Originally Posted by
Flyguy4723
So nobody on here recommends Active duty at all?
Originally Posted by
USMCFLYR
I wouldn't trade my active duty time for anything.
I seem to have had a more satisfying career than many on this board though.
I'll admit that when I joined - I didn't know much about the Air National Guard or the Reserves - though the USMC doesn't have such options.
Originally Posted by
tomgoodman
I second that opinion. The AF allowed me to go places and do stuff that would otherwise have been impossible, plus it got me to a Legacy airline by age 30, with a savings account and no debt. In addition, I was reasonably assured of a secure job in case the airlines didn't hire for years. It seems unlikely today, but that could happen again. Guard/Reserve would have been a good deal, but at that time ('70s), most of their slots went to pilots with a few years of service, and Regional airlines were barely getting started, so the choice of Active Duty was pretty clear.
Don't let the guy who doesn't fly for airlines, or the guy who is retired tell you any different.
Go guard. If you can't do that, go reserves. As soon as you can, get hired by a regional and build up time as fast as you can.
You'll be years ahead of your active duty counterparts who have 10 year commitments AFTER pilot training and the crazy little schoolhouse in Washington.