Guard/Reserve vs Active Duty

[Guest PilotKD]

Originally posted by ralph:

Does going AD really make you a better pilot?

Depending on the airframe, you may do more flying and see more of the world in the guard/reserves than you would on AD. I will reiterate "depending on the airframe".

[ 28. May 2006, 19:58: Message edited by: PilotKD ]

[Bergman]

Originally posted by ralph:

I see a lot of pros and cons of going each way. Does going AD really make you a better pilot? 20 yrs seems like a long time but it must be nice to have that check. What do you guys think?

I would argue the exact opposite. As a part-timer in the ANG your only duty is flying. That's it. Show up, brief, fly, go home. Once you make Maj or Lt Col you might get some additional duties (unless you are a guard bum...volunteering for odd jobs in an attempt to earn extra cash) but if you're a true part-timer...all you do is fly!

PilotKD and I discussed this before. At least in the tanker world, AD guys fly 1-2 times PER MONTH (when home) vs. an ANG guy who flies 1-2 times PER WEEK. You do the math. I would say that it's the same for many fighter units as well. Most of my ANG fighter bros fly at least 2-3 times per week. Don't know what AD flies, but I suspect it's not that often.

Lastly, I submit that most new ANG aircraft commanders (in the tanker world at least) are lightyears ahead of their AD counterparts. Why? AD upgrades at 800 hours total time. ANG upgrades at roughly 1000 hours pri/sec KC-135 time. That's 2-3x more experience. It can be irritating as hell if you are trying to upgrade quickly, but it leads to a more safe and experienced crew force.

[Stiffler]

I fly more in the Guard than my AD counterparts, from what I have seen.

[Guest PilotKD]

I do have a question for you Ralph. I'm under the impression you think you will fly airplanes during your a whole 20 year AD career. Am I mistaken? AD allows you more opportunities to exercise your officership ( or lack there of :D ) compared to a part-time guard position.

For the most part, natural aptitude and willingness to learn something new every time you fly is what is going to make you a better pilot. That said, you would have more opportunities to fly airplanes over a 20 year career in the guard than you would on AD because there comes a point (usually your 3rd or 4th assignment) where you will not be able to get another flying assignment. You'll be staffing it up for 3 years flying a Dell desktop. Even as an Ops officer or Commander of a flying squadron, you will struggle to fly once a month to stay current and make it to all your meetings. Once you make O-4+, the AF puts flying on the back burner. This is what I see in an AD tanker community anyway.

[ 31. May 2006, 21:39: Message edited by: PilotKD ]

[Guest AirGuardian]

And when you're an O-4 and above, you get to knock out the others more and more on a regular basis to get on the best trips. Notice I didn't say good or great trips...

Being a scheduler helps as well I'm sure in some cases...

[hindsight2020]

One of the things I noticed in my joyful OTS experience was how little some AD folks knew about their fate as future AD pilots. To see them assuming all they would do as an Air Force pilot is to fly shocked me! In that sense Guard/Reserve folks have, in general, done more homework on this question than the active folks.

I personally could not put up with the qweep of a 20 year stint in the active. AirGuardian and Bergman are right on the money regarding the flying time, and may I add quality, that the Reserve Component guys get. My unit in particular fills all training requirements and currencies in sorties that last half as long, and folks ready for upgrades have been run through the ringer so much so they find the schoolhouse to be more of a pain than a learning experience. All at a fraction of the cost I might add. You just can't beat it if your primary focus is flying. Of course all this is airframe dependent, but at least the flying frquency aspect of this is true for most airframes.

Now, you gotta deal with the pains of finding civilian employment (unless you get lucky with an AGR or ART slot) and the scheduling conflicts and pains associated with that, but that's a choice I was willing to make in order to get in. I wouldn't have done it any differently, and judging by my AD contemporaries sitting casual for the next 12 months, asking me how's the hiring right now over my side of the fence and what the hell is Palace Chase, the morning of commissioning ceremony no less, neither would they advise me to.

Different strokes for different folks.