough on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, which all military members take regardless of specialty; and passing a flight aptitude test called the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB). The ASTB is a multi-subject exam that covers topics such as math skills, reading comprehension, aviation/nautical information, mechanical comprehension, an aviation trait inventory, an aviation skills demonstration (in a mock flight simu- lator), and a biographical inventory. New Marine officers begin training after completing their bachelor’s degree and accepting a reserve commission in the Marine Corps. They first report to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to start active duty and complete a six-month basic infantry officer course called The Basic School (TBS). During TBS, new second lieutenants are exposed to a myriad of scenarios, weapons, tactical concepts, land navigation, and squad, platoon, and company level leadership exercises. If officers have aviation contracts, they will graduate with their TBS platoon and move to Pensacola, Florida, to begin flight school.