Pilot553

I am 31 years old and currently a CA/LCA at a regional airline. I have a CJO and January class date at a legacy airline. I have always had a strong desire to try to obtain a fighter spot in the ANG. I realize that my path is not the most traditional, but I am just wondering if it is too late or worth pursuing still. Age is not on my side but it sounds like waivers exist for those who are between 30-35 years old. I have heard of some who left a major airline after they got on the line and some who waited until after their probationary period to follow this path. Does anyone have any experience or advice doing this specifically? I would like to complete the AFOQT and TBAS prior to starting class in January if I choose to pursue this. Any meaningful insight would be greatly appreciated.

FWIW
4700 TT
1700 121 TPIC
BS Aeronautics 3.8 GPA

Psycho18th

I hate to dampen your enthusiasm, but the reality of getting hired off the street into a guard fighter unit is a pretty long shot.

I think your chances of landing an OTS, pilot training, and B-course slot from a guard unit at your stage of career/life is going to be tough, unless you have a close connection to the unit and have been rushing them for a long while. The fighter units I’m familiar within the guard and reserves save their UPT slots for folks within the unit, or through a very selective process for recent college grads off the street. A Current/Qualified fighter pilot off active duty that costs them nothing will face stiff competition to be hired into a unit.
Call the unit and ask to speak with someone involved with the hiring (Usually a DO type). They’ll be able to give you an idea of the feasibility of your plan.

If you do get hired, you can take mil leave from your civilian job for training and seasoning orders. Hope it works out for you.

Sixty N Two

You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Baseops.net used to have a lot of job openings posted for both ANG and Reserve units. If I recall they were mostly for KC-135 and C-130 unite but may be worth a look. If you want to do it, let someone else tell no vs self eliminating. Good luck 👍

Edited: Just looked here is one... probably more. It may be a long short but who knows ...
http://www.guardreservejobs.com/newjobboard/jobs/a-10-upt-board/

no

palooza

Check out this website. Most pilot jobs are on here now. USA jobs isn’t as easy to navigate.

https://bogidope.com/job-posting/

DMV2425

Go to the flyingsquadron forums and start reading for days.

LeeFXDWG

Different time we are in. Guys and gals are getting out and not touching the reserves/guard. They’re tapped out on the ops tempo from their careers. Starting families, on with a major carrier and not looking back.

That goes for single seat and heavies based on my recent new-hires.

The USAF is something like 1500 plus fighter pilots short from target right now. I’d say pursue the option. If it works for you, great. The waivers for age are bountiful right now and if you bring them a body they want, who knows.

Answer is always no if you don’t ask

Lee

Extenda

If it’s what you wanna do, go for it! But financially you’re literally going to give up millions of dollars if you can’t get and stay on a seniority list before you start officer training and have to delay going to a major for 4+years.

rickair7777

Yes.

Take the legacy job RIGHT NOW. It's hard for young folks to even comprehend how favorable the opportunities in airline aviation are right now. I wouldn't even risk a delay, you never know what might happen to the industry, the economy, or your personal situation.

Now with that said...

Normally I'd suggest that folks complete their probation year before *volunteering* for longer-term mil orders, simply to avoid creating a bad impression with the airlines which than taints every other reserve/guard member, current or future airline employee alike.

But in this case you really need to get on with it so I would not delay at all. Show up for airline class on day one, get your seniority number and then do what you have to do. Completely legal.

Pilot553

Thank you all for the informative responses and for your input. I have spoken with multiple units who are looking to fill fighter openings the last couple days. In a perfect world if selected it sounds like I can begin class at the legacy and then leave to begin UPT either before or after my probationary period taking advantage of USERRA and having 5 years to do so before going back to the legacy and maintaining my seniority. With that said, the biggest hurdle is from a financial standpoint. Most if not all guard units want you to stay on after your approximately 2 years of training for at least 2 more so you can become a lead/instructor pilot and give back to the unit in that capacity. It sounds like the compensation during these years is approximately an $80k per year salary.

When you compare this to the pay scales at any legacy airline right now where upgrades are typically sub 5 years it doesn’t quite pencil out. You are leaving a lot on the table it sounds like. The units I spoke with said they had not heard of anyone leaving a legacy carrier in this fashion. They said most civilian applicants pursue it some time between the Private Pilot stage to the regional airline First Officer stage to avoid the financial losses further down the line within the private sector. I believe it comes down to how important it is to achieve a childhood dream of mine, and at what cost.

If anyone has anything to add or correct throughout this post please do so as I have limited knowledge and experience compared to most in this specific area.

Psycho18th

Good to see you are talking to guys at the units. You’ll need the websites for applying, but conversations with the folks in the units is best. Try to make your way out to a few on a drill weekend and talk to as many folks as you can. You’ll be working with the same guys for many years, so you and they will want to make sure it’s a good fit.

While you would be leaving a lot of money on the table when the airline industry is strong, having a reserve or guard gig on the side is invaluable when the down cycle hits. We had a ton of guys go full time in the reserves when they all got furloughed, and they were very thankful it was an option.