AD vs Reserves/Guard

[psysicx]

I know the C-17 unit i'm looking to join has plenty of days to bum.One guy I talked to said he wouldn't have taken a full time position with the unit if he could get insurance.Thanks again.

 

[talondriver]

I know the C-17 unit i'm looking to join has plenty of days to bum.One guy I talked to said he wouldn't have taken a full time position with the unit if he could get insurance.Thanks again.

They need to start a board just for this subject.

You might want to talk to Yahtzee about the C-17 reserves and how much flying (time away from home) you'll get...especially working OIF and OEF.

Will you be able to leave your cush job and do the military thing with a happy face?

It's not always about getting to wear a flightsuit and fly a cool jet. You might actually get to die for your country when some "Haj" flies an SA-7 into one of your fans.

 

[trashhauler]

I've done both. 13+ years of active duty and 4 years in the reserves. If you want to fly for the airlines, I recommend the guard/reserves. You make better contacts and don't have to do as many non-flying things as you do on active duty. The transport guard/reserve units are very busy right now and you can get plenty of work days. There is that chance you'll be activated, but who knows what will be going on in 2-3 years when you finally finish your training. My unit was active in Iraq for most of one year already.

Active duty on the other hand provides a steady solid pay check while you're building your time. If you're interested in fighters, it'll probably be a little hard to make a living as a bum in the guard/reserves.

I have definitely had a lot more fun in the reserves, I can pick and choose what I want to do. But I joined the unit as a qualified instructor in the airplane, which gives me a lot more scheduling flexibility. Last summer I spent a week in Hawaii and a month in Germany. I also realize some less pleasant stuff needs to be done to keep the unit running and take some less fun trips and teach classes and write reports.

Just find as much info as you can, and make the best decision based on your goals.

 

[mgg20]

I chose AD because of the stability. To me, it looked much more competitive to go guard/res. I didn't have to go to all the different units, send in multiple packages, and wait for each board. Most airline types will tell you that Guard/res is a better route though. To me, splitting you time between a regional and a guard unit would be very tiring. I'm in no hurry to join the airlines anyway, so thats why I like AD. However, I may be back on here in 6 months complaining.

 

[pkober]

I would go Guard/Reserve and never look back.

You have to remember that when you are activated with your guard unit that it is only for two years. That's better than having to do it for 10 years. You are activated with your unit. As a pilot, 99.9% of the time you won't be sent somewhere without your unit. Even when you are activated you still have plenty of choices. It rarely gets to the point where you are ordered by your unit to deploy against your will. I have plenty of AD buds who never have a choice. They are told you are going somewhere for 180 days in 5 days.

When we were activated we left in 7 days and were gone for 6 months. That was the first time that has ever happened to my unit in over 40 years. After that first six months we would pick our depoloyments for the remainder of the two years. After two years you're done. Now that's not to say that Congress can't change the law, but that is unlikely.

It's also by far the best way to go if you want to fly in the airlines. Since I have been furloughed I haven't missed a pay check and I have the ANG to thank for that. With that said though the AD paycheck is pretty nice also.

As far as having no time because you are working two jobs. That's not true. Unless you work both jobs you can't make an accurate statement. When I was doing both I had plenty of free time and I can gaurantee that I worked less days per month then a guy on AD. It also nice to know that you will be in one place for a whole career if you want.

Either way in the end if you go the AD route you will have a pretty good life and fly the best aircraft in the world. If you go the ANG route you will have, I think, a better life with more choices.

Choose wisely Grasshopper!!!

CLAMBAKE

 

[white E]

I'm going to have to agree with the Guard side of things. I am a guard baby and life couldn't be much better. We get to do everything the AD does and then some. Airshows, flybys, X-C, etc. Not saying that doesn't happen AD, but I can assure you that a 4 ship 500' across have the country for a few days doesn't happen very often in the AD world.

If you want to fly fighters you already know what you are going to fly. If it is fighters you only have to kick ass for 2.5 years and then it is over. Oh btw, if you are in the guard and you need a full time job you could always do a 3 year tour AD and then return to yout unit...pending an approval from your unit.

I would wait until after BRACC before I made any decisions.
-W-

 

[HoursHore]

This question is for all you prior service guys.Would you have gone reserves/guard instead of AD if you knew about it?Or was AD a better experience that you can't get in the reserves.Thanks

Without a doubt the guard / reserve side of the house is a better deal:

HOWEVER:

If you are low time, i.e. not an airline guy, there is a degree of uncertainty to making a living off it. I wouldn't change going AD first, and then transitioning after my commitment was up. Mainly for the certianity of the AD paycheck, and the health insurance. However, once you get the time for a civilian job, I highly recommend palace chasing into the reserves/guard.

If you have enough time to get hired as a civilian before joining the Air Force, I highly recommend the Guard and reserve, especially for the variety it provides and the added insurance against furlough.

 

[Hawg68]

Potrack,

I agree, sort of....

When you get activated, you don't get a vote. Doesn't happen much, but when it does you are as stuck as an active duty guy. Not trying to discourage ANG/Reserve hopefuls, but realize Reservists are going to the combat zones as much if not more than some active duty units. When your unit gets called up, you can't say "nah...I'll stay home and fly for my airline this month..." You go, you may take a pay cut, you may get shot at, and you might not even make it home....but you will go.

Not trying to be a cold glass of water--just know what it does mean when you raise that right hand.

Psysicx,

Albie has some excellent insight, however I have spent the last 16 years in the reserve components (10 guard, 6 reserve) and I have yet to see a "Full Activation". The boys at that 5 walled building in DC are very hesitant to "Activate" a reserve/guard unit (unless you are a C-130 unit). They first pole (so to speak) the unit commanders to see if they can support a deployment with VOLUNTEERS. If they can (and usually they can), the deployment is covered with an all volunteer force. Having said this, it is very aircraft dependent as to your rate of deployment and make no mistake, even if you are not "activated" no unit commander is going to keep a slug that never volunteers for deployment. AD or Guard/Reserve YOU ARE GOING OVERSEAS, count on it!

In my view there are more important questions to ponder than rate of deployment for the big choice. They are:

1. Aircraft assigment
2. Promotion opportunities
3. Retirement

AD clearly gives you more choices, but the only sure way to make your selection is with the guard or reserve unit that hires you. In the Guard that also means staying in the same town for the rest of your military career. In the Reserves you have other location chioces (if you like) and may transfer to other assignments within the Reserve. If you want to switch to another Guard base it is far more complicated and less likely to happen.

In my opinion the Reserve offers the best mix of aircraft assignment and promotion opportunities. In the Guard, if you keep your nose clean and fly a good jet, you will make it to the rank of Major without too much problem. However, after that the promotion opportunities start getting very scarce. Each Guard unit only has about 1000 members total and about 1/4 of those are officers. So, you can see that unless some older guy retires (or buys the farm) you are stuck at the rank of Major. In the Reserves you have almost as many opporunites for promotion (and location) as the AD. You can volunteer for transfer to get a promotion if you like. Nice option, if rank matters. It doesn't to most until it is time to start thinking about retirement. Which brings me to my final point.

Without a doubt the AD has the best retirement gig going. After 20 years you draw a pension the very next day after you retire (and start that great airline career with somebody like Eastern or US Air). In the guard or reserve you have to wait until retirement age (now 60, but may be reduced to 55 some day) to draw you cash and it is a much smaller sum than that of the AD. In some cases if you are a full-time Guard pilot (AGR) then you can enjoy the same retirement benes as the AD guys, but most pilots in the Guard/Reserve are part-time (obviously).

You will find folks from all branches that love and hate the choices they've made. Just weigh the differences, make a choice and don't whine on flightinfo.om after 10 years of whatever you choose.

Good Luck!

Hawg

 

[psysicx]

Thanks for the post.I did not know that the guard was harder to get promoted.The problem with AD is not staying in one location that I like.Right now i'm trying to figure out if I want to go AD or reserve.

 

[Steeler Fan]

That depends. If you've got an "in" at a ANG fighter unit and they hire you, as long as you get your wings, you've got a fighter.

But if you don't do good enough in UPT to go fighters, then you're basically either going to have to scramble to find a heavy unit, or you may actually get washed out of UPT.

Adler's right in that you don't have to wait to see how many fighters are in the "drop"--Just make sure that when you get to UPT, you still have to bring your "A" game. I've been in meetings where the Ops Group Commander was being briefed on the struggles of 2 AT-38 pilots. 1 was Air Ntl Guard, the other was a prior T-37 FAIP. Both ended up flying something else.