3 Strikes, National Guard?
 

This will be a long time down the road for me but was wondering how much doing National Guard flying would help with getting hired by the legacy's? I do plan on flying for a regional and then National Guard on some of the weekends but just want anyones experienced thoughts....

The Guard is Good
 

The Guard is good.

SkyHigh

It can only help. The only issue is can you adjust to the National Guard?

Stay in it, get those retirement benefits. It will be worth every weekend you spent away.

this is very true!!!

Most guard guys are flying for the big guys... Best way to get your resume to pile.. Great flying too..

Good luck getting hired off the street into an ANG unit. Its certainly not impossible (hell, I did it...) but its not like getting hired at a regional, either. A good GPA and a strong PCSM score are almost necessary. If you want to fly fighters, your competition will be VERY strong.

The Wing Commander actually asked me during our one-on-one interview "You *do* realize you are going to be a military pilot, who could be and will be sent into a war zone, where people can and will shoot and you and that you might get killed?" Just the fact he had to ask me that question was an embarrassment to some of the folks who had applied...

Boiler brings up a great point... You will need to do what we call "Rushing" a unit. It's not enough to just put in an application. You need to go to the unit several times during drill periods and meet all the players. COnvince them that you are there for the cause. Being a team player and letting them know you will take the good and bad deals. Also, most units require a min availability per month. Some of the Navy guys want you for at least 10 fly days a month. Doesn't sound like much, but mix that with another job and family and it can be busy.

I notice most UPT slots i have to apply sometimes 2 years before training. Should i be rushing during that 2 year waiting period to convince them that im in it for the right reason? And also do they look down upon commuting to that state instead of living there? The states im looking at are vermont, north carolina, michigan, and new jersey. Anyone personally in these or know anything about them?

The more interest you show the better. Generally they prefer locals because a) it is technically a state unit and b) they want you readily available to come to work on short notice (this is NOT an official Guard/reserve requirement, but it does get factored.

I'm navy so I'm not too knowledgeable on the guard, but two C-130 units that I know of tend to have pilot shortages due to geography: Charleston, WV and Cheyenne, WY. If you can do NC, you might look into Charley West too.