Originally Posted by
majortom546
Ive been giving it some thought and talking to people and I think I will consider going in to the air national guard. Anyone have any experience with this? And how could I become a pilot in the national guard? Thanks
You still need a 4 year Degree to be a pilot in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. All pilots are officers...and all officers are 4 year college graduates.
Also, know the difference between the
Air National Guard (Component of the
Air Force) and the National Guard (Component of the
Army).
There are quite a few threads on the Military forum on becoming an Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard pilot.
I am a pilot in the Air Force Reserve, which has a similar (but not the same) way of doing things as the Air Guard. You can enlist out of high school and have a non-pilot job (possibly enlisted aircrew such as Boom Operator, Load Master, Flight Engineer, etc...) in the Guard/Reserve while you go to school, then go through your Unit's pilot hiring process, where you might have a leg up on people who aren't from your unit. Otherwise, you can simply go to college and when you graduate, try to get hired at a Guard/Reserve unit. Remember, unlike the active duty Air Force where once you are recruited you have know idea where you are going and how long you are staying there, in the Guard or Reserve, you are hired by specific units you interview for individually; and once you are hired, you are there until you chose to move (and your commander allows it) or the Unit closes.