Inigo Mentoya

Slice has a good point. Another one is that Guard and Reserve life is much less painful than active duty. Guard and reserve units have lots of control over what missions they take, and AD does not. You go where they tell you, period. Also, AD folks spend ~80% of their time doing jobs that have nothing to do with flying, where as the other half fly airplanes much more, and desks much less. Nothing is perfect, but hindsight being what it is, I would seriously consider Guard/Reserve first!

Ifleye

You mean my job as the recycle monitor doesn't have anything to do with flying?

blastoff

.....SNACKO

LAfrequentflyer

I'm still one...4 years after the school house and I can't shake it...That reminds me I need to stock the freezer on Monday...

-LAFF

EFD01

AD = (1)full-time job, (2)no say (although you can indicate preference) in your future for as long as your commitment. Guard/Reserve = (1)part-time, with the potential for full-time employment, (2)YOU GET A SAY IN WHAT YOU DO AND WHERE YOU DO IT

L'il J.Seinfeld

Ding Ding

Occassionaly someone writes a post that is insightful and puts words down that expresses an opinion that I totally agree with, yet never realized I felt that way. That is so true of the USAF. They talk about being a warrior, but commanders want you to follow in their career paths. Your promotion potential has very little to do with your flying ability as long as you do not fail your checkrides. If you want to serve your country by flying jets the Guard/Reserve is the place to do it.

AFPirate

Preach on fellas...masters degrees, SOS, ACSC...paperwork upon paperwork...desk jobs, additional duties..

The RAF has career progressions for both tracks (career officer and career pilot)- why can't we do something similar?

Just another reason to go guard/reserves.

Sigh.

Sputnik

Last few O4/O5 boards I looked at pilots had the lowest promotion rates of all. I live next to an intel O5 who is about as clueless as they come and he made it BTZ. Generals get put in charge of random ****** because they're supposed to be "General"ists. Why the hell I'm defending the AF I've no idea, burnt out as I am.

I agree completely with AK Hawg on the career path issue, it was depressing meeting RAF and RAAF pilots and learning it was perfectly okay for them to be pilots, and nothing more. Not that I want to (re)join the Army but they definately have the right idea with warrants as the full time pilots, wish we did that.

To the guard/reserve vs active question, I'd say if you're even asking you probably should avoid active. Coming on active duty solely to pursue a civilian flying career will I think lead to a long unhappy period of military service, for the reasons everyone else has already mentioned. Never having had to worry about a paycheck I find the uncertainty in the guard/reserve mildly frightening, but other than that clearly the quality of life is so much better there's no comparison.

One of the truely amusing memories of my life was starting pilot training and meeting all the guard/reserve guys. All of us on active duty at first silently, then collectively aloud begain to wonder just what the heck we'd done to ourselves by going active duty. We just didn't know about the guard/reserve, now you don't have that excuse.

You have to do what you want to do but based on the questions you're asking...

MoosePileit

Had a former ACC/CC tell me why the AD USAF will not go Warrant for pilots- you'd wind up w/ only A$$h0le$ for generals- all the bros would stay in the seat. I don't believe it, and I left for where there is more flying and somewhat less BS. Sad thing, when I was going to SUPT I had the chance to go to the Reserves, a college classmates' dad was the AFRC Wg/CC where I was in Mx. It worked out fine, but I too got about 1/2 way thru SUPT and had figured I'd not been so wise.

Find good people in a good ANG or AFRC unit, then go fly!

Sputnik

I hate to be the bearer of bad news to that guy but I think his worse fears may have already been realized.