Guard and/or Military Flying

[Skaz]

Salutations to all fellow aviators out there

I am looking for info re a flying position with the ANG or ArmyNG, or basically any military type flying position. This can be in addition to a civilian job, or full-time Guard possi. A search on this site did reveal some info, but not enough, neither did the Guard websites that I have been able to track down.

Any info re the following would be greatly appreciated. I am not a US citizen, getting married to one in the States in the very near future and we are planning to stay there. I shall be getting a temporary green card and later on down the line the 'real thing', i.e. permanent residence and workpermit etc. I am an ICAO qualified commercial fixed wing pilot with 3000 hours, and a non-aviation military background (armoured corps), 32 y.o.

Is there any chance of getting into a Guard unit, be it Air or Army or Navy or Marine and landing ('scuse pun) a flying position? Ive heard that the cut off age for getting into the Guard without any US military experience is 36 years of age. Does this also apply to the flying jobs, are they even available to someone with my background?

In case somebody thinks this posting is grounds for flaming me, go ahead. If I did not feel a moral and ethical responsibility to give something back to the people of the USA and the opportunity that has been granted me and my fiance to start our family there, I wouldnt bother volunteering for military service.
To all providing info, thanks a lot

 

[MarineGrunt]

Yes, you could to fly for the Guard or Reserve, but its gonna be tough at your age. I am almost positive you have to be a US citizen to get your Top Secret clearance. So work on that first.

The cut-off age for the Air Force and Air Guard is 30 years old. There are waivers, but they are few and far between. Marines require you to be in flight training by age 27. Not sure about the Navy, but I think it is also 27. I have no idea what the Army's cut-off is.

Give it a shot though... it will be tough to break into at your age, but if you make a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** good impression and your test scores are very high, you might find a unit to invest in you.

Good luck.

 

[RJP]

Chances aren't good once you're past 25 or so. The age cut-off used to be 27.5 at the start of pilot training. The paperwork and background checks in the guard take a minimum of 18 months. That's because in the guard only one person knows one specific job, when they go on leave or deploy, no one else in the office knows squat. Your paperwork gets stuck on a desk indefinitely.

As the grunt said, it's now a 30 y.o. cut-off. Again, that's for entering pilot training. I can't speak for the army ng but it certainly can't hurt to call them up and ask.

 

[weekendwarrior]

Make sure you get good info. First of all, you do not need top secret, only secret. Second, at least for Army NG, we just sent a guy who is 36 years old. Call all the guard units and see. I went to flight school at 31, so the 27.5 or 30 age limit is really just a guidline. You can get a waiver for just about anything it seems!

 

[MarineGrunt]

Make sure you get good info. First of all, you do not need top secret, only secret. Second, at least for Army NG, we just sent a guy who is 36 years old. Call all the guard units and see. I went to flight school at 31, so the 27.5 or 30 age limit is really just a guidline. You can get a waiver for just about anything it seems!

I stand corrected..... you only need a TS clearance for particular airframes. The only one I know for SURE is tankers, but I think it's safe to assume fighter guys need a TS also.

 

[RJP]

I stand corrected..... you only need a TS clearance for particular airframes. The only one I know for SURE is tankers, but I think it's safe to assume fighter guys need a TS also.

Most are. We had TS but didn't need it if I remember correctly. Seems that some airframes in the fighter world are only secret but go ahead and ask an eagle guy to see his HUD and radar tapes after a 2v2 and he'll tell you it's "secret" and he can't show you....

Bottom line, they may work to get you a TS at the beginning but you won't have to "renew" it if you can get away with only a secret.

I think......

 

[Skaz]

Wow, wasnt expecting such a flood of info, thanks a lot guys .
Ok, so it looks like the 'regular' branches of service is out of the questions, since I'm too old (never thought Id say that for anything-som'bitch!), but I might be able o get into a Guard unit if I impress at an interview? andme testing scores are good?
How would I go about researching the units? Just look them up on the Guard sites, what they fly and then either phone them and speak to...whom? or go to recruiting stations and speak to a recruiter?
I suppose its more difficult getting into certain aircraft types than others, like fighters would be the hot ticket and nobody wants tankers?or some such.
Weekendwarrior, you say that 'we' just sent a guy whose 36. I assume thats your Guard unit sent a bloke to flight school? Whats the gen with him, what a/c type is he going to get trained on? You are in an Army NG unit, are you not? Which one?
Thanks a lot for the info guys, much appreciated.

 

[RJP]

I may be wrong but I think the 36 year old went to the Army NG. Based on the AH-64 avatar, I'm guessing Army all the way.

It's possible to be an officer (ground type) in the Air National Guard until 35 or so if you're coming off the streets. However, the pilot thing is a different story. As I've said, it was 27.5, now it's 30. You must be below that age on the first day of pilot training.

I've heard of a very, very few waivers on this and it's usually for a guy that's prior enlisted or someone they've known for a long time. And normally, they're just barely over the age limit.

The Coast Guard is out too because they only take guys up to 25 or 27 to go to the academy and pilot training.

Hate to burst any bubble but finding a military flying job might just be out of the question.

 

[Skaz]

Yeah, sure does look like it, thanks anyway. Methinks I'll give the recruiters a few calls anyway and see whats up.

Thanks for the gen

 

[tcoll777]

It's only out of the question if you quit trying. Call the aviation units in your area and they will have somebody who know's exactly what you can and cannot get a waiver for. I'm in Flight Training right now for the Army, and I know of several people who needed age waivers to get here.

 

[Skaz]

you are right of course, never give up. I'll call the units when I get there, still in Africa right now. There are links to unit lists on the arng sites isnt there? I think I remember seeing it somewhere.

If it does turn out I cant get into the air, is there a cutoff for joining the NG in a different discipline? I have military training in the armoured corps, so thats the second option......cant fly them, shoot'em down!

Cheers

 

[NavyGuy]

Skaz-

Like the previous posts said 'don't give up'. And as for the age limitations I believe the age 30 cutoff for the Air Guard is a guideline as stated earlier. I went back through training at age 32 with my unit. That being said I did have a military aviation background which helped with the waiver process. All things being equal if you wow them on first impressions most units are willing to go the extra mile for you and make an earnest effort to get you to pilot training. Whatever the case keep fighting until you get a pilot spot or every unit in the U.S. tells you no. Good luck.

 

[Skaz]

Navyguy thanks , I shall do so. Gonna get my rotary wing Cpl and CFI, hopefully that plus the fixed wing will count for something.

Fly safe

 

[weekendwarrior]

Actually, the 36 year old was a UH60 pilot candidate. He was a crew cheif for 13 years, though, so I'm sure that helped.

 

[Amn. Newell]

Going big time

I am currently 19 years old enrolled in a community college as well as a traditional enlisted guardsman for a fighter wing. I am obtaining an associates degree in aviation, as well as a bachelors degree in business management. My grades are all A's and a few B's. And my instructor says my flying is top noch, I'll probably be soloing in 5 more flights in a cessna 172p only after 9 hours.

I would like to fly fighters in the guard and am willing to go anywhere in the world to do it. Everything I have ever worked for has been directed towards this goal. My question goes out to anyone who may guide me in certain objectives I can do to better my chances for a flight position. I would like to get into contact with some fighter pilots and see how they arrived in their current position and see what I can do right now to accelerate my performance. I have talked with a few zoomies at my home base, but any additional information would be greatly appreciated. There is one concern on my part that my current height is 6.2, How will this also effect my chances of flying an F-16 or other fighters. Thanks, Amn. Newell