Enlisting with guard/reserve?

[urflyingme?!]

Does the Navy have reserve fighters/bombers?

 

[CrewDawg]

Enlisting the the Air Guard is the best thing I have ever done. I joined my senior year in high school and am will hit my four year mark on the 21st. Most states will offer 100% tuition, GI Bill, GI Bill kicker, and Student Loan Repayment plan. I want to clear something up with the GI BIll, the way it works in the the guard is as long as you are a full time student that money goes straight into your account. Which means you can use it for whatever you want (car, flight training, whatever). With all the benefits I have from the guard I will be finishing a four year degree in 3 1/2 years and have gotten all the way up to my CFI, and will only have about 5k in debt. Not bad considering most of my friends in the program already have about 40k.

Being in the unit will really help you out for an interview. Getting into ops will really help you out as will being a crew chief. I am currently a F-16 crew chief (UPT select) and being around the pilots on the line really helped me out. Let them know you want to be a pilot and do a good job. Being a crew chief really helped me talk to the pilots alot and eventually when I interviewed I already knew all the people on my board. Have even been out drinking with a few of them. I would say, at our unit, the last 10 pilots to get selected, 6 of them wer Crew chiefs. But like I said Ops will be a good one also. Hope this helps. Goodluck!

 

[Slim]

Not to discount what CrewDawg said about being a full-time student...I was not a student when I used the flight training benefits. I had a bachelors' degree. Thus, for the flight training, you don't need to be enrolled as a student anywhere except at the flight school where you use the benefits.

CrewDawg, it seems as if you have the program wired for maximum efficiency and benefits! Good luck and send some rounds down range for a retired guy!

Fly safe!

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

Thanks very much for all of the information and advice that you all provided me. It will help my decision greatly.

Right now I am leaning very much toward the guard. Nothing against ROTC or anyone taking that route, but right now it just doen't seem like it will work well with me, and the guard route sounds like an excellent way to go, according to your advice.

I should also add. My 'dream' is not to fly fighters. My 'dream' is you fly anything with the AF; guard or reserve. The unit closest to home, however, is a fighter unit (F-15's), thus the reason for fighters. The next closest unit, in Mississippi, about 2-2.5hrs from my home is a C130 unit. It is in Gulf Port, Ms. BUT, I am not sure if the guard unit there is a wing unit, thus I am not sure if the guard unit there actually flies the C130's, but the reserve unit there, in Gulf Port, does. (Maybe some of you know different?)

Also, you have all recommended the guard. BUT, what about the reserves. The reserves obviously doesn't have the tuition perks the guard does, other than the GI Bill. But, what about pilot slots with the reserve? Is it basically the same process as the guard? At the same base in New Orleans that the guard unit I am looking at is; is a reserve unit who flies A-10's. Either way I go in Louisiana leads to fighters, as you can see. But, I am not aware of the ability to serve in the guard/reserve, out of state, such as in Mississippi, where there might be a possibility of heavies, such as C130's, KC-135's and C-17's. For example; in Jackson, Ms., where much of my family (mom's side) actually lives, is the 172nd Airlift wing, which flies C-17's. They are looking for a loadmaster. I am actually in Jackson pretty frequently, due to family. Any ideas from you all about this?

 

[Big Duke Six]

The only advice I could offer at this point would be to tell you to seriously think about what type of a/c you want to fly before you do anything else. Of course history has proven me wrong, but I would say that unless you are SERIOUSLY motivated to fly fighters you may be better off in a heavy. Fighters are a whole different world. I never did it but respect the hell out of those guys because I think it is something you really have to WANT to do to be good at it and enjoy it. I know some who, like me, grew up thinking that was all they wanted to do. I did not make it, but they did and some have had the honesty to tell me that it is really not that fun for them. Some may call them weak, but I think it's really more of a personality issue. So I'm not saying you'll necessarily find slackers flying heavies, it's just a different lifestyle.


The hard part is that I could tell you to go visit some units, try to get a feel for what goes on there and see what you think blah blah blah... The reality is that there is no way to really understand any community until you get there. Well, you can get a good feel for fighters once you get to T-38's, but it's only a glimpse and nowadays you'll only fly those once you've gotten into the fighter/bomber track. Maybe some fighter guys will chime in here and expound on it a little for you.

I ended up flying heavies and was happier. I got more flight time, saw more of the world etc. I'm not embarrassed about it - I think things happen for a reason. I'm no less proud of my AF wings than a fighter pilot.

I open up to you in this way to maybe help you choose the right track in advance. I had no guidance when I was in your shoes, so I followed my heart. My dose of reality came later I suppose.

Once you decide, find a unit that flies that type of aircraft and enlist there. Realize that to the casual observer the C-130 and the KC-135 are both big airplanes, but the reality is that they have vastly different missions. Try to educate yourself before you make a decision.

Last, when I went through all this, I know there were fewer guys competing for the slots at the heavy units than there were were at the fighter units. Everyone wants to fly fighters! If being a pilot in the AF is your goal, you may find better odds at a heavy unit. Don't tell anyone I told you...