Excargodog

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ0EVXaaXug

Sliceback

I'm curious myself as to pursuing a heavy slot or maybe a Navy AD slot. I had that exact choice decades ago and the USAFR recruiter couldn't understand why I had no interest in pursuing a heavy job. Unless it was in the landscaping business I had no interest in going to UPT for a heavy. But some folks don't want to pull G's, suck on a mask for hours, or wrench their necks out. They think that's crazy but the guys doing it think it's great.

ANG fighter trumps AD fighter for most guys. AD can be great but you're completely at the mercy of the service. Wife's pregnant? See in you six or 9 months baby. ANG? Much different story. Someone actually stays home when the unit deploys and sometimes things can be moved around so that a expectant dad can skip the deployment.

Fighters aren't heavies and heavies aren't fighters. Either you want fighters, and pursue them and your best odds of getting one are through a ANG fighter unit, or you don't.

Post 1990 pilot deaths -

C-17 3
C-5 0
C-130 18

B-52 3
B-1 0
B-2 0

A-10 17
F-15 18
F-16 46
F-22 1

There's a reason fighter pilots die at a higher rate. And that risk is part of the lure, the flying has significant threats to it much higher than normal flying. The death rate isn't the lure rather the tasks that require the skill, and aggression, of a fighter pilot are the lure.

Packrat

That's what I thought when I got Helos. But, its always the "Needs of the Navy." I tried for a training command billet after my sea tour. I guess I was too good at flying H-46s because I ended up being the helicopter NATOPS guy at a shore station.

It wasn't even listed on my preference sheet. They gave me two choices...stay where I was (the West Coast FRS) or go up the road to Pt. Mugu. Fortunately, we were critically short on fixed wing guys so I got to fly a lot in the King Air.

Fixed wing transition (in the olden days) was a board review deal. Virtually none of the guys who tried it got it unless they backdoored through a station King Air program.

For the OP...if you want to end up at the airlines, go Guard in a Tanker/C-17 squadron.

Merle Dixon

As others have typed, sweet Baby Jesus, go Guard. Have you pursued any ANG fighter units?

kbay hombre

Seems pretty simple. Do you want a guaranteed, predictable career that will set you up to fly with any major/legacy airline you want, or do you want to roll the dice?

Getting into a guard/reserve unit flying heavies is a sure path to any airline you want in this hiring environment. You can literally predict your entire career and it's the safe bet.

If you roll the dice, you may regret it. You may get helos and by the time you get out of the Navy or go into the reserves the hiring environment could be different and you may find yourself paying for your own RTP and going to a regional for a while. Alternatively, if you roll the dice and go navy, you could be in for a lot more fun and excitement than paying your dues at a guard squadron flying C17's. Almost everything in the Navy aside from P3's/P8's can and does land on carriers. Even if you get helos, C-2's or E-2's, you can get carrier qualified. You may be hauling mail and cargo whether it's the Navy or the Air Force, but doing it off a carrier is a lot more fun.

Me, personally? I knew from the beginning I was going full time/long term career military. I like the ocean too much to get stationed in Nebraska or Oklahoma or the other majority of air force bases that are inland in the middle of nowhere for most of my 20 year career. With that said, my counterparts who went AF ROTC and then went guard a decade ago and have flown KC135's and C17's part time are laughing all the way to the bank. They're all now captains at DL, AA and UA while I'm just now getting into the civilian game.

yardstick

Oh you can join the navy and still get stationed in Oklahoma. Ask me how I know. However, along with the P8 community, it is the best flying the navy can offer in terms of heavy, multipiloted aircraft. Wouldn’t bank on coming here though, there’s not many spots available

kbay hombre

Yes, there is the E-6 flying at Tinker. I didn't mention this specifically because it's fairly rare. Only knew a few people in my career who went this route and they all seemed miserable (e.g., beerios at 10am every day off to avoid short call).