HanlonAir1986

I was contacted by reserve unit to fly the C130. Im currently a First Officer on a cRJ for a regional airline. The setup is an interview date coming soon with boards in June and leaving in December for OTS and UPT. Some generic questions probably shouldnt be asked but i dont want to blow it over not asking.
Suit and tie?
Bring everything including letters of Ref?
What kind of Questions during the interview are going to be asked?

Any help is greatly appreciated as this is deffinately the next step in my goals... to follow suit as my great uncle did with a successful Military Pilot career as well as a Airline Career.

KC10 FATboy

I just went through a board so I can give you some experience.

Suit and tie -- an interview suit. If in doubt what to wear, call and ask them. Absolutely NO AIRLINE UNIFORM.

I would bring all pertinent documents to the interview especially letters of recommendation. Again, it wouldn't hurt to call and ask the unit because they might request something you need (passport, birth certificate, selective service?) Who knows??? I didn't need anything, but I was a prior military guy and they had my entire military life before them.

You've already gone through an interview board. Think about the questions they asked you and apply them to this board.

Why do you want to serve in the military/USAF?
What is the USAF's mission?
Why our unit?
Why C-130s?
What do you bring to the fight?
Tell about yourself and how you got here?
What would you do if we hired you but into a ground only job ... no flying position?
What would you do if you suddenly were called up on orders to deploy for a year? Two years?
Are you a conscientious objector? (spelling)
Tell us about your best flying experience ... your worst.
Tell about your fitness ... do you work out?
What do you know about the military other than what you see in the movies?
Besides your flying experience, what would you bring to our unit?
Who is Doug Masters and Chappy?
Who wrote your letters or rec and what did they say about you?
How do you know the people who wrote your letters of recs?
Have you EVER used drugs?
How many days per month could you give to flying with our unit?
Have you ever had a problem maintaining currency?
Have you ever had a problem maintaining a class I physicsl?
Are you currently on any medical waivers?
Where do you currently live and how to you plan on getting to the unit's location?
As a pilot in the USAF, you are a leader/officer first, pilot second. Tell us about your prior leadership duties/experience.
UPT takes approx. 1 year to complete with another month or so of survival training. C-130 RTU will take another 4-5 months. Can you handle being on active duty orders for 1.5 years in order to become Mission Ready in the C-130?

That's all that I can think of. Perhaps someone else will have more.

-Fatty

Giggity

1). Dont talk about your RJ.
2). Don't talk about your RJ.
3). Don't be a phag...i.e. say things like "My hobbies include working out to improve my PFT score", or put your RJ cockpit hero shot on a beer can.

dtfl

Also simple things get overlooked - like email addy for contact. Don't give them the RJFLYER2007@balh blah. You know what I mean - give them a prof email address (That has caught many of us in the past)

The unit (I have sat on many a board) will ask what KCFatBoy mentioned, but they are also looking for someone they can fly a 14 hr mission with, live in a tent with, drink a beer with and work with. That someone must also be committed to coming to work at the reserve unit to stay not only current but proficient and contribute as well (Projects, additional duties, etc)

Thing we look at for new hires (non prior mil) are - grades (can he/she MAKE it through SUPT?), AFOQT scores (see prev comment), work experience (is he/she responsible?) and recommendations. Lastly most units like someone who is close to the unit. Close can be ATL for our MS unit (we have a shuttle and there are majors that fly between) but MO or NC might not cut it.

Lastly, one recent interviewee stressed how much he has always wanted to be a military pilot. I could tell he was coached to say that. We finally reminded him he is an officer first. The DO (Ops Officer) point blank asked him "If you don't get a pilot slot what other job do you want in the USAFR...or DO YOU want into the USAFR is you don't get a slot?" After a deer-in-a-headlights-look he regained his composure and said "any job". Good answer -although we decided to sponsor him for SUPT. (assuming his meets the board that the AFRES/ANG have...the unit doesn't have the FINAL say.."

skyward80

When I interviewed at my unit a few years ago, I was asked mainly questions about myself. KC10FatBoy gave an excellent example of some of these. I actually went online and searched for HR questions and thought about my answers to each of them. I didn't practice the answers... just had a good idea of what I wanted to say. I also looked up the history of the unit and mentioned some of the operations they were involved in when they asked me why I wanted to fly for their unit. It showed them I did my homework and they did notice.

One thing the interviewers told me they really liked was that I had put copies of all of my application materials together (resume, cover letter, letters of rec, etc.) into small binders. I had 5 extras or so. When they started asking me questions, they were all crouching around looking at the same application. So, I whipped out the extras and passed them out.

They will call references (mine did anyway). So, make sure you give them a heads up. You should do this anyway when you put down somebody as a reference.

You've got a long road ahead of you if you pass the interview. I'm a baby reservist (meaning I came right off the street into the reserves with no prior military experience). Please respect the fact that these guys were out fighting for our country making sacrifices long before you showed up. Some people come into the reserves and the first time they get a crappy trip that conflicts with their personal schedule, they want to complain about it.

Skyward80

SGRogue

I know it has been said before, but remember why you are there is this order:

1. You want to serve your country as a citizen soldier (airman)!

2. You want to be an officer because you feel that you can be a good leader (with proper training & mentorship)!

3. You want to contribute to the unit's mission (know what it is)!

4. You would like to fly for this unit if possible. Many USAFR/ANG pilots started out in maintenance and other places.

Notice that flying is last. Pilots are easy to come by. They want future USAFR/ANG leaders and flying is only a small part of that process. Not all will make it to formal leadership positions in the unit or at headquarters level, but they must recruit that way.

Paok

I am an RJ pilot who just got a reserve slot. I was all over baseops.net wantscheck.com and airforceots.com looking at typical questions. all listed here were good ones. I wore a suit, nice leather bag with a hardcopy of my package and 4 copies which they loved bc they could all read about me while others asked questions.... They seemed to be big on "you know half your crew is enlisted, not officers, how will you treat them" which was a crazy question, obviously there is no MISSION without those crew members.... but my interview was very relaxed. my AFOQT scores were crap (i am horrible at math) but my GPA was good and that probably helped. i am one to say that the whole person thing plays in. I was relaxed and was MYSELF. I was involved in many leadership and teamwork activities in college, as well as sports and flying. My horrible AFOQT scores were overlooked, bc I feel there is a lot more to my package than my math score, and I showed them that. Many squadrons weren't even sure if I could interview bc of my poor score, and here I got it. It was my first interview and my last as I got the slot. the happiest day of my life!!!!!

SaltyDog

Most of us put up with alot to become a military pilot. I only went to college because of the intense desire to be a pilot/aviator in the military. The service wanted a college degree, so I sucked it up and went to college. (We all know the advice from days of yore "get any degree, underwater basketweaving is OK"). They wanted to make you commit to more years than just about any other military servicemember because the service wanted their investment returned. OK, fair enough. Did I join just to be a military officer? No, honestly I didn't. I would have joined as an E-1 if they would have let me fly as a pilot. The services put the requirments to join (college degree, officer commission, 10 years after wings, physical requirments......) not me, I don't have to like it, just do it.
That is the desire I used to look at when sat on pilot selection boards. Someone who wants to serve where they believe they will be most effective and with greatest chance of self fulfillment. We are an all volunteer force afterall. I am not joining to be something I am not nor want to be. The funny thing is, after 25+ years of commissioned service, I now will do any job for my country and service. That comes from learning that with the joys of being an aviator, comes the desire to truly serve. Why do you think every old screwball like myself always says to the young bucks that we would do anything to trade places with them and go through pilot training again <g>.
Smart interviewers can distinguish the difference from one who has a burning desire to fly in any service, etc. from a schmuck who may quit when the going gets hard. Big difference. If the OP wants to be a pilot for the right reasons, who cares if they would go into the reserves for any reason. Don't hold with it, good interviewers can discern the difference. Have helped Marines go Army WO program, have helped Navy go ANG, etc. Why? Because they had a burning desire to be an aviator. The rest takes care of itself.

FlyBoyTex

Good info guys, especially Fatboy. Does anyone know of good interview prep sites specifically suited for Reserve/Guard jobs? I'm an AD AF flyer trying to switch over to the AFR and wouldn't mind getting all the prep work I can do.

dtfl

You dont need prep.

And FWIW KC10 FatBoy's interview was tougher than any I have sat in or been on a board administering. I wouldn't expect an interview like that unless you had been out of AD for a long time....or were applying to the Dallas ANG :-) (I've heard they make you interview in blues)

If you are coming straight off AD the issues the unit will be concerned with will be--
1) Where are you going to live (ie...how much are you going to participate?)
2) Are you current and qualified or do we need to send you to school?
3) What happens when you get that airline/commercial/civilian/cargo job? (many folks say they will stay but you never see them again)

Get some good letters of rec from your CCs, etc. Get your mil resume up to speed...the interview isn't cosmic for an AD to AFRES palace front guy/gal.