FLY6584

I'm a former T-6 FAIP that did a MWS follow on tour in a 707 platform followed by winning a VSP lottery ticket. After separating from the Air Force I moved back to FL and started a civilian job and I could not be happier, however I do miss the T-6 and would like to get back in it. I'm under the impression the Navy Reserves has a T-6 squadron at Pensacola so I was wondering if it's possible for a prior AF T-6 IP to apply? If so, how saturated are they with current/qualified guys? In other words... is it a pipe dream? Thanks!

hindsight2020

100% chance of not getting something if you don't ask, but let me put it to you this way. We have a guy who flies (and lives local to) as a GS T-1s at NPA, waited like a Tibetan monk for 2 years to get retire-hire down here at the trail of tears (DLF), to commute from NPA to fly the T-6 in hopes of being "current/qualified" to apply for the job you're asking about. Crickets last time I talked to the guy and he is current/qualified and local.

If you're really serious about getting back into mil flying and Florida is where you'd be commuting from, I'd say T-6s at CBM is probably your surest bet, since you'd be a known quantity. Now, if you left that place in bad terms then that may hamper your ability to get hired and you may have to suck up a treacherous commute to END, DLF or SPS. Forget about RND btw, naga'.. naga' gonna happen as a break-in-service non-qualified direct hire. How badly do you want to fly a T-6? Recognize most res flying jobs in FL are going to be crowded out. Sunshine tax and all that jazz.

As to the NavyRes bear in mind, they're a funny animal. These Navy SELRES jobs like to non-vol deploy their TRs to non-flying billets (how they keep the place staffed when the AFRC/ANG doesn't do that, is beyond me). You're looking at an interservice transfer kabuki on top of that, and you're not qualified in the airplane. We get tons of gold-to-silver x-fers for those QOL reasons among others. Food for thought. Congrats on your early release from prison due to overcrowding. Better lucky than good.

BDGERJMN

I'm not a T-6 guy but am part of another Squadron Augment Unit (SAU). I can tell you that there are a lot of quality folks leaving the active component who are qualified in the type/model/series (T/M/S) and are current instructors in the platform or even in that particular unit's active component counterpart, whether it is the FRS or VTs.

Generally speaking, those folks will trump an inter-service transfer (assuming the squadron doesn't veto the selection) every time. As a data point and again this isn't T-6 specific so YMMV, this next selection board for my unit we have 8 qualified applicants for 1-2 spots depending on how many we hire. Of those 8, 3 would be plug and play with no impact to the active component in terms of training/IUT syllabus. If we screened an application from a similar platform in the Air Force, that application would likely not play at all. I don't tell you this to discourage you from seeking out employment and attempting to do what you're doing, but merely to give you some anecdotal data for the current hiring environment across Navy SELRES commands, specifically within the SAUs. Bottom line, a lot of folks are leaving active duty and seeking reserve flying billets.

As for the potential for mobilization mentioned above, I was on the receiving end of one of those non vol mobs (Afghanistan), they are real but at the end of the day that's what the SELRES is for, like it or not. I don't say that as a Kool-Aid drinker, but someone who mobilized and came back to a flying job. Its not the end of the world as some might lead you to believe.

FLY6584

I appreciate the info fellas. To be honest I miss formation and pulling G's, but I don't miss it enough just yet to deal with a brutal commute. Right now my family and I are enjoying a civilian job that has me home half the month in our hometown and I'm just not ready to tell my wife and 2.5 year old son I'm going to spend the majority of my two weeks off commuting and flying the T-6 because Dad has an "itch". Maybe in a few years jobs closer to home will have more opportunities open up and I'll reattack the idea then. Thank you for the advice though!

sailingfun

I would go in and talk with the T6 units at Pcola. We had lots of Airforce in my reserve squadron. The inter service transfer is not difficult if you still hold a reserve commission. All they can say is no!

hindsight2020

I have nothing but respect for what you do, but I just want to clarify that as far as the AF is concerned, that's not "what the Selected Reserves is for", not on this side. We generally deploy as a mobilized unit, making it expensive and requiring of forethought before upsetting people's civilian lives over what ultimately is a part-time job in garrison. Otherwise, the mobs happen on a voluntary basis only and certainly within one's core AFSC.

I just highlight this distinction for the benefit of folks on the AF side who are interested in possible Navy Res x-fers. It's not the end of the world you're right, but it's not a distinction without difference. We generally don't utilize our manning that way. It'd be a sure way of losing half the squadron at any given time. People have quit for less on this side, good bad or indifferent.

At any rate, sorry for the de-rail, looks like the OP got the picture, and thanks for bringing up the manning picture on the NavyRes side, I certainly can't speak about it with authority like you are able to.

hindsight2020

Here's something else to consider. You could be smart about it and utilize mil leave in order to drop trips at your airline in order to spend that time making more money in the Guard/Reserve, which even as an O-3 you'd be likely to achieve versus your current civilian new-hire payscale. You'd still spend your hard days off at home. In addition, it provides you with turbine currency in the event of a layoff and an automatic potential for secondary income in such an event. The Reserve retirement is also probably better than what your airline offers, so foregoing the ability of getting your 20 year letter and a reserve retirement at 60yo, which when accounting for your 6-9years of AD service makes it an ok little pension, is very shortsighted imo.

That said, I completely understand the QOL bit. Only you can figure out what's best for your family. As a career Reservist currently in a non-deployable billet I can certainly echo those same sentiment for my family and infant son. Of course where I work I don't want to raise my little family, which puts a self-imposed expiration date on the job. No free lunch in life. But on an apples to apples comparison, these are contentions our more senior airline guys can afford to put their foot down on, as their absence at the airline to chase mil days is usually a paycut and more importantly, they have a 20 year letter in hand to cash in any second the going gets stupid at the unit. For you as a young guy that'd certainly not the case for many years. All in all, for me, there'd be no way I'd ever pursue airline employment without either a retirement check in hand, or active membership in AFRC/ANG. No freggin' way. You've chosen to do the opposite and I salute you, you got bigger stones than I do on that account.

Lastly, bear in mind that after a certain amount of years away from service ( I like to say 3 years but don't quote me on it), you're gonna get put through initial medical qualification again as if you were a new guy, and that's something most late 30-some-yos simply don't wish to deal with, (just like people who wait too long to go to college or who stop and then can't overcome the inertia of getting back on etc etc, older people don't like to be put through "young people haze", fact of life) which leads to giving up on the pursuit altogether and losing all those years of service, lest you set your heart on civil service and buy back your AD years that way, but that would require leaving/furlough your airline.

So consider how long you wish to stay away from the Reserves. Don't loiter too long, you might end up pricing yourself out of it altogether. Good luck to ya and to all those lurkers on here thinking about these transition issues.

BDGERJMN

[QUOTE=hindsight2020;1820510]I have nothing but respect for what you do, but I just want to clarify that as far as the AF is concerned, that's not "what the Selected Reserves is for", not on this side. We generally deploy as a mobilized unit, making it expensive and requiring of forethought before upsetting people's civilian lives over what ultimately is a part-time job in garrison. Otherwise, the mobs happen on a voluntary basis only and certainly within one's core AFSC.[QUOTE]

I should have been more clear, thank you. I was specifically speaking in terms of Navy SELRES. 4-5 yrs ago CNR and CNO agreed that the Navy reserves would fulfill any Individual Augments that it was able to, at the time the split was about 50/50 between active component/reserve component. Last numbers I saw had Navy reservists filling 90-95% of those IAs. So...Mobilization readiness across Navy SELRES units became very important. Again, thanks for pointing out the distinction.

BDGERJMN

[QUOTE=hindsight2020;1820510] I just highlight this distinction for the benefit of folks on the AF side who are interested in possible Navy Res x-fers. It's not the end of the world you're right, but it's not a distinction without difference. We generally don't utilize our manning that way. It'd be a sure way of losing half the squadron at any given time. People have quit for less on this side, good bad or indifferent.[QUOTE]

This is a very important distinction and a reality for folks considering Navy SELRES flying billets. Historically, before the agreement I mentioned in a previous post, Navy SELRES in flying billets were generally immune from mobilization. When those in flying billets were brought into the mix, some folks faced with mobilization dropped their paperwork and transferred to the IRR, in some cases (not all, and it has been relaxed)with language in their FITREPs reflecting that decision. I know that the numbers of folks who went IRR had a negative impact on their units and ultimately the active component they support. This fell on deaf ears across the reserve (Navy) force; the decision was already made that mobilization readiness was the mission, anything else was secondary.

As you stated, not to detract from the OP's question/topic but very important considerations as you said.

Soulshine

I'd like to know if any of the previous posters have info on where to start looking into the PNS T-6 possibility. I'm a current, USAF traditional reservist on a different plane, no T-6 experience. But I heard from a couple guys that it's entirely doable to make an inter-service transfer and land this gig. I have no idea whether that's true but I'd like to look into it. I appreciate any current info/contacts.