Originally Posted by
deagan14
I am a recent higschool grad with my private pilots license, and I am having one heck of a time trying to figure out my future. I'm applying to the Air Force Academy and am a competitive applicant for the class of 2022 but I'm also looking hard into the Air National Guard. This year I will be attending a state school on a 4 year full ride scholarship and if I decide to pursue the ANG I will finish my schooling there and then apply for ANG upt slots out of school, if I decide the Academy way, I will finish my first year of school at my state school and then transfer. My ultimate goal is to one day become a pilot for a legacy carrier, but I know I want to be apart of the military in some aspect first. I've read all about how it's a bad idea to simply use the military as a stepping stone to the airliners, but that's not my intention. I WANT TO SERVE, and am simply looking ahead. As of now I'm definitely leaning towards the Academy if accepted, here is the pro/con list I've been able to come up with
USAFA (active Duty)
PROS:
Opportunity to attend an amazing school
With a PPL in hand I could likely get on the powered flight team
Much more adventurous and get to be based in different places around the world
I would never have any regrets wondering "what if"
You don't usually have to fly for a regional airliner after you serve
Cons
You don't know what aircraft you will fly (assuming you get a flight slot)
There's a lot of office work that goes along with the flying
AIR NATIONAL GUARD
Pros
Get to airliners at younger age
Still get the military experience along with training
I would know what plane I was going to UPT for
Build up seniority at regional while in UPT
Cons
Very competitive slots to compete for
You don't get to move around at all compared to active Duty
Wouldn't get the academy experience
More expensive for you would have to build up a decent portfolio of flying time to be competitive for a UPT slot
Possible regrets wondering what if I went to USAFA
So assuming I received an appointment to USAFA would anyone turn it down and try to join the ANG down the road? Thanks in advance for your help!
I think it's great that you and Flyguy4723 both want to serve your country as military aviators.
It's human nature for someone to recommend you follow in their footsteps if career goals have been met. So you'll get a lot of, "The Navy/Coast Guard/ Air Force is the best way to go."
It's hard to predict military pilot hiring five years from now. When I was a CAP Cadet in high school, the Air Force/ANG pilots I met told me to go the Navy route because the USAF had an excessive amount of pilots. I signed up for NROTC, and four years later, the USAF was desperate for pilots. I'm glad I went the route I did, but your takeaway should be that times change and so do pilot slot allocations.
The overall trend you'll hear from most military pilots is USAFR/ANG UPT slots afford the most amount of flexibility and are probably the best deals going. They are hyper competitive, but that shouldn't discourage you.
It would be great if a USAFA grad currently serving the 10 year after winging active duty obligation chimes in.
It's great that you are seeking advice. You'll be making an informed decision. I had USNA friends in flight school who never heard of professional pilot degree programs. They couldn't believe my studies focused on flying airplanes.
In advanced multi-engine training, I flew with other students who had been selected to fly ANG or USAFR C-130s. Again, a total shock to a lot of classmates. I remember hearing, "You mean, you know what squadron you're going to fly for? You stay with that squadron your whole career?"
Some career decisions will be better than others. None of them are really "Bad" if you end up earning a pair of Gold or Silver wings.
Their will be some luck involved. Most of the pilots I know have a personal story of fate working in their favor.
I wish you the best. Work your butt off in school, and keep an open mind.