Hawker445

I was LITERALLY going to post the exact same query. Ijust turned 24, however I'm looking at a Regional application right now and wondered if I should do regional first, build seniority and then jump to ANG or vice versa. If you're looking to actually fly and not BS sitting at a desk 70% of the time, I would be doing heavies.


Not to place favorites or toot horns or anything, i was looking forwards to seeing a "rickair7777" response.

Hawker445

I'm also curious if you have to be a resident of the state which the unit is based in.

For instance i live in the SF bay area and the closest to me is the 129th C130 rescue wing (Moffet). Which, sounds more appealing to me. However, they aren't hiring pilots for the next 4 years....So i would need to look a little farther away that have the aircraft i'm looking for. But if Reno has C130s and the only place hiring, making a trip all the way out there would be a pain in the behind.

BeatNavy

Oh the trouble of having to travel one state over (4 hour drive) to try to get hired by a guard unit. What a pain! Some people rush for years, travel across the entire country to rush/interview, get told no over and over, and keep at it until it works out. Congrats to you if you can apply to your local unit and be done with it (or God forbid the one that’s 4 hours away)...but if a 4 hour drive to rush/interview is such a pain in the rear, then being a mil pilot may not be the best path for you. Being a mil pilot has way more “behind” pain than a 4 hour drive to a unit. To answer your question, you can be a resident of any state and be in a guard unit of any state, barring unit specific rules to live within X distance. As a full timer you’d likely have to live there. Curious what you meant in your previous comment about heavies and less BS desk work, too.

BeatNavy

There’s also an F15 unit right down the road in Fresno. Seems more fun than hercs.

nh2ri15

Thanks rickair! As for the other person inquiring, it may be a bit further away, but if you’re willing to commute or move altogether, the 146th AW out of Point Mugu, CA are hiring this spring. They have C-130J’s and are still located in your home state, although as the other people have said, it doesn’t matter what state you’re from. My first time visiting the state that my guard unit is in was when I was rushing the unit.

Hawker445

Not really saying living long distance from a unit thats hiring would prevent me from joining or would be ungreatful/hate going to and from base. Yea it might be "inconvient" as you might say but it's the same as saying you live a two hour drive to and from home to work everyday... Its the same thing as being an airline guy and commuting to a base a few hours away. You may dislike the commute but doesn't really mean "this may not be the best thing for you" if you enjoy being apart of it, at least the way I look at it.


I'm already fortunate enough to live in a state with a variety of ANG bases. I'd be happy be at any of them with the right aircraft. I mean, I despise LA but I'd go down to March AFB, or point Mugu like the other guy suggested . I'd be more inclined to be with rescue/airlift over fighters.

As for the other comment, I know a UH60 guy or two that sits at a desk 70% of the time of every couple months and complains. There may or may not be an explanation but from what it sounds like If this person WANTS to fly, follow a track that actually flies.

BeatNavy

I thought you were implying that applying to the unit/interviewing would be inconvenient. It’s a lot easier to not commute to a guard job. And initially for UPT/seasoning you’d be full time and would need to live local. As a new guy trying to fly a lot, being a commuter would make that tough, though if you coupled that with regional flying you would build time quickly. After a few years flying hercs elsewhere, transferring to your desired location is a possibility.

If I were in your shoes, I’d start at a regional, apply to several ANG units, and make the decision once you have a job offer in hand. Once you’re an ANG pilot, moving around in the guard is a lot easier than applying off the street to a unit.

As a prior helo guy I wouldn’t recommend going helos if you want to be an airline guy, but it’s fun flying. If your friends are Army UH60 pilots they probably don’t fly much outside of deployments...that’s how the army is. Not sure about ANG helos. But imo best to avoid helos unless you really want to fly them, regardless. That said, I wouldn’t limit myself to heavies. Fighter dudes spend more time in the vault and less time in the air per sortie than heavy dudes, but I wouldn’t write fighters off unless you just don’t want to fly pointy nose jets. The fighter mafia is alive and well in the airlines.

Hawker445

Yea one guy is Army and the other is Marines. But yea stick jockies are a different breed as i'm told. aha

Airbum

I have never regretted my years in the Guard. After decades at the airlines I wouldn't trade the experience of flying fighters for any of it.