ANG guys out there?
 

Any of you Guard guys leave AD recently, either at the end of your ADSC or through Palace Chase? If so, what has your experience been like? I've got some time left on AD, but the quality of life and leadership lately has me thinking about all of that really green looking grass over on the other side.
Wondering how it has been looking for a job in the civ world......anybody able to find a decent flying job within a few months of leaving AD? Can you support yourself by bumming for a while? Any civilian jobs out there for a guy with around 2000TT/500 left seat in heavies? All advice/opinions/rants/raves welcome.

It's hard to believe you're in a unit that doesn't have any airline pilots. They will be your best source of information. Just ask around. Who knows? Your co-pilot's sister just might be dating the Chief Pilot for SouthWest. Or maybe your wife is, yuk, yuk, yuk. Just kidding of course. But good luck. It's still a buyer's market out here, but with a little perseverance you should be able to make it.

Actually, I'm still on AD. Just trying to weigh my options.

PS......don't tell my wife, but my co-pilot's sister is hot!

tanker: will you enable private messages?

or just tell me what you did between graduating high school and gettin to fly with ang. details welcome.

He does not possess enough posts to qualifty for PM service yet

Thanks for all the info and encouragement. L'il J, Where'd you fly 135s, and are you doing the guard/reserve thing now?

Thanks

Tanker-Driver, nice screen name. :D

I'm another AD 135 guy about to start the Palace Chase process soon. I've talked to a few guard guys that say they can make more base pay bumming in the guard than on AD (of course no BAH or benefits). There are 2 for 1 days, alert days, trips, drill weekends, lots of stuff to keep you busy. I'm toying with the idea of getting a commercial flying job also, but with being gone 12-15 days a month with an airline and flying with the guard, I'll probably be gone just as much as I am now or more, which will kinda defeat the purpose of going guard, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

I'm in a similar boat, still AD, contemplating the jump to the Reserves. Anyone have good info on available work (expected pay) for troughers?

tanker units in the ARC
 

Good questions. Call guys that sperated from your active duty unit and see what they say.

The good news is that there are a lot of guard and reserve units that fly the 135. Not all of them have alert lines. There are lots of opportunities to work if you go TDY, but not every unit can/will keep you paid if you don't want to be out on the road all the time.

Full time spots are rare but not impossible to find. If a bunch of airline guys go back to NWA or United, you might find full time spots available.

If you are thinking of airline jobs, you might want to make sure you already have the mins for who is hiring before you get out. I have found the hours come a lot more slowly in the reserves than in active duty. That would be very different for airlift guys, I imagine.

Good luck

Financially you will have no problem troughing and paying the bills. The toughest part if you have a family will be insurance. Tankerdriver, I'll give you some advice on being gone. If you get a commercial job live in either domcile or at your guard unit. Double commuting is the first step in the divorce process.