How long do you have to be in the WonderBolts Academy to become a Wonderbolt?

[Mist Blitz~ 227]

In the Episode of Wonderbolts Academy, Rainbow Dash gets in into the WonderBolts Academy. Now After 2 season, Rainbow Dash Is Still not in the WonderBolts. Shes in Wonderbolts reserves, But not in the WonderBolts.  So, How long do you have to be in the WonderBolts Academy to become a Wonderbolt?

[ThatOneComrade 1,092]

Well the fanfiction writers always figure the Bolts are a portion of the Equestrian air force, so however long a pilot stays in school maybe.

[Mist Blitz~ 227]

 

 

Well the fanfiction writers always figure the Bolts are a portion of the Equestrian air force, so however long a pilot stays in school maybe.

 

About 4 years to 8 I think.

[ThatOneComrade 1,092]

About 4 years to 8 I think.

Then there you go. Dash'll be in the Academy until Season 9

[Justin_Case001 4,933]

It always annoyed me that there was never any closure on this front.  I mean, at the end of Wonderbolts Academy, RD was made lead pony, and then by the next episode, it's all forgotten.  It's not mentioned again until Rainbow Falls, where Spitfire briefly acknowledges that Rainbow indeed attended the academy.  The next time it's mentioned is Testing 1, 2, 3, when she's trying to get into the reserves.  They never said why she was never made a Wonderbolt.  Now, the real reason is because the writers don't really want to make that big of a change right now.  If she was a bolt, she would probably live at the academy (which is in the floating mountains of Pandora, I guess?) and travel the world doing bolt stuff.  That wouldn't fit into the show that well.  But I would have appreciated some kind of closure.  I.e. Spitfire says that RD did a great job at the academy, but there's no openings right now, and if something opens up, they'll let her know, etc.  Something like that, rather than just basically forgetting it ever happened.  Or maybe the academy was just a fantasy camp, and they never intended to recruit a new member?  Idk.  There's only 3 bolts, so I guess they wouldn't need a new member unless one quits/dies.

 

Personally, I think that by the end of series/movie, Rainbow should be captain.  If Twilight can be an alicorn princess, Rainbow can and should be captain of the friggin Wonderbolts.  But I would say that shouldn't happen until the end, because it would be too big of a change.  But then again, I think the princess thing worked, so maybe this could work, too.  Of course, that leaves the question of what would happen to Spitfire.  I guess she'd either be promoted (by who, idk.  Who's above her?) to admiral, and have a desk job, or be dishonorably discharged.  After her behavior in Rainbow Falls, I'd kind of prefer the latter.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

How long do you have to go to space camp before they let you be an astronaut?

[NavelColt 22,883]

Not everyone who goes to the WBA is going to become a Wonderbolt, in fact, I imagine most of the time no one does. There's what, twelve or less spots in the Wonderbolts, and hundreds and hundreds, perhaps over a thousand athletic pegasi who go to the academy a year. The academy is for weeding out the cream from the crop, coming up with a select pool of very talented pegasi who might one day be considered for being a Wonderbolt. That's why Dash got put in the reserves; the entire process has several filters to weed out those who wouldn't cut it.

* First, you needed to be accepted to get into the academy, which means you need to have some kind of qualifications

* If Spitfire acknowledges your skills at the academy, you seem to be given the opportunity to take a test to potentially get into the Wonderbolt Reserves, who I assume are the Plan B should anyone from the Wonderbolts quit, or become ill.

 

"If you had what it took to be an elite flyer you'd already BE a Wonderbolt."

 

She's getting there. A lot of people have gotten deathly irritated that it's dragging out, but I don't see the big deal to cause fuss. Her becoming a Wonderbolt is by no means a primary story-line, and in real life, there usually is a filter system like that when it comes to military ranks.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I don't know how long it takes. It's a training program. And Dash is in the Wonderbolts. Being in the reserve is being a Wonderbolt just like being in the US Army Reserve is being in the US Army. Reserve just means that they aren't full time members and can be called to work at pretty much anytime.

[MysticShine 529]

However many years the show decides to drag out Rainbow Dash becoming a Wonderbolt.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Considering the amount of applicants there are (or rather were) to become a Blue Angel and how discriminating the selection process is, it's not a matter of how long you're in the reserves. One really would need to be among the best of the best in order to become a Wonderbolt.

 

So maybe next season is when Dash will finally get her chance. I mean, with the completion of Twilight's character arc, the creators have shown that they're not afraid of carrying a character beyond their actual end game.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Hmm, you know, I'm actually a bit surprised about how you all speak of Dash becoming a Wonderbolt. Not that it's bad or anything, but well...

Where I came from, by far the prevailing opinion is that Dash will never become a Wonderbolt, for any of several reasons. The people there generally say either:
1. The writers don't have the balls to ever address it directly, and it will forever remain a dream of Dash's, like the CMCs getting their cutie marks.

2. It will be addressed, but Dash will realize that becoming a Wonderbolt would take her away from her friends, and will eventually decide against it like Rarity would decide against moving to Canterlot.

3. It will be addressed, but based on the Bolts' consistently terrible behavior in previous episodes, she'll decide that they just aren't the group she idolized, and she takes the high road to become better than them without joining.

 

Personally, I never liked any of those, but being surrounded by those points I'm just really surprised to see people here so readily accepting of the possibility as to expect her to really join soon.

 

 

Oh, but on-topic, Wonderbolts Academy definitely seemed more like a summer camp than some sort of step toward getting into the team. Did you guys SEE the other pegasi there? Do you think they were actually trying to get into the Bolts, or that they thought they'd have a chance?

Edited February 21, 2015 by Dulset Tarn

[Pastel 7,630]

However many years the show decides to drag out Rainbow Dash becoming a Wonderbolt.

I think so too, it will take as long as the writers decide to.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Considering the amount of applicants there are (or rather were) to become a Blue Angel and how discriminating the selection process is, it's not a matter of how long you're in the reserves. One really would need to be among the best of the best in order to become a Wonderbolt.

 

So maybe next season is when Dash will finally get her chance. I mean, with the completion of Twilight's character arc, the creators have shown that they're not afraid of carrying a character beyond their actual end game.

I already said that they made her a Wonderbolt in season 4. Being in the reserves is being a Wonderbolt. Sure, it's not the same as the elite flyers that get all the fame but she would be given work at aerial shows and such where they need extra wings. All Rainbow needs to think about is whether she can be the next Spitfire or not. Then ponies would be putting her on posters. I mean, I'm basing that on what a "reserve" force really is. If that turns out to be not the case in season 5 then somebody at Hasbro might not know what the word means.

[The Fiery Brony 32]

This is all very confusing, and Rainbow Falls almost destroyed Rainbow's story for me.

 

When Rainbow left for the Wonderbolts Academy in season 3, I thought it was going to be a running story and Rainbow was going to come back towards the end which would have been much better, but she seems to have graduated. She seems to be perfectly eligible to join but doesn't because she keeps on choosing her friends, which was the great the first time, awful the second.

 

Rainbow Falls sucked.

[sweetolebob18 728]

Well, at the very start of the episode, it is mentioned that Dash will be back in 1 week.  IMO, that is just the 1st phase -to separate the contenders from the pretenders.  Back in the 1970s (when I was draft age & thus paid attention to this stuff) Air Force boot camp was 6 weeks, the Marines were 11 weeks (IIRC).  The Marines spent 3 weeks on basic stuff (marching, etc.), 2 weeks on the Rifle Range (both of which the Air Force basically skipped) & the rest more advanced training.

 

So, I'll go w about 6 weeks total

[CT-1138 3,184]

Personally, I thought of the academy as basic training for the Wonderbolts. So, I'm going to say ten weeks.