sammyboy123

As a recent college grad (bachelor’s degree in business) I am looking to become a pilot. I’ve been looking at both civilian and military routes, and am considering the option of “combining” both options. My issue with the civilian route is mainly the high cost. My issue with commissioning in the military as an officer and trying to get a pilot spot is that there is high competition and other difficult hurdles along the way. Would it be possible to commission into the guard (Air or Army) as an officer, and utilize educational benefits such as tuition assistance, GI bill, etc. to pay for flight school or a second bachelor’s degree in aviation? This way, I could still shoot for a pilot spot in the guard, and if that doesn’t work out I would still be working towards a degree in aviation. I’ve heard that tuition assistance can only be used for furthering education, and since it would be my second bachelor’s I may not be able to use it. Any insight into this route, strictly civilian route or strictly military route would be greatly appreciated.

Stoked27

In terms of the GI Bill (maybe not tuition assistance, not sure about that), getting a second bachelor’s is still furthering your education. You could have a Master’s degree in whatever, but if you wanted to learn something random like welding at a local college as part of an Associate’s degree, the Post 9/11 will cover it. You also don’t need to complete the entire degree, just the courses you sign up for. Tuition assistance has tighter limits and usually incurs additional service commitment from what I remember.

Iregretnothing

Such a difficult question to answer and I am sure there are many opinions. My advice would be NOT to commission as an officer in a non-aviation branch if your primary goal is to be a pilot (at least a military pilot) sometime in the future. Once you are commissioned in any branch it becomes very difficult to do a branch transfer, usually requiring waivers and such. While it is not impossible, it can be time consuming and extremely hard, especially if you have a command team that is not in favor of you transferring. I would do everything within your power to get the pilot spot right from the get-go. The competition may be stiff but it will pay-off in the long run. An Air Guard slot will certainly give you more bang for you buck over Army since you will more than likely be able to get the most sought after FAA ratings (fixed-wing stuff) for next to nothing. An Army Warrant Officer spot will probably be the easiest to get but you will most likely be in a helicopter unit to begin with. This option will get you your helicopter FAA ratings, which are still pretty valuable. They at least make getting your fixed wing add-ons easier and far cheaper than the pure civilian route. BOTH options will allow you to get your ATP at 750 hours, effectively halving the time requirement to land a part 121 job or become a 135 captain. Air Force requires you to give 10 years of your life for all that high dollar training while Army is only six.

Somebody who is smart on GI Bill, please correct me if I am wrong, but to get the full benefits you must serve 36 months of total active duty. That means that you will only get partial benefits after 90 days of service, something like 40%. So you will have to invest a few years or more to the Guard before you get 100% benefits. Again, nobody yell at me, simply correct me if I am wrong.

Here is my opinion. The market for pilots right now is HOT. If you truly want to be a PILOT and nothing else, I would bite the bullet and go the civilian route. It will be hard work and hopefully you are willing to put in the work, but ultimately I think you will reach your goal faster. The military is the best way to learn to fly for "free" but you will give something in return. You will also be required to become a master and manager of just about everything non-flight related. Your primary duty as a military officer is not to be a pilot, sorry to say. Have fun managing some stupid program you have no training in, oh and be prepared to do it for no compensation in the guard. Studies have shown that guard and reserve officers commit up to 40 hours a month of uncompensated work towards their units, depending on rank and responsibility. Have fun taking days off of your civilian job to show up to training only to realize you were removed from the flight schedule because some O-6 decided to take his bi-monthly flight.

I gave twelve years to the Army, both enlisted and as an officer. I didn't know I wanted to be a pilot until I heard of the warrant officer program after I enlisted. I am out now, alongside thousands of my peers, who are trying to make a go of it in the civilian world. I appreciate all the experiences I had in the military and wouldn't trade any of it in. However, if I was fresh out of college with a 100% desire to be a pilot and the ability to gather funds, I would hit the "pilot mill" flight schools up for the soonest start date and get my career going ASAP. Thousands of pilots did it before you in a much bleaker market.

Before you do all that...make sure you can pass a 1st class medical. Good luck!

sammyboy123

Thanks for the great insight. I wouldn't mind just going strictly civilian route, but the cost is tremendous. My issue is that I have rent to pay, student loans, etc. that need to be paid all while potentially financing flight training which would require a significant portion of time away from work. This is why I was considering the Guard and the tuition benefits that could potentially come along with it. Also, I'm not exactly sure what my chances would be of getting a pilot spot on the Air Force and what kind of risk I would be taking on. Maybe ROTC would be an option to help pay for a bachelors in aviation? With lots of options and lots of information I just want to take the time to make an informed decision on what's best for my future. As far as military commitment, I truly myself enjoying it for the most part and that I wouldn't be doing it just for the education benefits.

Wheelsoff

I got my PPL in 2008. My goal was to be a mil pilot (worked out for me, fortunately), but my backup if that didn’t work out was to go the civilian route to the airlines.

Fast forward to today, I’m looking pretty hard at the airlines when my commitment is up in the next 2 years. Had I been smart, I’d have gone Guard/Reserves but went in on AD instead. Funny thing is, had I gone the civilian route from the start, I’d probably be flying at a major by now. Hindsight is 2020 I guess. That being said though, the mil route (even on AD) has been a fun and exciting way to spend the last decade, at least for me (even though I didn’t get to fly what I wanted out of pilot training).

Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong. Mil flying is more exciting/rewarding. Civilian flying (majors specifically) pays a lot more. Decide what is most important to you in your flying career and chase after it!

sammyboy123

How difficult is it to get a pilot spot in the guard? I would love to do it that way but I just feel there is a lot of risk, which is why I am wondering about using the tuition assistance to help with getting an aviation degree in the meantime in case it doesn’t end up working out through the guard.

Barnstormer

Military flight training is not free. You better understand and want to write a blank check to the U.S. up to the value of your life. I have many friends that have had it cashed. If you don't have wanting to fight as your top reason for joining your in the wrong line of work.

Wheelsoff

All depends on what unit you’re trying to get into. Fighter units can have 100+ applicants for 1-2 slots. Heavy units typically hire more people from a smaller applicant pool. Again though, it all depends on the unit/airframe/location. It’s probably a lot easier to get a job flying KC-135s somewhere in the midwest than it is at a C-17 unit on the coast, for example.

Iregretnothing

The cost for the pure civilian route is certainly tremendous and if you are already in debt it might not be possible or wise to incur any more. If you think you would enjoy the military route I would certainly go for it. Take a hard look at any and all guard units you can find. Someone mentioned it already, it is less competitive to get a slot in a non-fighter unit. You also do not have to live in the same area as your unit. I would ask this during your conversations with different units but many of them will buy you a ticket to come and fly (THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN IN AN ARMY GUARD UNIT...EVER). It's also fairly easy to get put on active duty orders with those cargo units for a long time, which is a great way to build time and money. Another great benefit about going to a military flight school is once you graduate, you can almost get an associates in aviation from Embry-Riddle. You might have to take 3 or 4 classes to complete that degree for the AS. Also, the more classes you take while in the service will earn you more credits, i.e.; a leadership course of some kind might give you credit in an aviation management class at ERAU.

Tuition assistance is available to everyone while actively serving in the guard. Keep in mind that officers utilizing this program will incur a 2 year service obligation starting from the end of your last class. The good news is, this runs concurrently to any other obligation you may have. So if you have a 10 year obligation for flight school and you finish all your classes before the 8 year mark, you wont have to serve additional time.

CLazarus

First question you should ask yourself is "can I pass a military flight physical?" If no, it slims down your options considerably. When I started down that road I found out that my eyesight was no longer 20/20 and I had to make do with a nav slot. Go to an Active Duty recruiter and ask about Officer Training School options, you might be able to enter OTS with a pilot slot in hand if you can pass the physical. I have a good friend who did just this in the 90s, but I'm not at all sure that can still be done. Obviously, the AD pilot route commits you to a solid decade of service but it would get you on the desired path quickly. Get some civilian flight time in the meantime so you lessen the risk of washing out of pilot training.