NG vs. ANG - Thoughts?

OnTheFly7

OnTheFly7

Well-Known Member
Some of you who have read some of my previous posts may have an idea of my situation, for the sake of this thread, I will Cliff Note's my situation.

- 32 years of age, fiance, some college, corporate sales past, currently managing E-Commerce for a fly fishing shop, an interest in aviation and law enforcement, former ROTC cadet, still interested in either the NG or ANG

Some things have occured at my current place of employment and I would feel fortunate to still be employed there at the end of the month. The job market is not all that hot right now, as you folks know and my main concern at this point is finding a stable career (not job) with great benefits. I am thinking very seriously about joining either the NG or the ANG. Being an aviation person, I am/was leaning towards the ANG, however, if I made the "Guard" a career, eventually I would want a commission. Gaining a commission for me, would be all but impossible in the ANG, however, with the NG, it would be very feasible (since the maximum commisisoning age as I understand it is 42). Upon commissioning, I would love to try for an aviation slot (I am about to look into those age limits, but I feel I may be too old, even in the NG), but I would also be very interested in LE.

For those with experience in these matters, what insight may you be able to provide. I thank you all in advance for your thoughts and comments! Lastly, how odd would it be to be a newly commissioned 36 year old "Butter Bar"?
 
Hey man, I don't know a whole lot about the ANG and even less about the NG but since you mentioned a commission I can tell you that the age limit for USAF OTS is 35 and for a pilot slot you need to be no older than 30 (realistically 28) without a waiver. Enlisting in the guard would be your best bet and for a commission you'll need to finish your degree and apply for officer training. You can try moving this post over to the military forum for more responses, I know there's a few ANG guys over there that could give you more info than I can.
 
I have pretty much given up any hope of any type of military flying given my age. I do not even think a letter of rec. from a high ranking, senior officer would get me a waiver for UPT. LOL That is Ok, I can live with that. Again, for me, at this point in my life, it is about providing, living and doing my part.
 
OP, you state thet you have an interest in aviation. Do you have any aviation experience? PPL, CPL, ATP, etc? If so, how many years of flight do you have and how many hours?
 
I couldn't tell you how many hours I had. I grew up in aviation, I did the majority of the flying when my father and I went up (he was a former 121 guy and held all of his instructor ratings), I just never thought I would want aviation as a career, so I never obtained the ratings. Now, I am waaay behind the 8 ball.
 
O.K., just trying to help you with this.

The NG has a program that will give you an age waiver based on your years/hours of flight experience. If you don't have any ratings, you wouldn't qualify for this program.

32 is not out of the realm for NG flying if you want to go as a Commissioned Officer but it will not be easy and will take some serious hard work to "catch up". You really need to talk to a recruiter because they have the latest information. DON'T talk to a regular NG recruiter (the type you find in a mall), talk to an Officer recruiter. You can call your State Defense Factility (NG/ANG Headquarters) and ask for the Army Officer recruiter.
 
dustoff17 said:
O.K., just trying to help you with this.

The NG has a program that will give you an age waiver based on your years/hours of flight experience. If you don't have any ratings, you wouldn't qualify for this program.

32 is not out of the realm for NG flying if you want to go as a Commissioned Officer but it will not be easy and will take some serious hard work to "catch up". You really need to talk to a recruiter because they have the latest information. DON'T talk to a regular NG recruiter (the type you find in a mall), talk to an Officer recruiter. You can call your State Defense Factility (NG/ANG Headquarters) and ask for the Army Officer recruiter.
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Thank you for the insight. I will call.

Aviation, as a pilot, may still be possible, even without the degree? Are Warrant Officer requirements different than regular O-something officers?
 
PGA07 said:
Thank you for the insight. I will call.

Aviation, as a pilot, may still be possible, even without the degree? Are Warrant Officer requirements different than regular O-something officers?
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If you go warrant youll pretty much be limited to rotorcraft though. That could change your whole career path in the future.
 
matthew said:
If you go warrant youll pretty much be limited to rotorcraft though. That could change your whole career path in the future.
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At this point in time, Warrant Officer may be my only hope at any type of pilot position within the military (I am 32, going on 33 in December and I highly doubt a waiver would be possible). Even though I never gave Roto a/c a thought in the past, I would be more than happy to fly one. Also, with my interest in a LE career as well, they may mesh well, with a possibility of flying for a PD or perhaps BP here in AZ. I am doing more research tonight into the Warrant Officer program, but so far, it sounds like its my last shot at military aviation. Also, I would imagine that I would be able to get my FAA Fixed Wing certs. fairly easily afterwards, no?
 
PGA07,
I purposely didn't go into the Warrant Officer Program information because you stated that you didn't have any aviation experience. [this is the program / waiver that I mentioned earlier]. The Warrant Officer acceptance critieria are more strict (i.e. age, medical, etc) than that of the Commissioned Officer.

You might still have a shot because these programs change quite often. Please note that most information you see on the web is about the Active Duty Warrant Officer Program (you might seriously consider this; it's not a bad way to go). If you want NG information you really need to talk to a NG Officer recruiter.

Also, you aren't necessarily limited to rotorcraft but you will definitely start there. I went that route, flying Citations now. While I was at the fixed-wing transition course there were 7 in my class that were moved directly into the program from initial flight training (they had just completed thier final evaluation a few weeks before - never got "real" time in the helicopters).

Also, when you graduate the course, and if you take the FAA written while you're at school, you will have a Commercial, Instrument Helicopter/Rotorcraft rating. From there it's a quick 12hrs+ to your PPL and maybe 10-15 more for the instrument rating, a few more for Commercial stuff....EASY!
 
For anyone else who may be interested in the Warrant Officer path, I do believe I may start the application process, however, I need a bit more info. I was told today, that the age for Warrant Officer Candidate School is now 35, not 32. Again, Warrant Officer and OCS age is currently 35.
 
PGA07 said:
For anyone else who may be interested in the Warrant Officer path, I do believe I may start the application process, however, I need a bit more info. I was told today, that the age for Warrant Officer Candidate School is now 35, not 32. Again, Warrant Officer and OCS age is currently 35.
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Be sure that you're asking specifically about Warrant Officer Flight Training. There is more than one Warrant Officer Branch. The requirements are different based on the branch chosen and the branch assigned. Don't wait, if you're interested go for it!

Don't sign ANYTHING that looks like a contract until you take the tests AND the medical!
 
MikeD said:
You realize that would mean leaving AZ and probably not coming back?
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Yes, I do understand this. I am not saying that I am going through with it, only that I am gathering information. There may be too much here for me to leave. Eventually, I will be wanting to leave AZ anyway.
 
dustoff17 said:
Be sure that you're asking specifically about Warrant Officer Flight Training. There is more than one Warrant Officer Branch. The requirements are different based on the branch chosen and the branch assigned. Don't wait, if you're interested go for it!

Don't sign ANYTHING that looks like a contract until you take the tests AND the medical!
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No worries there. I've already walked away from the signing table once (10 years ago), because they couldn't offer what I was looking for. All of this may be for naught, but it doesn't hurt to have the info regardless of the decision.
 
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