Spot on. We have numerous Guard/Reserve students in UPT right now. I've flown with Guard/Reserve students that are regional airline pilots, students that got hired by the Guard/Reserve with a CFI, others had a PPL with Inst rating, some with just a PPL. Almost every Guard/Reserve student I fly with applied at several different Guard or Reserve squadrons.

In your Sophomore or Junior year of college you need to contact any and all Guard or Reserve units that you are interested in flying for. Do some googling and call whatever units you are interested in and ask to speak with the DO (Director of Operations). Tell him/her that you are enrolled in University X, describe your flying experience and ask what their pilot application process is.

In this day and age with a our YUGE pilot shortage, you will find a unit to hire you.

And, one more pile on, the Guard/Reserve life is immensely better than active-duty, avoid active-duty like the plague.

Good luck.

 

Ya I'd definitely apply to out of state units I am from Montana and we have a c-130 unit a couple hours away, but I still want to get out and explore some where new. I'd love to fly fighters but we will see if that changes over the next couple years and how competitive it is. At this point I'm thinking of majoring in aeronautical engineering does anyone have any suggestions as to if this is a good idea. Besides the obvious do well in school and build as much flight time as possible is there anything else I should be doing to build a very strong resume for guard units?

 

Make sure you can keep your grades up in engineering. Some units, especially if they don't know you (no face time/rushing) will look harder at this number than others that may know you. Engineering tends to have students with lower GPAs than say business or pro pilot or some other bull sh1t major. I'd rather see I guy with a 2.5 in Electrical Engineering than a guy with a 3.8 in pro pilot. Get your ratings at a local FBO. But that's just me.

I'd suggest Mechanical Engineering instead of Aero. ME and AE degrees are almost the same but AE for some reason pigeon holes you to a certain extent in the nonpilot job world. ME grads seem to have more career prospects but also are included in most of the disciplines that are open to AE grads.

Stick to ME, EE or CIV. But you really can't go wrong with any engineering degree.

 

Agree fully, add Reserve in there also. If you enlist as Guard or Reserve during college and then get a commission and UPT the four years counts toward twenty year military retirement.

Joe

 

I enlisted out of high school as an aircraft mechanic, and now I'm competitive for major airlines with heavy aircraft mechanical experience, a fully funded bachelor's and MBA, instructor pilot time, and in a couple years, a vested 20-year ANG retirement. I have seen the world flying a military cargo plane and didn't have to go more than 100 miles from my hometown for college (fully paid by ANG, on top of a scholarship). It's a short drive for the non-flying portion of my military career and the local training flights. It's a great gig, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to serve.

As others have said, the guard units are like a family, and they love to hire their own. If you find a place you'd like to spend a few years, and they (or another unit in that state) have a plane you think you would like to fly when you graduate, go talk to a recruiter and meet some folks from the unit.

Another advantage is that you can continue to serve as you learn in the civilian sector as a student, regional pilot, fireman, or whatever you want to do. The USAFA package is an attractive one, and I'd be pleased to see any of my children follow that path. For me, the guard has given me the fullest life.

 

Here's a slightly different perspective.

I'm not saying I disagree with the advice being provided. However, almost everyone offering it is doing so with a pair of wings on their chest, many with an airline job already. It's easy to look at the situation at that point and Monday morning QB. "I'd have been hired at my airline sooner if only I went ANG"..... "I never would have had those 6 PCS moves and a remote tour"...... "I could have gotten aircraft X, Y or Z straight out of UPT", etc.

Those may be all good reasons for a guy who already has a 4-year degree, sitting at a crossroads in his life looking at an aviation career and trying to decide mil or civilian.

You can't offer the same advice to a high school student trying to plan out college who may be considering joining the military as a pilot. If becoming a military pilot is his number one goal, then choosing to go ANG closes a lot of doors toward attaining that goal.

Unless he's going to enlist in the ANG and do the GI Bill in the hope he can get into a future UPT slot that way, he has to find a way to pay for college. If he's got that covered somehow, great. Otherwise, planning to go ANG after college means he's bypassing a potential USAFA appointment and ROTC scholarships and committing to paying his own way through school.

Then there's the challenge of actually getting a UPT slot. Like it or not, becoming a military pilot is a bit of a numbers game. Right now, the USAF needs pilots but that's not always the case. Bypassing a shot at the academy or ROTC now means lost chances at a far larger number of pilot slots than the ANG units offer. The odds of actually being selected for a UPT slot in an ANG unit are far, far smaller for those who only try that route than the guys who try every possible avenue. Most folks who really want it are willing to cast the widest net possible. At some point it may come down to just how much a set of AF wings is worth. Someone who won't even try unless they can achieve that goal under the optimum circumstances, choosing the jet they fly, the location and getting into a major airline job before age 30 probably really doesn't want to serve that badly.

The other thing for guys who want to fly fighters is this:
Unless we're talking all out mobilization, most of the time, front line active duty units are going to be the ones called up to the show. Look at the percentage of active duty units versus ANG units that participated in Desert Storm or who are currently involved in hot spots around the world. If you want to be able to do more than train in the local MOA, fly at your airline and watch the war on CNN, active duty is going to give you a better shot.

If I hadn't been on active duty, there are some once in a lifetime tactical combat experiences that I never would have had a chance to have. Just my .02

 

^^^^this^^^^

gf

 

Some random points.

-Enlisted at 17 and got a year of my enlistment out of the way before I even left for basic.

-They paid for all my schooling and up through my CFII...graduated with < $5k in student loans.

-Was fortunate enough to get hired by my squadron to fly Vipers

-Adler is right...which the crap hits the fan the AD goes first.

-Guard fighters are more and more being used for NON-combat "deployments" to sit and do nothing.

-The above mentioned "deployments" are driving guys out. Dudes are sick of spending time away from family and taking large pay cuts to go do NOTHING....especially while there is some action going on.

-QOL will likely be MUCH higher in the Guard. Consistency of one location, no white jet tours, no non-flying gigs, etc... Mostly 4 days work weeks and drill weekend. You'll rarely see the 12-14 hours work days like AD.

-OPS tempo has been constantly creeping up in the Guard. When I first enlisted, we did 30 day deployments, every 24-30 months, with the occasional TDY in between. Now we're doing 100 day deployments, every 19ish months with 3-5 TDYs of 2-3 weeks a piece. Couple that with random conferences and sim trips and it adds up. Many of our hires off AD are quite surprised by how much we're gone. Being a part timer helps, because you can always pass on trips here and there.

-Every single friend of mine from college, that wanted a Guard pilot slot, got one. ALL of them...so don't let the competition factor scare you.

-With the Guard, if you don't make it through training, you have ZERO commitment. So you won't be forced into some non-flying gig.

-Many of my UPT classmates ended up in U-28s or M-28s (out of ENJJPT).

-A few of my other UPT classmates will spend the last few years in a NON flying assignment.

-Lots of dudes at UPT while I was there, ended up in UAVs...

-In the Guard, you'll fly as long as you want. If your squadron switches to UAVs, you can always leave...of course at this point in my career, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Great side gig for airline guys.

-Our squadron is a revolving door or AD guys trying to escape AD. They're burnt out and tired of the BS. Many are highly qualified dudes who are patches or have school slots.

-If you enlist in the Guard, you can still do ROTC or apply to OTS...as long as you're continuing military service (in any of the services), you'll be released from your enlistment. There is some caveat with ROTC and tuition benefits, but it's doable. A fellow crew chief went through ROTC and got an AD pilot spot with no issues.

-I have even seen an enlisted guard guy go to the Academy. You just have to interview with one of your commanders and get recommended. It's a great deal for these guys...if you're into the mostly boys college in Colorado.

-Having been enlisted since high school, I will finish my UPT commitment (10 years), with over 17 years of service. I can't tell you how grateful I am that I'll only have 2.5 years left, while all my UPT buddies still have 7-8+ years left. Being able to retire at 37 will be great...especially now that I'm balancing two jobs.

-I was fortunate enough to get hired very early in this airline hiring spree. I have been writing letters for a few FAIPs and a few of my UPT classmates...who are still a year away from getting out. If they're hired right away, they'll be over 3,500-4,000 numbers junior to me.

-Don't overlook the Coast Guard. They have a decent amount of pilots and it seems like it's one of the best kept secrets. Just an opinion after having flown with a few former coasties.

Goodluck in whatever you decide. You really can't go wrong, each choice is filled with it's own awesome adventures.