ANG: Part Time

[bssthound]

MarineGrunt asked:

We're not talking about big sexy 1LT (soon to be Capt I assume) B.C. are we?

No, he's in the other squadron but he and I are in the desert together right now. I will pass on your salutation when I see him again.

 

[ALIMBO]

It was def a chick she wasn't part of the guard unit she was active duty I think she ran the program we did for base visits and the like. I don't swing that way nice try tho lol.

 

[bssthound]

nice try tho lol

Yeah, I saw that one right over the plate and just had to swing at it!!

 

[JungleJett]

Transport? Low/slow vs nimble/fast? Not sure what your getting at.

Both would be fun to me. Trying to do my research to see which one would be a better overall fit for what I want.

Before you decide what unit to pursue...look past the airplane and look at the mission.

My old guard unit flew F-4's before we went to Herks. In the nearly 25 years they flew Phantoms, they crossed the pond twice. They went to Alaska once I think. Me...in 12 years, I have been to over 50 countries..crossing the pond more times that I can think of...and comfortably...all be it slowly!

If you want to fly "fast and nimble" go fighters. If you want to see the world and fly more than 150 hours in a year, go "low and slow". Flying both would be ideal. Maybe fly pointy nose airplanes when you are young and then go heavies later in life.

Define YOUR personal mission and then choose the path that gets you there.

 

[kf4amu]

Before you decide what unit to pursue...look past the airplane and look at the mission.

My old guard unit flew F-4's before we went to Herks. In the nearly 25 years they flew Phantoms, they crossed the pond twice. They went to Alaska once I think. Me...in 12 years, I have been to over 50 countries..crossing the pond more times that I can think of...and comfortably...all be it slowly!

If you want to fly "fast and nimble" go fighters. If you want to see the world and fly more than 150 hours in a year, go "low and slow". Flying both would be ideal. Maybe fly pointy nose airplanes when you are young and then go heavies later in life.
.

Excellent info. I didnt know they were so different in deployment frequency. Thanks.

 

[ALIMBO]

Im young so Ill take the fast and nimble in my young age I found both to be bad@ss but I think while I can take it Ill do the fighter route and switch to the C130 its equally as bad@ss.

 

[stonewall]

Im young so Ill take the fast and nimble in my young age I found both to be bad@ss but I think while I can take it Ill do the fighter route and switch to the C130 its equally as bad@ss.

Youth has nothing to do with being a fighter pilot. Skill and treachery beats youth every time. Besides...after flying jet X for 15 years you're just going to want to switch to jet Y? Not likely. Odds are, the MWS you start in is the one you finish in. Not always, but usually.

 

[GenericPilot]

Take Jets if you can get them

I'm flying the C-130 in the ANG and it's a decent gig. However, I'd give my left arm to have flown a pointy ended airplane. I tried for fighters and ended up getting selected for armed helos on active duty (USMC). Do your best to find a fighter unit. You can always fly tankers or transports later in life, but it's hard to go from transports to fighter at age 35 or 40. Chances are your reserve unit won't have manned fighters in 10 years anyway. Reserve units come and go, and do change missions and platforms.

A smart guy would get a flight school slot, and then come home and pursue an advanced education using the free educational benefits available from the military. Pick up your MBA, law degree, or a doctorate while working your way up the military rank structure. Do the airlines if you dare, or go try and make some big bucks in business, law, or finance. Corporate America loves young educated go getters with a previous military flight background.

Best of luck! PS.. don't forget about active duty opportunites in the Navy and Marines. Naval aviation is in my opinion a great place to play for a while.

 

[MarineGrunt]

MarineGrunt asked:

No, he's in the other squadron but he and I are in the desert together right now. I will pass on your salutation when I see him again.

Just tell him that we'll "get some chilli-dogs over by gate A-7 since we're 'Right on time..."
:beer:

 

[johnsonrod]

How many ANG units fly C-17s? Are they pretty competitive?

Another question. A friend of mine toured a Valdosta, GA based C130 at an airshow recently and he was surprised that the flight crew included a Flight Engineer as well as a radio operator. How common is it for C130s to include radio operators? Do the PIC/SIC not use the radio in flight?

 

[pkober]

I'm a Guard baby and have been in over 15 years. My advice. Take the first slot you get. If you wait for the fighter slot you may miss out on a slot all together. In this BRAC happy environment plenty of heavy and fighter guys are flying UAV's. Most wish they would still be in the cockpit.

Any flying mision in the ANG is worth while. Also, simply flying a fighter doesn't mean you can just switch to a C130 unit at any time. Most Herc units aren't interested in re-training a Major or LC. It's all about the $$$$.

Good Luck.

 

[ALIMBO]

Bringing this back from the dead but I'm getting ever closer to graduation. Is UPT board selections always around the May/June time or is that just specific to the guard unit I've been talking to?

 

[ALIMBO]

I should change the title to just ANG because right now I would rather do that then any other flying job right now.

 

[AirCobra]

How many ANG units fly C-17s? Are they pretty competitive?

Another question. A friend of mine toured a Valdosta, GA based C130 at an airshow recently and he was surprised that the flight crew included a Flight Engineer as well as a radio operator. How common is it for C130s to include radio operators? Do the PIC/SIC not use the radio in flight?

I think they call them Tactical Communications. All branches of service do not use the same radios or secure codes. When you are doing joint operations it almost impossible to have all those different types of radios in the cockpit all synched with the right codes and encrypted. The pilots will use the radio to talk to ATC but if you have to monitor whats going on with various ground units it gets much more complex.

Someone said before military flying and civilian flying have little to do with each other. This is just another aspect of that. You may be a great pilot but but there is so much more to it. To support ground troops you and your crew need to know how they operate to best employ your aircraft.

 

[JungleJett]

How many ANG units fly C-17s? Are they pretty competitive?

Another question. A friend of mine toured a Valdosta, GA based C130 at an airshow recently and he was surprised that the flight crew included a Flight Engineer as well as a radio operator. How common is it for C130s to include radio operators? Do the PIC/SIC not use the radio in flight?

The Valdosta based Herk is a HC-130..they refuel helo's. I think the MC-130's and EC-130's use them as well.