Air National Guard

AA

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Lately I have heard and read a lot about the air national guard, and how great it is, especially as a stepping stone to becoming an airline pilot. Of course as a high schooler with a dream of becoming an airline pilot this interest me very much. Does anybody know anything or have information to share about this subject, any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Just a quick note - the Guard/Reserve option is a great one however - it should NOT be seen as a 'stepping stone' to an airline job. Remember that Air National Guard pilots are first and foremost US military officers with a sworn duty to defend the country and pilots second. Alot of people think that Guard guys go get some awesome training then spend the weekends playing around with expensive fighter jets then automatically get an airline job - that ain't so. I'm no expert but I believe that Guard pilots have deployed and particpated in every major combat operation for at least the past 15 years. If you want to be a military officer and fly for the Guard that's awesome - go for it!! Just remember that serving in the Guard(or any other branch of the military) will involve a number of personal sacrafices(including the very real possibility of the ultimate sacrafice) on your part. Do it because you want to be a military officer and serve country - don't do it because you want an easy way to the airlines.

There's a ton of info on this board about the Guard and also on some of the other message boards out there.

Jason
 
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Do it because you want to be a military officer and serve country - don't do it because you want an easy way to the airlines.

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Couldn't agree more, well said Jason. It that's something you desire than go for it. There are many great benefits for those who fly in the ANG, I still haven't passed up the idea myself.

Happy Flying!
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Just a quick note - the Guard/Reserve option is a great one however - it should NOT be seen as a 'stepping stone' to an airline job.

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Bah...the Guard is a perfect stepping stone to an airline job, preferable in many ways to the active duty route. A great many straight-to-guard pilots have done this, my CFI for my private is doing this--he's at Sheppard now, and after completion of ENJJPT, survival, fighter lead-in/IFF, F-16 RTU and 18 months or so of "seasoning" at his guard unit, he's headed straight for the airlines.
 
I agree with the whole do it for your country thing, I am all for that. But I would have to side more with aloft, because I have heard that it is a great stepping stone to the airlines by many people, whether in the military or not. If I chose to go through the ang I would do it to serve my country AND to get to the airlines, I wouldnt just treat it like an easy free ride to the airlines. But I think that it is a great tool that I just want to find more on it. And I am heading the military section right now to check it out there.
 
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I agree with the whole do it for your country thing, I am all for that. But I would have to side more with aloft, because I have heard that it is a great stepping stone to the airlines by many people, whether in the military or not. If I chose to go through the ang I would do it to serve my country AND to get to the airlines, I wouldnt just treat it like an easy free ride to the airlines. But I think that it is a great tool that I just want to find more on it. And I am heading the military section right now to check it out there.

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Well of course you agree with aloft because he is saying what you want to hear. The guard is more than just "doing the whole serve your country thing". You might have to kill people, sleep in a tent in the middle east, and you might get killed yourself. If you are in high school right now the soonest you would be finished and be able to go work for some airline is 8 years. By then who knows what the industry will be doing but if its good and everything on the outside is peachy , your half @ss best of both worlds attitude won't get you through your 12 hour + study time days for two years. Enough with my two cents, just get your degree and ppl and thats a good start.
 
lol...and nobody enlists just for college money.PLEASE!!!!

If you can live with what you may have to do, USE IT AS A STEPPING STONE!!!
 
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Well of course you agree with aloft because he is saying what you want to hear. The guard is more than just "doing the whole serve your country thing". You might have to kill people, sleep in a tent in the middle east, and you might get killed yourself.

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Uh, you know something I don't? I've never heard of any Guard KC-135 crew having to kill people--or for that matter, live in a tent.
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The chances of actually getting a pilot slot are NILL in the ANG. Getting hired off the street is pratically impossible unless you are already currently a military pilot rated in type.

ANG units hire from within (99.9% of the time). Why should they send you to UPT if they have a whole bunch of guys there already who have been busting thier butts finishing college and already have time in the unit?

I hate to say it but if you want to enlist in the ANG just to be a pilot then you are going to be in for a rude awakening.

The ANG unit by my house takes 1 guy who is already a member of the unit every 3-6 years depending on different situations. Also, they have about 20 applicants each year who are already in the unit.

Basically, what it comes down to is that if you want to be a pilot in the ANG then expect to already have college finished and expect to spend some time in the unit as enlisted first....unless you go to ROTC first and go ANG (in that case, good luck ever getting a pilot slot).

At my school (in ROTC) we had about 25 people apply to flight training and about 6 got in. The funny part was that ALL of them had degrees in engineering and ALL of them (the ones who were accepted) had at least 3.83 GPAs (3 Mechanical engineering Majors, 2 Electrical Engineering Majors and 1 Chemical Engineerring Major if my memory serves me correctly). *NOTE* These guys were going full active.

Definately a lofty goal to say the least but if that's what you want to do then go for it. Just remember that once you sign up that's it...if you don't get a Pilot slot down the road then too bad.

If you are currently in high school then you could join the unit as enlisted and then finish college while you are in. This gives the Pilots, other officers and Commader a chance to get to know you first. In the ANG a lot of it is who you know....just like in civilian aviation.

Listen to Bluestreak, join if you want to serve your country, don't join because it is a "fast ticket" to the Airlines....because in the long run it will probably take you more time in the Gaurd then if you went the civilian route.

Hope everything works out for you!

Arky
 
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Uh, you know something I don't? I've never heard of any Guard KC-135 crew having to kill people--or for that matter, live in a tent.
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shhhh, it's top secret, new special ops kc135 gunship. I have talked to kc135 pilots though that have spent plenty of time in tents. so I guess I do know something you don't.
 
There aren't many hotels over in the desert, so nearly everybody gets a group tent with about 14 guys in it until the CE guys bring over the trailers many months later. Those slept about 4-6.
 
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Well of course you agree with aloft because he is saying what you want to hear. The guard is more than just "doing the whole serve your country thing". You might have to kill people, sleep in a tent in the middle east, and you might get killed yourself.

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Uh, you know something I don't? I've never heard of any Guard KC-135 crew having to kill people--or for that matter, live in a tent.
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At the base in Oman where our tankers were staging from, they still had a tent city going.

And the 135 guys hated it.
 
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The chances of actually getting a pilot slot are NILL in the ANG. Getting hired off the street is pratically impossible unless you are already currently a military pilot rated in type.

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Im gonna have to disagree with Arky on this one. I know of at least two civilians within the last year that have gotten picked up for pilot spots in the ANG, both of which were relatively low time pilots. If you go on baseops.net and check out they're job listings there are a TON of units looking for pilots. I will say that the chances of getting picked up by a unit with zero time are slim to none, but if you are a civilian, have a few ratings, a decent amount of time, and score well on AFOQT and BAT tests the chances are a lot better then what most people think.
 
I have a few friends who have been excepted for UPT slots with no ANG exposure. It all depends on the unit's demands at the time. Bottom line is that it never hurts to try, you loose nothing by applying.
 
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