Hey Gents-

This might not be the most appropriate place to post this, but there seems to be quite a bit of personal experience on this board. I'm really interested in applying for a pilot position with the ANG, but I don't really know anyone who has done this so I'm mostly relying on internet sites for information. I'm a senior at LeTourneau University (B.S. in Professional Flight). I will graduate in the summer with my Commercial/Instrument (Single and Multi). I am also currently finishing up my last year as a KC-130 Flight Mechanic with the Marine Reserves. I have very low hours, but I really love the military lifestyle and I would love to fly (especially jets, but just about anything). I would say my limiting factor is age. I am 26 as of April, so I will be 27 when by the time I graduate. Any advice, or does anyone know of any upcoming job openings? I'm in the Dallas, TX area. Thank you for ANY advice.

Tim

The wonderful folks at Carswell are hiring. Visited there for a day one time; everyone was very friendly.

http://www.agd.state.tx.us/jobs/air/...0-62%20UPT.pdf

Tough call trying to find a job in the current market. Have you looked at MCEP or any other programs to stay in the Corps and fly? If not look at Reserve Units that have UPT slots available.... Just an idea.

the current age limit is to be in training before your 30th birthday, so you have a little time.

PM me when you have more posts. A former student of mine was an instructor flight mech, got out went to the ANG and was a FE on Herks, then got a UPT slot. He is now a Guard Technician. I can put you in touch with him.

I second the motion on going to touch base with the guys at Carswell. Nothing like being in the ANG in your home town.

You might have to enlist first, but with your flight mech experience, should have a relative easy time going to the FE spot.

Good Luck

Tim, I got picked up at 26 - no problem with that.

Teh application process for Guard slots is more of a marathon than a race. There are many places on the web to check out as well as dozens of Guard pilots on this forum.

www.baseops.net
www.wantscheck.com

The wantscheck website has a listing of most Guard units out there, each page will usually yield a phone number, POC, location, etc for each unit. You can simply call that unit and see when they are having a board. This forum also has several threads regarding Guard slot information. There are many things you can do now to get going - but those websites will direct you through that.

Good luck, if you have any questions - don't hesitate to PM when you get more posts.

Thanks everybody for the feedback. I will continue to keep an eye on baseops and wantscheck. I also found another site that (I believe) lists all the current ANG jobs in Texas - Texas Military Forces if anyone is interested. Sounds like a good idea to go over to Carswell. Looks like the board stops accepting applications on September 13th... I might be cutting it a little close to get a good package together by then - or would it be better to go ahead and try to submit one to have my name at least floating around? Any pointers to keep in mind if I'm able to meet anybody from the unit? Thanks again for the wealth of information - its hard to tell how accurate some of the older stuff is that drifts around the internet.

You are probably too late for the September 13th deadline, but it would not hurt to try. Get over there and make contact with folks in ops, they will be glad to take time out of their day to show you around, because Herc people are Herc people regardless of branch of service. They are probably interviewing for spots in FY11, which means they probably would not consider you as an outsider (albeit with prior military flight time) off the street without having your degree complete. If you could get a package in, and get an interview, they would definitely know your face and story for FY12.

The pressing thing for you right now aside from making contact, is to get the AFOQT accomplished. Get the ARCO test preps, unless someone else on here has a better recommendation, to get an idea of what is on there. If you naturally use good grammer and have decent reading comprehension and are reasonable at basic geometry, and algebra, you should have no troubles getting a pilot qualifying score. Your flight mech background and reading NATOPS manuals should serve you well when it comes time to the electrical diagram portion. Remember, you can only take it twice, unless there are very extenuating circumstances, so don't rush into it before you are ready. You will probably have to hunt around to find a way to take it, but the good news is there are plenty of AFROTC detachments at all the universities near you and they probably have one scheduled pretty soon with the start of fall semester--Call them to find out when---usually on a Saturday morning, so don't go drinking the night before.

Well, I talked to the folks at the ANG 1800 number, and they told me that, since I'm still under contract with the Marines, I HAVE to do all of this through a recruiter. I'm sure I could go over and meet the guys at Ft. Worth, but as far as anything official (AFOQT, submitting apps) I MUST go through a recruiter. I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy yet, but I left him a message. It is kind of funny since the only recruiter I've ever dealt with was a Marine recruiter, and they were at my house with paperwork the day after I first called lol. Anyway, the more time I spend thinking about the ANG and researching the jobs available, the more it sounds like something that I would really enjoy. I think I have missed the boat on FY2011 hiring for the most part, however graduating at the end of the summer should put me at a perfect time to start applying next year, or for anything that comes up between now and then. In the meantime, I think I'll order the ARCO's and start preparing for the AFOQT. I guess there's not really anything you can do to prepare for the TBAS? Oh, also I tried calling the guys at Ft. Worth and left a message, with no reply yet. Does anybody know their drill weekend, or how I could find that information? Thanks

Ryan- you say you got picked up at 26. Who are you flying with now? Did you apply for a lot of units and platforms, or just those close to your home? I'm just trying to figure out how likely units are to hire someone "willing to locate" over someone who already lives locally. Thanks

Some units like guys that are already local, some just depend on the applicant.

Either way - one thing about applying to the Guard - each unit has a different flavor and you'll get a variety of answers with different units. Some have a history of taking prior-enlisted guys, some don't, some have a history of picking up guys with a lot of hours, some don't want you to have any more than a private, etc.

As far as going the a recruiter.... could be wrong, but that statement's a little misleading. If you turn in an application to a particular unit, whose point of contact is not a recruiter technically.... and they like you, hire you... all of your paperwork issues will be worked out after the fact. One thing about the Guard is that... if they really like you, they can make a whole lot of cool things happen in regards to waivers, paperwork, etc.

Yes, I applied to many units (most gave the thanks, but no thanks letter) moving was a sacrifice I had no problem making.... got interviews at two.. a heavy unit and a fighter unit - alternate at the heavy unit, hired by the fighter unit - couldn't be happier about the unit.

I tried to apply to my local unit... they told me not to bother applying, they were looking for people with a better academic record. An active duty major told me not to bother applying because I wasn't "marketable" -Guard pilot slots only go to people with a 4.0 GPA, a clean record, and prior enlisted service. He was full of ****. There's been many, many people tell me their reasons why I wouldn't get a slot and shouldn't try.

Moral here... sometimes you gotta make your own way (you know that already because you're a Marine) - get out there, go after what you want, have that fighting spirit, and don't give up.

I believe your AFOQT can be taken and scheduled through your local AFROTC det. I just called and set it up - it was a really painless process.