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Hello, I am new to the forum and had a couple questions about the lifestyle of Guard/Reserve mobility pilots. I'm an Army officer (about to make O3) with 6 years in the guard, and I've heard that the AF pilot age has been extended to 33. I have always wanted to fly fixed-wings (no military aviation experience currently, I come from a CBRN background), and have been considering applying AF Guard/Reserves units when my Guard contract ends in 2 years. I have a couple questions about the lifestyle of Guard/Reserves Cargo or Tanker pilots, and I would really appreciate it if someone with knowledge in these areas could share some of their experience. Thank you for your responses and advice in this subject! 1) What is the average number of hours you will fly per week or month once finished with training? 2) How far do people typically live from the unit? How easy is it to switch between states/units if needed? 3) What are the typical deployment cycles/rates?

Hello all, I am new to the flying squadron community. I am a current army helo pilot, CH-47s with 1000 hrs (two deployments - Afghanistan). I am approaching the end of my contract with the army in a couple of months and I've been looking at going Air Force Guard/Reserve. Would love to be able to transition to a heavy/cargo squadron. Looking for advice, suggestions or if someone would like to share their experience on going the unsponsored route. Unfortunately for me, I am 29 years old. I've been looking into going unsponsored, but I don't really know much about it. I recently took the AFOQT and TBAS. PCSM of 77 with a 87 Pilot. I have the hours so I am guessing I must of done really bad in the TBAS for my score to decrease by 10 points. My college GPA was a 2.6 (Civil Engineering). I would hate to think my GPA is the reason why my PCSM score was low. My understanding is that squadrons like to see mid 80's for a sponsorship. My main concern now is that I am 29 years old and time is quickly ticking away. Should I retake both the AFOQT and TBAS or go ahead and apply as a unsponsored applicant? Am I gambling with what airframe I would get by going unsponsored? I would love to track C-17s or C130s. Any other suggestions or advice out there would be greatly appreciated it. Thanks!