Guard/Reserve Better
01-14-2014 | 10:32 PM
#32
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 63
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If you can find a way to go Guard or Reserves early, I would jump on it in a heartbeat. I'm just now leaving the AD after almost 11 years. My experience the last 3-4 years has been vastly different from my first 8. You'll still get to travel as a Guard or Reserve pilot & see the world depending on your airframe. You might even have some of the queep to put up with depending on the unit, but being able to stay in the same place, moving on your terms, raising a family where you want, etc is invaluable compared to the AD. Good luck!
01-15-2014 | 06:18 PM
#34
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,208
Likes: 2
From: B737
I'm in a Herk unit, and for the most part, Herk squadrons have been hit hard by the cutbacks. The AR ANG at Little Rock has the FTU mission and it's the only Herk unit that I know of that has regular opportunities to bum...but you gotta be an IP first.
01-15-2014 | 06:35 PM
#35
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Retired AF/A320 FO
I can only speak to 20+ years on the AD side and see lots of negatives posted on the forums. Like any other flying job it's not perfect but it can and does work for many different reasons based on your circumstances. Happy to discuss offline with anyone if you want a different perspective.
01-17-2014 | 08:20 PM
#37
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 92
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From: PC-12/U-28 Evaluator Pilot, B747-400/-8 CA
Latest AF Reserve results for Col were released yesterday. Just to show how upside down the Air Force has become; 13% pilots, 17% Navs, 33% non-rated ops, and 25% mission support were selected for O-6. Explains a few things...
01-17-2014 | 08:24 PM
#38
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 92
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From: PC-12/U-28 Evaluator Pilot, B747-400/-8 CA
Just to prevent forest fires, these were the percentages of each category that were promoted, not a percentage of 100%. ie 409 eligible pilots and 53 selected for a 13% promotion rate.
01-17-2014 | 08:54 PM
#39
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 187
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From: Left & Right
I left AD to go to the Guard about 6.5 years ago and I have no reservations telling you that my quality of life is immeasurably better on this side of the fence, and I would make the same decision all over again. That said, there are a couple things to think about before you choose one over the other:
1) Guard bumming is becoming much more difficult, if not impossible, and that situation will continue to deteriorate as budgets shrink further. Trips are how you earn a living, and those are becoming scarcer.
2) If you join a unit today, there is no guarantee that unit will continue to exist tomorrow, much less 20 years from now. You might be able to find another one to hire you, but that's no guarantee either.
1) Guard bumming is becoming much more difficult, if not impossible, and that situation will continue to deteriorate as budgets shrink further. Trips are how you earn a living, and those are becoming scarcer.
2) If you join a unit today, there is no guarantee that unit will continue to exist tomorrow, much less 20 years from now. You might be able to find another one to hire you, but that's no guarantee either.
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