TKOwnedU5

I'm thinking about joining the ANG after finishing my Associates degree in Aviation Management in June of next year. I'm looking at the 919th special operations squadron at Eglin. My dad did 20 years in the Air Force special ops as a loadmaster. And I know a pilot that flew in the Air Force for 20 years who said he would write me a letter of recommendation. Would enlisting as a loadmaster then finishing up my bachelors give me a better chance at a pilot slot?

I'm 20 years old, turn 21 in January. My ultimate goal is to become a commercial pilot and fly for a major airline. I have no problem serving 20 years in the military first.

I just found out that Eglin has an Aero club where I can earn my PPL and other licenses as well if the military won't take me into UPT. Would I be better off training at a military aero club than say at an expensive flight school like Aerosim. I spoke to the manager at the club and he says he's seen someone complete PPL through CFI for as low as $30k. Does that sound to good to be true?

Tweetdrvr

How many threads does it take?

I am going to diagnose you as being medically unfit to fly due to being insane. Definition of insanity is doing same thing over and over and expecting different results.

TKOwnedU5

I'm not mentally ill, thank you very much... I still have what you told me back a few months ago. I'm not expecting different results. I have many questions. This thread is in regards to Aero Clubs and enlisting.

"Find an ANG unit that has ATC positions in one of the states that offers those previously mentioned education benefits, since it seems like you may have some aptitude in that career field. As an ATC person, you will make enough money during weekend drills and the extra pay days you will pick up through voluntary exercises and deployments to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly if you live like a normal college student. Any extra money that you have, use it toward continuing to fly and work on civilian ratings so that you are more competitive for a pilot slot. At least get a private, try for instrument as long as they don't get in the way of getting your degree finished.

With any luck you could have your degree complete by 23, and be in AF UPT for a ANG/AFRC pilot slot by 25. Depending on how much you flew before SUPT, you could find yourself post UPT at 26-27 years old with a degree, 200 hours of military training, 140 hours on your civilian ticket and debt free. Two years later, in a heavy unit (C-130/C-17/KC-135/KC-10) you should have enough time for the ATP. You could then wait for the upgrade to Aircraft Commander to get PIC time which may take a couple more years after that, or go for a regional job. If you choose the regional route while flying in the ANG/AFRC, you get to supplement crappy pay with military duty and then once you upgrade at either place, work more with whomever put you in the PIC position first to build that valuable time for a job with the majors. Going regionals while flying military will put 121 time on your resume and make you look better in some mystical resume scoring system that every company's computer uses to screen for interview calls. You could be at a major by 30-31 years of age and debt free with a military flying job to cushion you against the furlough and bankruptcies that are going to happen in about 15 years, because the airlines always find a way to kill the goose. Right now the goose is laying golden eggs, and even though this is a demographically driven hiring wave not based on passenger growth projections, or future planes on order, one day the music will stop. The economy will crap itself for some reason...oil prices, terrorists, etc..., then hiring will stop that day, and furloughs will begin the week after"

Lets say I don't get a UPT slot. Will the GI Bill cover my flight training if I don't go to college for flight training? Training at the Aero club seems much cheaper than Aerosim. I was told the GI Bill only covers flight training if you train through a college program.

MikeF16

I think the other 3 threads on this very topic should have enough answers and the remainder of this thread be devoted to the typical "seasoning" a new LT would get in the squadron.

Quibbling.

Now go make some phucking corn TK.

Slim11

Is the flying club Part 141? I used Montgomery GI Bill to finish up my training but had no military flying club available in the DFW area. That was all pre-9/11. I used the Quantico MCAS flying club in the early 1980s to build time. Many of the instructors were retired military IPs. Sadly, the Quantico club no longer exists.

I haven't rented a GA airplane in a long time, so I can't tell you if the manager's quote is accurate. Too good to be true? That's up to you to decide.

Scraggly Heron

Quick details:

Eglin aeroclub can accept the GI bill to pay for training. (Be aware that a PPL is not covered by the GI bill, only the qualifications afterward)

919th is a reserve unit, not a guard unit. Getting hired there is challenging, without prior AFSOC pilot experience it's probably not even possible.

If you're starting from scratch, consider applying to the new MC-12 guard unit in OKC. They're hiring right now, and they will send you through UPT if they pick you up.