hey guys, i am considering the air national guard after i graduate in april. i have read and posted alot on this subject. but now i am seriously considering it.

i am 25 yrs old. i will have a B.S. in geography with a 3.5 gpa. i am an instrument rated private pilot. I have perfect 20/20 vision and am in excellent physical condition. i am an eagle scout and have done tons of volunteer work over the years. so i would like to think that i am a decent applicant for a pilot slot in the guard. what do you think?? any advice as to what i can do to beef up my chances?

also...i plan on visiting units in my home state of california and talking to them about becoming a pilot in person. as well as some other units that are close by in surrounding states. but i also want to apply to units all over the US. i would just call those ones up. what do you guard guys think of that?? is that a good way to go about it?

thanks a ton for the advice!

You sound like a pretty good candidate all around, the scouting and private pilot stuff shows initiative. Your only soft spot might be GPA...guard slots can be pretty competetive. A 3.5 in engineering would be fine, but I suppose it will all depend on who the competition is. How you play it will be as important as a few GPA points, so be aggressive.

Good plan to start with your local units, and then move outward.

Checkout baseops.net if you haven't already.

The guard is like a Fraternity, you have to RUSH it. Find out where their local watering hole is and then happen to overhear one of their conversations on how great pilots they are. Sit down and start talking to them and then buy a round before they become bored with you.

Do this for a few weeks without ever mentioning your interest in the Guard and they will eventually suggest you drop a package.

Now you have your internal recs and your pledge week has begun!

What? His GPA is more than adequate, in fact it's outstanding (3.5 is Cum Laude at most Universities)...AFOQT is more important, as well as bro'ing out with the squadron.

Ooops, not sure what I thinking there. 3.5 should do the trick.

thanks guys for all the great advice! what tests exactly do i need to take? AFOQT and the BAT?

how do i take them? just go visit a local recruiter and say i wanna take these tests?

what about the flight physical? how do i get that outta the way?

would you suggest i take these tests asap or after i graduate in april?

i am 25 so i am pushin it for the cutoff age. it sounds like it takes a few yrs to get a upt slot.

thanks again. and any other advice would help!

An AD recruiter can sign you up for the tests, maybe the physical too. Don't tell them you want to go guard. Get everything done as soon as you can. You should be applying to units NOW! Most will interview and hire you if within 1-2 semesters of getting your degree. Visit units if you can, call the rest. Find the number for operations(where the pilots are) and ask to speak with someone in charge of pilot hiring. Recruiters in the guard handle paperwork for UPT applicants, they have nothing to do with hiring.

Shows you the intelligence level of some recruiters. It cost $1 million (ballpark) for me to go through OTS and UPT.

My Day at the Clinic, talking to a Flight Surgeon for 5 minutes cost nothing more than sending my blood to the lab (maybe a couple hundred bucks). Last I checked, those nurses are getting their basic pay whether a couple of UPT hires show up that day or not.

That ridiculously annoying recruiter I had to deal with for a year popping me a salute the next time I see her...priceless.