Air National Guard
 

I would like to join the ANG to receive flight training on heavy jets (Mobility pilot I believe?), I have no real interest in fighters. I am about 1 year away from receiving my Bachelor's degree in the healthcare field, which I plan to finish before I join. However, I have a few questions:

1: My main goal is to work cargo (FedEx, etc.) after everything is said and done. Is this a good path? I was researching the different branches, (USAF, USMC, etc.) and each had their advantages, however it seemed like the odds of becoming a pilot were not very good. I do not mind serving, I feel it is my duty to serve. However, I do not want to make a 4+ year commitment with intentions to fly, then not receive flight training if not selected. That is when I came across some threads here suggesting the ANG. After more research, I feel this is the best option, however I would like more opinions as well for my specific goals.

2: I plan to start working towards my PPL while also working on my Bachelor's degree. I am wondering if having a PPL may give me some sort of advantage when applying to the ANG? Regardless, I will still get my PPL, but I am just curious.

3: How many flight hours can I expect to receive during UPT? After my 2 years of "active duty" receiving my training, I would like to work for the ANG part-time as well as hold a regional airline job to build more hours to eventually reach my goal. Would I even receive enough flight hours after UPT to be competitive enough for a regional job?

4: What are requirements to fly for the ANG (vision, etc.)? Are they the same as the other branches?

Any and all suggestions are welcome, as I wish to learn as much as I can during this time. I have a wife and 2 kids at home, so this is not an easy decision to make. Thank you in advance.

Military flight training is the best in the world, but if you don't want to serve in the military and it's a just a stepping stone-look elsewhere.

1. If non-selected or wash out of UPT you will be separated.

2. Yes, a private pilot certificate is preferred, if not more experience. I sent a B747 FO to UPT. It's s PPL in Europe and a certificate in the US.

3. About 250 hours. Yes, after seasoning training, your a part-time ANG pilot--about 6-12 days a month.

4. The exact same requirements and the same training program.

GF

Thank you. Like I mentioned, I do not mind serving. My goal is to get flight training, so I'm looking for the avenue to give me the highest chance for that.

What is the commitment time for the ANG?

Honestly, your choice of language is a little worrisome. Guard units...or any military unit for that matter...don't want someone who "doesn't mind" serving. That's not how this works. You either want to serve, or you don't. It's all in, or not at all. If you're only joining up to get your ratings, then please do us all a favor and find another way.

There's nothing wrong with wanting something in return for your sacrifice, but if the only reason you do it is for personal gain, that's not going to cut it.

I apologize if I offended you, or anyone. Let me clarify. When I say I don't mind, it is not a "I can take it or leave it" attitude. I want to serve. I feel it is a privilege and I am excited for the opportunity. As stated, my goal is to become a cargo pilot, and I am deciding on which branch which branch to join that will give me the best chance of earning flight training while still serving my country.

Devil's advocate--knowing where you want to go and being willing to pay the price to get there isn't necessarily a bad ethos in today's leadership environment. It might be the best way to stay sane while getting the job done.

That being said, the OP should probably be prepared to talk about being motivated to serve and excited about the unit mission in an interview.

I wouldn't be too keen on cargo v. pax flying/ FedEx v other carriers. As many on this board will tell you, take the first job that comes. You can always quit one airline for another, happens all the time. My buddy quit southwest airlines training on day 3 to go to United haha.

But first, you got to get your flight hours. Find an air national guard or reserve unit. Go to UPT, come back and kill it in the guard unit. Deploy, upgrade, fly your tail off.

Then at 750 hours you can apply to a regional. Use that to get to 1500 then you meet the bare minimum for a major airline/ FedEx.

I love flying airplanes but the experiences I've got flying C-130s for the Air Force and serving are cherished memories. Plus the military is a solid fallback to keep flying if the airlines don't work out. It is a very volatile industry.

Highly recommend a C-130 unit (sorry 17 and C5 guys I love you.) Airlines count 130 time as "turbine" even though it is technically a turboprop.

need some advice
 

i am currently at a regional..north of 1000 turbine SIC, and north of 1,000 dual given-instructor time(CFI,MEI,CFII)..back in college i was in afrotc, but at field training had a knee injury and couldn't finish the run in time. long story short, got sent home and went the civilian route. as i get closer to being too old for the military, the itch to apply to a guard unit is growing stronger. my only concern is the afoqt..its been like 8 years or so since i had any math class, and when i took the afoqt back in college, i passed but a kc135 buddy of mine recommended i retake it to boost my scores..im nervous Ill do worse and since they use the most recent, not the better of the two, I'm left scratching my head on the best option. retake it, or just apply with my scores from 5 years ago..and if i just used my scores from 5 years ago would it look bad that i didn't even try to take it again?

also what are the best afoot prep books since the test changed?

To add to tahoejase, I've been a Reserve SQ/DO and OG/CC and pilots who join just for training become problems for both the unit and themselves. To say nothing about what happens on an activation. Being a reservist is a whole career and demands a lot of effort and time. As an Colonel used say, "you only volunteer ONCE in this program".

The commitment is ten years, post UPT graduation, same as AD, but as a Guardsman or Reservist.

GF