Zayghami

Hello,

I am 18, and I just graduated high school. I am Currently enrolled in a community college, and a private pilot.

Lately i have be considering enlisting the Maryland Air National Guard. I though that by enlisting now, I can go to college, which is payed for by the ANG (which is my understanding) in 4 years, and server the last two years once i graduate. What i want to know is, once i graduate college and by that time i will have my instrument rating, commercial ratings, multi ect...what are my chances of entering the Flight school in the ANG?

Thanks,
aj

UPTme

It's too early to tell.

Use the Search function. There are 69 threads on this forum alone about the ANG.

After you do that, get on baseops.net and search. Do not post, because 99% of the time, it's already been asked and you'll get flamed.

ficone

I know others will chime in, and though I didn't do the Guard route, it sounds like a good plan. You will also be able to find a lot of good info by doing a search through some of the older posts in these forums.

Enlist: do your best in all phases of basic and tech school, do your Guard job well, get to know the folks, and stay involved in the unit as much as you can.

College: again, do your best, get good grades, continue to engage in activities that show you're a well-rounded individual and somebody the pilots would want to fly and hang out with.

If you find yourself with a lack of time to do all of the above effectively, I'd say don't worry too much (or at all) about getting your other ratings. You already have your private, and I think they will weigh your college and enlisted job performance far higher than how many ratings you can rack up.

Good luck!

blastoff

Enlist only if you want to, not because you think it will lead to a Pilot Slot.

Most people at UPT, even Guard/Reserve, are NOT prior enlisted, although a few are. My unit just sent a boom operator to UPT, first time in years they actually chose an internal hire over an off-the-street College kid. So if I were you I would ask about the Unit's history of hiring pilots from within.

AZFlyer

Not intentionally trying to thread hijack...but since this question pops up every other hour on these boards, perhaps the most recent ANG "can I make it?" type threads could be merged and then stickied to the top?

The stickied ANG mega-thread could simply be used as a Q. & A. topic for all to use at will.

Mehbeh?

Marvin

How are your grades? Have you checked into whether you would be competitive for an ROTC scholarship?

Ultimately, what is your goal? Do you want to be a military pilot? If so, there are several routes to get there, and you should explore them all.

Zayghami

My Grades were decent. In high school I had a GPA of about 3.28, and a weighted GPA of about a 3.5.

Ultimately my goal in life is to become an Airline Pilot. I was just hoping that the Military can get me there without me having to pay college loans for the rest of my life.

The only reason that I would want to enlist soon, is so I can serve while im in college, so when I get out of college, only 2 years commitment left.

Pretty much, I want to get into the Airlines as quick as Possible, and get that seniority.

shane123

All right dude well I'll say it so that no one else has to.

You will get ripped a new ********* with that attitude.

Guys in the services do a dangerous job and they do it because they are patriots and they want to fight the bad guys face to face.

They will not appreciate someone undermining their hard work and sacrifice by using the military as a stepping stone for personal gain (ex.- airline jobs).

Your attitude bothers me personally....I put a sh!tload of time and effort into getting an officer and a pilot slot in the AF, and I did it because I want to serve. I plan on putting in a sh!tload more time and effort doing my damndest to fight for my country. Don't be the guy I meet at OTS or UPT that is talking about getting some quick hours to get to FedEX.

Go to www.airwarriors.com or www.baseops.net and post something like this....or go talk to some military officers. See what they have to say about how you think.

blastoff

You do realize that if you get a Pilot Slot, you incur a 10 year commitment, and none of your enlisted time counts towards it. You also realize that while serving, you are not going to get 2 years of college done in 2 years. Basic Training and Tech School alone will cost you at least a Semester. There is no "One Weekend a Month" until you're trained and proficient at your job...you'll be on orders for probably a year before you can return to civilian life. And if you're Aircrew (enlisted or officer), you'll be doing at least 5-10 days a month once you get off AD orders.

So the question is, are you going to the Guard to pay for college and get out ASAP, or do you want to be Enlisted Aircrew member, eventually leading to a Pilot Slot? You can't do both. You're not going to win a pilot slot with bare minimum participation in order to go to school full-time. The kid that volunteers for every trip/deployment/TDY is going to get that opportunity (taking double to triple the average time to complete his degree)...and even then, he will still have to compete directly with highly qualified off-the-street applicants.


ALSO: Guard/Reserve IS NOT the fast-track to the airlines. You'd get there faster by going to ATP or DCA, or even as a freelance CFI. It is, however, extremely quality experience when the time comes for you to branch out to the civilian world. You will not get a job at a legacy carrier just because you are military. There are many (including myself) at Regionals with all kinds of Heavy International experience from the Air Force, still waiting to hit 1000 PIC in the logbook before moving on.

shane123

Zayghami.....if you want some detailed information on how to become an Air Force pilot try these websites....

www.baseops.net or www.wantscheck.com


for some good stuff on Navy or USMC flying try www.airwarriors.com

Search these websites extensively before you post anything...you can find anything and everything you need on all of them between searching and posting.

I did not mean to come across harshly but if you walked into a military unit and said...."I am here to fly so I can get to an airline and build seniority as soon as possible" than you would not be received well.

Maybe you should stick with civilian flying if that is your goal.

Good Luck.