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Old 09-13-2017, 07:45 PM
  #2  
PrimalPilot
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Joined APC: Aug 2015
Posts: 7
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Here are my thoughts. I’ve done both full-time and part-time flying in the AF.

Balancing a full-time job and part time military service as a pilot is tough. You’re working a lot more than two days a month and two weeks a year. And your pace isn’t going to slow down after college.

I recommend that if you’re losing interest and having a hard time keeping up with your AFROTC Det that you re-assess you motives to be a military pilot (whether it’s in the RegAF or ARC). If you decide the military route is for you, then step up and make this a priority in your life. Between commissioning, UPT, FTU, MQT, and seasoning, you’re going to be putting forward a lot of time, energy, and sweat to make it through. It doesn’t matter if you’re RegAF or ARC. In the ARC, only after seasoning will you have the ability to serve part-time (you’ll initially be on full-time orders). And like I said before, your commitment is a whole lot more than most other non-flying traditional guardsmen or reservists.

People who aren’t fully committed to the endeavor do poorly. At best they wash out (while incurring a military commitment). At worst, they become incompetent military aircrew.

ANG and AFRC units vary tremendously (location, mission, equipment, culture). If you decide this is for you, start making phone calls to the units you’d like to work for, and start making visits to those units. The competition for off the street UPT slots in these units is very tough. Many will mostly hire internally (i.e., people that are already members of that unit). Understandably, most units are hesitant to hire off the street folks they do not know. The hiring process varies by unit, and they have differing hiring cycles. You’ll need to know from the units you’re interested about their hiring windows, and what their requirements are.

The most important part of this discussion is that no matter what you do, do not join the ARC (ANG or AFRC) because you think it’s going to be easier than the RegAF. And do not attempt to become a military pilot unless you are 100% committed and convinced that this is what you want to do. Life as a military pilot will not slow down after college. It can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. However, it’s a fast and furious. If you’re not committed, it’ll be a regrettable and miserable experience.

Good luck!
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