Originally Posted by
galaxy flyer
Sandrich
Think about this for second, an F-15 ANG pilot position will consume a minimum of 7-8 days a month to be current and mission ready. A B737 low seniority FO will be at his airline 14-16 other days, maybe more, maybe less, if he lives at hs ANG unit maybe he can "overlap" the two by doing Guard while on reserve.
What I'm saying is that doing the two is a serious commitment, demanding of time and talents. The standards for the ANG F-15 guy are EXACTLY the same as the AD guy.
Be very serious!
GF
This is excellent advice.
For some additional perspective, consider this. The traditional Guardsman (i.e. part-timer) F-15 pilot (or other ANG Fighter pilot) who can fly 7-8 days per month at his Guard unit and
maintain proficiency is typically a veteran of at least 2 active duty tours in their fighter.
They were hired with at least 1000 hours of fighter time and probably spent 10-12 years on active duty. Most likely they were instructor pilots in their aircraft and a large percentage attended Fighter Weapons School. Those are the guys who can step out of the fighter cockpit and fly for a couple of weeks with their airline, show back up for drill and bring serious game. Even for them, it might take a sortie or two to get back up to speed.
My point is, after completing UPT and the rest of the training to be qualified in your unit's fighter, you'll have about 2 years of active duty completed. You show up and spend another 3-6 months getting checked out locally in their mission ready program. Now you're a wingman with maybe 100 hours in the fighter. You'll need to live, eat and breath fighter aviation for at least another 2 years before you could be considered mildly competent. I've watched a couple of "Guard baby's" try to go part time too soon and it ain't pretty. Their skills stagnate and they struggle to maintain proficiency. Upgrades to flight lead and beyond are difficult and their contribution to the squadron is minimal.
If your ultimate goal is to be an airline pilot, I wouldn't try to do that by joining a ANG fighter unit unless you're ready to spend an adequate amount of time becoming the best fighter pilot you can (say ~5 years after training complete). Good luck