Question for AFRES/ANG with airlines job

[BRlinepilot]

For you folks with a flying AFRES/ANG jobs who can juggle an airline job..........What is thewiser choice? Live at your airline domicile or live by the AFRES/ANG base? I ask because of the possiblity of being activated the next time sh!t hits the fan again. Let's hear it boys and girls! Thanks.

 

[AlbieF15]

A better way to answer would be:

If you live in domicile, how much time will you be a home? If you live at your Guard base, how much time will you be at home?

For instance...at FDX, where I work, there are several guys who live here and bid reserve lines or out and backs. That means they are home "most" of the time, albeit sometimes at odd hours if they are doing the am out and backs (300am-10am kind of flying). Some of these guys commute to their military jobs...a popular one being Columbus AFB, MS which is just 2.5 hours away down the road. The only days they spend away are when they get called out on a reserve trip or they spend the night when doing reserve duty.

If you work for SWA, or JB, or FDX, or anyone else you have to figure out if you will actually be "home" when you are flying a trip or if you will disappear for several days from family. Will you be RONing in your hometown when on trips or in a different city? For instance, moving to Mem if you fly MD11s to Asia for 2 weeks at a pop might not make sense...you are still GONE 2 weeks and now when you come home to do your ANG act you have to leave again...not fun. So...I think a major factor in your decision is what kind of flying you plan on doing at your new job.

For me...any trip with FDX involved travel away from Memphis, and I was already established in a town I liked. I didn't have to find a mortgage on year 1 pay (see other threads for woes of guys trying to do this) and my wife could keep her job. And since I fly in a training wing, deployments are few, and generally I am home for dinner after a day of work in the Guard. There is enough stress on family as you learn your new job and lifestyle...I didn't want to throw a move in with all its associated stresses of new friends, schools, church, neighbors, etc.

As for the ANG, at most airlines you earn less on year 1 pay than you did when you left active duty, and an UTA/FTP or even an MPA will be worth more than a trip if you figure out the salary/day equation. So...as long as you can use some mil leave without risking your probationary year getting extended, you will likely come out ahead doing more mil and less airline flying for a year or two. Depending on your unit and its ops tempo, you may find more nights home with mom and kids if you choose to stay close to your unit...but again...that is based on YOUR unique situation and the type of flying unit you join. I'm sure a C-17 job and an AT-38 job have a lot of differences...and I don't claim to know all the ramifications of each one. Just try to figure out which job puts you at home more and I'll bet you can make an informed decision based on your situation.

Good luck!

 

[bssthound]

My wife and I have had several discussions over this. She wanted to move to ATL since I'm based there with ASA. I finally explained enough that when I am on an airline trip I'm not at home and that should we move to ATL I will be gone from home when I fly with the Reserves, too. When I have to take Mil leave I usually stay at home. We did deploy to Hawaii in February, though; she was able to non-rev out there and we spent a great week together. My situation mirrors Albie's. We have a great house that would cost 3X as much in ATL and we're 45 minutes from New Orleans, about as fun a city as there is. If you're going to be away from home at both jobs I'd think hard about it.

 

[pilot141]

I think the answer to this question really lies with what unit you are with. I'm with an AETC unit in Del Rio, TX, and I do not live there, although I did while on active duty. If you live in your AFRES/ANG city, then things change. In the past 18 months I've done all three versions of this combination: live in the AF city and commute to airline job; live in city of choice and commute to both jobs; and live in airline city and commute to AFRES job. For me the best combo has been living where I am domiciled for my airline and commuting to my Reserve job. I only do one big block (5-10 days) at once for my AF job, and they pay for a hotel room, so no complaints. Of course, my AF unit never deploys and even if we got activated I'd still be doing the same job I am now, so there are no 6-month desert worries.
The bottom line is look at your situation and what your priorities are.
I flew with a captain once who told me this piece of wisdom:
"This job is so good only a pilot could screw it up."
I believe him. I've flown with people who live in LA, do the guard in PHX, and fly for us out of MIA. They're killing themselves, and for what? Spend time at home, lower your blood pressure, and actually enjoy that big fat retirement!

 

[ninepilot]

Whatever you do choose to live at either your airline or your guard/reserve job. At least one should be a car ride away. If you live at your guard job, you can drive down for a day, get some currency, and make some $$. If you live at your airline domicile you can bid reserve and be at home lots, too. It's all about lifestyle choices in this biz. I choose to live at my reserve job and commute to my airline job (when I'm not furloughed, that is), and I would reverse those locations except that I WANT to live in Seattle. It's just nice to have a job where you get to choose!!
ninepilot

 

[wackford]

Great thread.

Thanks to all those who responded I had been thinking about this for some time.

I’m starting a new civilian and Guard career after leaving active duty. I’m a little lower on the food chain though with a regional airline and an ARNG unit.

My civilian job and ARNG unit are within a 2 hour drive of each other so I am fortunate.