Quote:
Originally Posted by jimf15e
A few thoughts to keep in mind as you go through this decision process. As a current AGR on leave of absence from an Air Reserve Technician position, as well as having quite a few years on AD I'm in a good position to offer you some points to ponder. My experience is only on the fighter pilot RegAF and Reserve side of things, but I have quite a bit of work experience with ANG issues as well.
- Do you have a full time civilian job? The days of bumming or troughing are harder and harder to come by with funding shortages. Unless you get a full time position expect to build hours at a very slow rate. You'll be on AD status for UPT, MQT, and seasoning, but those days will run out quick. UPT nets you ~200 hours.
- If you do have a full time job is your employer ready for you to be gone for your ANG duty? By USERRA law they have to - but depending on how you make your money it could mean a big pay cut. And just because they have to doesn't mean they'll like it. There could be some (legal) 2d/3d order effects.
- If you get a technician / ART position, realize that is NOT active duty and you can't take mil leave from an airline position to work it. You have to choose one or the other
- If you affiliate with the guard (or the reserves, TBH), be prepared for re-missioning. Talk to the half dozen or so ANG units that lost their manned aircraft and are now flying RPAs. Niagara went from tankers to associating on the 130 to MQ-9s in the span of 5 years. The Guard Bureau is moving full speed ahead on the RPA mission, converting units left and right. The C-130 draw down and KC-46 standup isn't helping things
- Remember, unless you're an AGR or a tech your primary duty is to be a part-timer. Meaning you fly at part time rates. NEVER trust a unit that says they'll keep you on orders. That money can and often does run out and it's out of the units' hands. I've seen it happen and had to do it to many folks - it's the way it is in the ARC because we're exactly that - a reserve service.
Remember - the grass isn't greener in the ARC, it's just a different shade of green. There is no magic bullet, solve all my problems, no downsides option. And lastly, like GF said - you BETTER be joining the armed forces because you want to serve your country, not because you want them to train you to be an airline pilot. Hiring officials and guys in the unit will see right through you if that's not the case and run you off quicker then you can say "Getting to a major"
Good luck.
Your point about bumming/troughing is noted, but it's (as you know) incredibly unit dependent. I wouldn't be asking troughing advice from a fighter guy, flying has always been limited in that community absent an alert commitment. The money and flying generally lies in mobility airframes. They also have more footprint and are less competitive to get in than fighters. Same goes for hours. Fighter guys don't fly much at all, but when it comes around to applying for mainline there is very much a positive bias to people with F-stink on their application, good, bad or indifferent. To such a degree that their lack of multi TPIC is very much dismissed in ways civilians and mobility guys simply cannot get away with. It's good to be a token in the airline application world, good, bad or indifferent. Opportunity costs abound.
Civilian job as an airline aspirant? He'd be doing life wrong then. The play is fairly straightforward: Get thru UPT, qualify in the aircraft, trough until picked up by regional, fly for regional and mil leave with abandon, upgrade to AC in the military, lean on military flying for TPIC, reach mainline minimums. Done. No civilian non-flying job required; it'd be a hindrance more than anything. Your point on USERRA is noted, civilian employers are very Reservist unfriendly in practice when it comes down to non-airline employers and and aircrew reservists with duty requirements that exceed the 48 UTAs that the commercials portray reservists like (i.e. the shoes/nonners).
The other thing the OP needs to think about is how important is it for him to gun for fighters. That's not the easiest part-time job to remain solid in, units tend to be a lot more *restrictive due to the perceived cachet of the job (* local area commuting restrictions, no travel pay funding versus undesirable units, et al) and the bean requirements in days usually exceeds that of your nominal fatty whale airplane unit. Then there's the added potential of washing out of lead-in or B-course training. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just shining a light to the young man to become informed.
As to ART jobs, as an airline aspirant I'd almost prefer it to an AGR, especially considering they are non-approving AGR curtailments right now in the AFRC, leaving people literally with Delta CJOs in hand and no way to exercising it. True effin story. As an AGR, I've delayed my own ATP ride based on the fact they got me locked in until the manning is perceived to be improving and/or easier to replace, so I'm no longer in a hurry. When the furloughs start again/hiring slows down, my job will once again have a line out the door for people wanting it. These things go in waves. It's all musical chairs OP.
Btw, kudos on the AGR mil leave from ART. We are literally the most incestuous professional organization I've had the displeasure of depending on a paycheck for. But the game is chess, it ain't checkers, so I applaud every opportunity a person has to work the system. I've always insisted on the importance to capitalize on the machine's propensity for indecision in order to take care of the family. Plenty of whip-lashing they offer for our work and sacrifice, so it's fair game imo.
All that said, this continues to be the world's coolest part-time job imo.