Originally Posted by
KTM1524
Would you recommend getting my private pilots license before I sit down in front of an interview board? I’ve heard they like to see experience but sometimes too much experience creates habits that some military personnel don’t like when teaching you to fly their way.
Your PPL will help with your AFOQT pilot/nav scores, and definitely with your PCSM score, both of which have a fairly substantial weight with ANG/USAFR hiring boards (depending on the unit...some don't care that much about them). But certainly, the basic flight experience and commitment to finish it, as well as you knowing what you are getting into in the flight training world, means a lot. From my rushing experience, the PPL is almost required to get hired by fighter squadrons. I don't know anyone hired by a fighter squadron without it. My few bros in the heavy world have said most of their hires have at least PPLs as well, or at least a decent amount of flight time working towards it. I know some guys get hired without it, but I'd venture to say they are few and far between.
Regarding experience, the ones I've heard complain about "too much experience" are referring to guys who have several thousand hours who are set in their ways. But there are several airline guys with thousands of hours going through UPT right now. There's also one guard fighter squadron commander who told my bro that army pilots and often struggle going through UPT and have trouble unlearning old army ways. Point is, a PPL, and likely anything under 1,000 hours, isn't going to concern anyone.
Regarding the choice between mil and civ, decide what you want to do, and do that. If you busted your tail in the civ world, you could get your ratings and be at a regional in 2-3 years. It'll be peak hiring in 5 years or so, and you could likely get hired by a major at 29/30. If you go to the military, you'd be 25/26 when you start, and have competitive mins at age 30-33 depending on what you flew. The math could change with as many variables as there are. Age 67 could happen, a downturn could happen, who knows.
But when you are 35 sitting in an airliner having foregone the military route, knowing you'll be doing the same boring airline flying for the next 30 years, thinking to yourself, man, sure would be fun to rage around in an F16, it'll be too late then. Or when you are on a 4 day with a guy who was military, you hear his stories, and know you missed out on something you will forever regret. I have flown with a lot of guys who said "I was going to join the military, but..." or "yeah I wish I had done the military route, but I did X, Y, and Z and it just never worked out." I have yet to fly with a mil guy who regrets it. I have flown with many a civilian guy who does regret not doing mil. But only do it if you really want to do it, because a lot of the job sucks, especially these days.