Guard vs. Air Force

[av8instyle]

...not necessarily true.

There are no Guard units that will guarantee a pilot slot before you join them unless you have a degree already. Unless your dad is the commander of that unit.

Not true. I was hired by an F-16 unit in 1995 with only 90 credits complete...and I knew no one, didn't even have a pilot in my family. (I obviously had to finish school before going to training.

If I had known about the ANG when I was your age, I would have taken the ANG route.

Amen. I don't know a single Guard pilot that was prior active that disagrees.

If you wash-out of T-38s or aren't fighter qualed, and it happens every class, you do not get to go to T-1s. They don't want you.

Note the key words..."They don't want you". What this really means is that even though the guy could get through the intense T-37 training but could not quite make the transition to single -seat, 500 knots, the T-1 guys take it as a slap in the face when the T-38 guys think some of their washouts just need to sit in the right seat and get experience under supervision. Some pilots don't learn as fast. What a waste of assets. I know several civilian pilots that couldn't quite keep up with a fighter but are great heavy drivers.

Something else for everyones bags of tricks, 3000 hrs does NOT equal fighter. If fact it may hurt. (bad habits)

I showed up to UPT with 3100 TT. I graduated #1. It's not a habit thing, it's an attitude thing. It WAS hard to see all of my buddies from the commuter getting seniority #s at the majors while I was doing Tweet standups. But, the light at the end of the tunnel was an F-16 and I REALLY wanted it. Some guys with lots of flight time and good civillian jobs might see it as a tough transition.

They call the T-38 the great equalizer for a reason. We sent a dude to pilot training with 1500 hrs. Washed out of T-38 formation. T-1 for him...NO!

No kidding?

 

[F-16Guy]

Amen brother

Dude. Well spoken.

 

[Squanto]

Mav FP,

If you are dead set on the USAF I would seriously look into the guard. They always said that it was the best kept secret in the Air Force and it probably still is. You want to put the odds in your favor to get the kind of airplane you want to fly in the first place.

Back when I was in the USAF the UPT school that you needed to get into if you wanted fighters (active duty) was EURO-NATO out in Wichita Falls Texas. They trained the NATO countries as well as our own. Now the Germans, Swedish, whatever are going to send over their most competitive candidates. The USAF is going to send their most competitive studs they can get they hands on.
Everybody that finished would get a fighter. I don't even think they used Sims out there they just flew a hell of a lot.

The point I'm making here is that if you didn't make it to Wichita Falls your chances of getting a fighter was seriously reduced because you are fighting with 22-28 guys for 2 fighter slots. The Air Force was basically picking the people they wanted for fighters and would throw "scraps" to the average UPT Schools. If you were sharp enough to be that No. 1 or No. 2 guy hats off to you but the odds were, that you were going to be an Instructor (ME) or fly a heavy.

Now, saying all that, the way the Navy does it is actually a little more democratic. They send everybody and I mean everybody to Whiting Field NAS in Pensacola to duke it out in T-34's. I don't give a dam# if you were No. 1 in your ROTC class or the greatest thing to hit the Naval Academy you will have to fight it out in a T-34. Navy seems to be a little more laid back also. I was going through UPT while my best friend from college was flying A-4's in Navy Flght School. He came up to see me and actually sat in on our morning brief. After it was over he said, "Dam# you guys are way too serious up here and you get to land on a 12,000 ft runway to boot!" I went down to see his operation and they were more laid back, no stand up EP's, but their school is 2 years long not 1.

So to put the odds in your favor for flying fighters:

1. USAF Guard

2. NAVAL AVIATION

3. USAF Active Duty

Good luck in whatever you decide to pursue.