Thanks Scoop. Andrews does have the C-130 unit, VR-53. I've actually visited them twice already. Committing to moving to a high cost of living location before I have a job makes me nervous, but I keep going back to this as the best long term option for the family. Easiest airline commute / basing if I live there, and easiest commute from GSP if we end up moving there.

My heart wants to go fly the T-6 on the weekends, but my head tells me it wouldn't be worth the commuting trouble.

Thanks sailing. Getting dropped off at the airport for a GSP commute or driving to ATL or CLT should provide plenty of options.

 

Daytona 500 to Labor Day = Really full. The rest of the year = mostly full.
12ish mainline flights a day, mostly 75s. Agents in JAX are VERY helpful.
The Trannies do 3 a day now and are very accomodating, but not sure what will happen with them.....
Most days first flight gets in by 7, last flight out near 11.
Driving from the Beaches to ATL is 360 miles via 10&75.

Please be kind to us lowly S3Cs languishing at the bottom of the standby list- we always appreciate you offering to ride the FA JS!!!

 

Ok, here goes my 2 cents. I have been commuting to NYC out of ATL off and on since 1998. It is by far, IMO, the easiest commute in the airline. You can get to and from NYC via 3 airports that have lots and lots of service and I haven't even had to bother with trying UAL or Airtran/LUV. Have a JFK/LGA sign in and have to go through EWR? Take the train from EWR and transfer at Penn Station to the LIRR to Jamaica, then Airtrain to JFK/cab to LGA. Remember that the Shuttle, until it goes to mainline again, via the 717 is on a connection carrier. Cost of living is cheaper in ATL than DCA, and you live in the center of the DAL universe. PS, why do I commute? Because it's a choice, where I didn't work a single holiday last year, nor the days before or after to keep the reroute gods at bay.

 

FWIW... Deciding where to live depends a lot on what your intentions are with the military. If it's just a stopgap/backup income that you need for a year or two, stop reading. If you want to continue your mil career to a retirement or have some other desire to hang with it for an extended period of time, then I highly recommend living within easy driving distance of your mil job. If you don't, it will become increasingly hard to stick with it over the coming years, especially when you get to the point where you are losing money to do your mil duty. Much easier to stick with it if you are sleeping at home on the non-deployed nights you are doing mil stuff. Whatever you do, don't move to a location that requires a commute to both airline and mil. Thats a sure-fire plan for ending up in divorce court or the hospital, or both.

 

Why do you say this kind of stuff? Now, what little seniority I have will evaporate...

 

Ah T, I could have hosed myself being at 55-60%. I moved out of the Hamilton Beach pad as I didn't use it for 2 months and couldn't justify giving MB $250 for nothing. Back to the Oasis if I need it.

 

Agree with this train of thought. Initially for the first decade, living where you can regularly drill will be more valuable than living in airline base as you will be able to manipulate your sked with mil leave when you need to. Once you've been at your unit for a bit, you'll become an IP (especially in the Herc) and you'll have opportunity to fly in the morning as a trainer or night but return home each day.
Until then, the Herc trips can be long which will eat into what you can give the company on a monthly basis but at the beginning of your career the military (Navy VR) will be a better option than the airline both QOL and pay wise.
After your done with the military then focus on airline QOL.
Aloha,
LUV

 

I was wondering why I haven't seen you there for awhile. But just think about all the great flying they have out of ATL.... drive to work.... mmmmmm

 

There is also a C130 guard unit at CLT.

 

nwa and luv, great advice. You’ve both hit on many of the thoughts I’m hoping to be able to balance over the next decade. Wherever we end up (reserve unit and airline) our plan is to live local to the reserve unit for at least the first year or two. Hopefully pick up an IP qual, bum as much as the squadron will have me, maybe even pick up some active duty time. Once the income starts to get back to the active duty pay levels I’m at now, then we would decide where we want to go… stay local and involved with the unit, move back to Carolina and just do minimum VR drills, or just switch over to IRR and finish out retirement via NKO courses.

Either way, I feel like if you can afford it, DC gives the best QOL early on due to the close proximity to junior airline bases, as well as good QOL once we move away as it seems like CLT-DCA would be a pretty easy commute compared to PNS, JAX, or Norfolk/VA Beach.

nwa, the reason why I asked earlier about commuting from GSP is the “don’t commute to both jobs” rule. Living there would obviously require a commute to a VR job (again, CLT to DCA seems relatively easy), and my perception is that the 1.5-2.5 hour drive to CLT or ATL wouldn’t add that much stress if it made my wife happier to be near her sister instead of down in ATL. Would you consider that reasonable or am I being too optimistic?

Thanks for the feedback!