CoastiePilot

Well, I guess I'll chime in here. Recently retired prior Falcon and HC-144 pilot now doing 121 'stuff'.

Pretty much everything said is spot on, so I'll just throw in my two cents.

-Completely agree that you should only go Coast Guard if you are in love with the mission and organization. It's too big a commitment to see it as just a stepping stone to 121 flying. There are better routes (like a guard unit) if that's your goal.

-I would disagree that fixed wing flying is at a 'low'. The majority of coasties going through are selecting helicopters as that's where all the glamour is. If you want fixed wing, it's probably gonna be there for you. So you'd end up on a 130, 144, or a 27. Arguably, all good platforms.

-I've never met anyone that EVENTUALLY didn't get into flight school. You can apply every 6 months until you get it. What you do while you waiting, like other have said, could be spent floating on a 378. So how bad do you want it? The real challenge is getting into OCS....officer billets (academy and OCS) are obviously highly coveted.

-Flight time is in great abundance with most fixed wing communities. Ten years ago in the Falcon, a good year was 400 hours. There are 144 pilots getting over 600 hours a year. Concerns on flight time shouldn't be an issue in your decision process.

I thoroughly enjoyed my career in the CG and would recommend it to anyone, but like I said, only if you enjoy the missions. I absolutely loved low level VFR cruising along the blue waters Caribbean chasing bad guys and doing rescues. Yea, I flew in some pretty snotty weather, but that was a small part of the time. Just do your homework (which you are obviously doing now) and make sure the Coast Guard is a good fit for you because 10 years is a long time. Like I said, it's not a good gig if you are just looking for a place to log mil time.

Best of luck!