Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Guard vs. Air Force

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
As I said before: "I hope and pray that I am wrong in my assumption of you, if not, I pray to God that you have an attitude correction."

I admit I was wrong, please allow me to appologize.

OPIE
 
Wanna Fly

Hey Nick,

I took the ROTC route. I was very lucky and received a pilot slot during a time when the AF wasn't hiring very many pilots. I believe the keys to my success were: 1) AFOQT scores, 2) Private Pilots License, 3) ROTC performance --- commander's rating / leadership potential / camp performance, and 4) University grades. If you do well in ROTC and college, you may make pilot training, but you still don't have a fighter. To get your fighter you must perform well in all phases of pilot training. How well you must do depends on the current need for fighter pilots in the AF. When I went through they were only giving one fighter per approximately 18 students. This is extreme, but you must factor this possibility into your decision if you want to fly fighters (in the ANG, you will fly your unit's aircraft if you simply graduate). If you do not do well enough in pilot training to get a fighter, you very well may be stuck flying heavies for your entire career. There will be limited opportunities to cross-train, but the AF may not choose to give you the opportunity --- they own you.

I very much enjoyed my active duty career -- it was awesome. However, when my UPT commitment was up, I left Active Duty and joined the ANG. If I had known about the ANG when I was your age, I would have taken the ANG route. I have lots of reasons for this which I won't get into, but suffice to say, the ANG is an outstanding place to be. I recommend you take the ANG route and this is how: First, stay in school! You MUST finish your degree --- the quicker the better. The type of degree isn't as important as simply graduating. Second, pick a city with a fighter ANG unit and a city you want to live in for the long term....preferably near your school...maybe Jacksonville? Third, enlist during summer vacation from school. You can setup a situation where you are full-time school and part-time ANG. Fourth, be loyal to your unit, do your job well and remind everyone in your unit you want to fly --- remind them all the time! If you do this, in my opinion, you are giving yourself the best chance to fly fighters!! There are many pitfalls to avoid in this scenario too. I will give you a couple of them: first, it will be easy to burn yourself out...the ANG will take a lot of time...time lots of kids would rather spend hanging out with their friends and partying. The worst thing you can do is delay the pursuit of your degree. If you can't handle both commitments, don't enlist. The second pitfall I want to make you aware of is the unit that hires you may lose fighters. If the unit loses fighters, you will fly the follow-on aircraft instead. Yes, you can change units but the other unit must hire you and your loyalty/commitment to the original unit that sent you to pilot training must allow your transition. I've gone on too long, hope this helps. Best of luck -- it's worth it!
 
Clarification

I want to clarify something Racban said. HE stated that if you aren't fighter qualified out of pilot training you fly heavies. Not any more. That was before the T-1 days. If you wash-out of T-38s or aren't fighter qualed, and it happens every class, you do not get to go to T-1s. They don't want you. I've seen it!!

Something else for everyones bags of tricks, 3000 hrs does NOT equal fighter. If fact it may hurt. (bad habits) They call the T-38 the great equalizer for a reason. We sent a dude to pilot training with 1500 hrs. Washed out of T-38 formation. T-1 for him...NO!
 
Hey guys,

Just wanted to say thanks to everybody for the suggestions and comments. After school today I am going to try to get in touch with the chief pilot at the 125th (I believe) in Jacksonville and see if he has time to talk to me for a little bit.

Now, yes, flying a fighter is my dream, but I will gladly accept a bomber/tanker/transport over a non-flying career anyday. I understand that some things weren't cut out for certain people. Anyway, thanks again and hopefully I'll get some more responses.
 
One more thing....

If anybody knows where I can find out who the chief pilot of the 125th FW over in Jacksonville, Fl is and/or a number I could get in touch with him/her, please let me know.

Thanks Once Again! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Nick Kitchen
[email protected]
 
...not necessarily true.

There are no Guard units that will guarantee a pilot slot before you join them unless you have a degree already. Unless your dad is the commander of that unit.
Not true. I was hired by an F-16 unit in 1995 with only 90 credits complete...and I knew no one, didn't even have a pilot in my family. (I obviously had to finish school before going to training.
If I had known about the ANG when I was your age, I would have taken the ANG route.
Amen. I don't know a single Guard pilot that was prior active that disagrees.
If you wash-out of T-38s or aren't fighter qualed, and it happens every class, you do not get to go to T-1s. They don't want you.
Note the key words..."They don't want you". What this really means is that even though the guy could get through the intense T-37 training but could not quite make the transition to single -seat, 500 knots, the T-1 guys take it as a slap in the face when the T-38 guys think some of their washouts just need to sit in the right seat and get experience under supervision. Some pilots don't learn as fast. What a waste of assets. I know several civilian pilots that couldn't quite keep up with a fighter but are great heavy drivers.
Something else for everyones bags of tricks, 3000 hrs does NOT equal fighter. If fact it may hurt. (bad habits)
I showed up to UPT with 3100 TT. I graduated #1. It's not a habit thing, it's an attitude thing. It WAS hard to see all of my buddies from the commuter getting seniority #s at the majors while I was doing Tweet standups. But, the light at the end of the tunnel was an F-16 and I REALLY wanted it. Some guys with lots of flight time and good civillian jobs might see it as a tough transition.
They call the T-38 the great equalizer for a reason. We sent a dude to pilot training with 1500 hrs. Washed out of T-38 formation. T-1 for him...NO!
No kidding?
 
Mav FP,

If you are dead set on the USAF I would seriously look into the guard. They always said that it was the best kept secret in the Air Force and it probably still is. You want to put the odds in your favor to get the kind of airplane you want to fly in the first place.

Back when I was in the USAF the UPT school that you needed to get into if you wanted fighters (active duty) was EURO-NATO out in Wichita Falls Texas. They trained the NATO countries as well as our own. Now the Germans, Swedish, whatever are going to send over their most competitive candidates. The USAF is going to send their most competitive studs they can get they hands on.
Everybody that finished would get a fighter. I don't even think they used Sims out there they just flew a hell of a lot.

The point I'm making here is that if you didn't make it to Wichita Falls your chances of getting a fighter was seriously reduced because you are fighting with 22-28 guys for 2 fighter slots. The Air Force was basically picking the people they wanted for fighters and would throw "scraps" to the average UPT Schools. If you were sharp enough to be that No. 1 or No. 2 guy hats off to you but the odds were, that you were going to be an Instructor (ME) or fly a heavy.

Now, saying all that, the way the Navy does it is actually a little more democratic. They send everybody and I mean everybody to Whiting Field NAS in Pensacola to duke it out in T-34's. I don't give a dam# if you were No. 1 in your ROTC class or the greatest thing to hit the Naval Academy you will have to fight it out in a T-34. Navy seems to be a little more laid back also. I was going through UPT while my best friend from college was flying A-4's in Navy Flght School. He came up to see me and actually sat in on our morning brief. After it was over he said, "Dam# you guys are way too serious up here and you get to land on a 12,000 ft runway to boot!" I went down to see his operation and they were more laid back, no stand up EP's, but their school is 2 years long not 1.

So to put the odds in your favor for flying fighters:

1. USAF Guard

2. NAVAL AVIATION

3. USAF Active Duty

Good luck in whatever you decide to pursue.
 
Last edited:

Latest resources

Back
Top