I'm currently enlisted in the Air National Guard and was hired by another Guard unit to fly for them. However the unit is in an extremely high cost of living area and my civilian job (ATC) took a 30% pay cut back in September. So now I'm rethinking my decision to stay in the Guard. I've always been interested in Naval Aviation and the Navy in general and was curious if there is anyone in here who has made the change (AF to Navy) who could shed some light on the difference between the two services. (aside from the whole living on a boat thing)
Any input would be greatly appreciated, I hate leaving the unit who hired me hanging and need to make a decision soon.
Thanks,
John :icon_drin
The Guard is the
only branch in the US military that guarantees you (with some caveats, like not failing flight school) what you are going to fly when you walk into flight school. Not only that, Guard and Reserve units are well known for letting their part-time guys just fly, and require little else of them. You get all the advantages of military flying with none of the disadvantages. This includes staff/shore tours and ground jobs. While both make you a better man/woman/officer it they take you out of the cockpit. Most Guard guys, unless they go the command route, spend their entire career flying. That is not the case in the Navy, where people spend (on average, there are a few exceptions) about half or less of a 20 year career flying. So, you have to really look at what you want.
If you want to fly you could do
a lot worse than going Guard, which is hands down one fo the better deals in the US military. A few other considerations are what exactly you are going to fly, what does the unit that hired you fly? If it is fighters then it sould not be a question,
go Guard. Also, where is the unit stationed? I live in a very high income area (suburb of DC, the richest 'large county' in the country) but there are a lot of options for housing, especially if you are single. Plus, the income you make from you Guard job will more than make up for your loss of pay, you will do a lot more than the standard one weekend a month two weeks a year. That reserve pays adds up quick, especially if you are a pilot (especially cargo/tanker guys, they make lots of per diem).
So, a few more details would be helpful for good advice. My gut is to tell you to go with the sure thing, you will love what you fly not matter what it is. A sure thing is a lot better than a maybe......
