Aviation goals for many of us are constantly evolving. Perhaps you’ve achieved an initial goal and are looking forward to another. Maybe your life or family situation has changed to give you a new perspective. Many of you reading are likely concentrating almost exclusively on the hiring process and the journey to becoming a Guard/Reserve […]
Feliz Cinco de Mayo, BogiDope readers! The following is reposted from the members-only TPN Community website with minor revisions. It addresses USERRA. If you have more questions about that law, be sure to read our original article on the subject. “Would it be a problem for me to take long-term military leave during my probationary […]
With 17 different F-16 units in 13 states, chances are that if you want to fly fighters in the Air Reserve Component (ARC–the Guard and Reserve) you stand your best chance of doing so by opting for the Viper. For a map of these units, see BogiDope’s helpful map page. This article is intended to […]
Dear Baby Pilots, At least a couple times a month I see someone post a variation of the following question, either here on TPN, or on one of the other aviation career groups I follow: “How can I build hours without having to ________ ?” (be a CFI, fly nights, work for peanuts, move somewhere […]
BogiDope is a proud sponsor of The Pilot Network, a community of more than 25,000 pilots working together to help everyone achieve their aviation goals. This article is BogiDope’s intro to TPN from their quarterly magazine, TPNQ. We realized that we’ve never told our origin story and hope you’ll enjoy reading it too. We’ve reprinted […]
Networkers, feast your eyes: Gorgeous, isn’t it? Now, wipe the drool before your spouse or significant other catches you checking it out. This is not my airplane, but I did get to spend 22 hours (over the course of a few days) flying it from the factory in Vacaville, CA to its new owner in […]
Welcome back BogiDope readers! Today we’re (mostly) taking a break from talking about the drama of coronavirus to focus on a really awesome Reserve flying job that you should consider: teaching UPT as a Reserve T-1A IP. This post is based on an interview with a friend I’ve known since Basic Cadet Training, Will Graff. […]
I recently wrote a post aimed at helping baby pilots understand why experience is so important in our profession. (https://tpn-go.com/dear-baby-pilots/) I wrote that post because I’ve observed many young pilots trying to cut corners and rush their career development. Sorry, but it just doesn’t work that way. This post is geared toward those young pilots, but […]
So you’re a freshly minted, steely-eyed 2nd Lieutenant that’s ready to dominate UPT with the highest MASS score ever recorded and eager start your new life as the second-coming of Robin Olds. Well…not so fast. For those of you without a civilian Private Pilot’s License (PPL) or higher, you’ll need to graduate from Initial Flight […]
by Eddie, future USAFR pilot and always Marine “This is Major Smith, I’m calling to inform you that we would like to have you in our squadron.” It was one of the best days I’ve ever had in my life. However, receiving a pilot slot in the Air Force Reserve as an active duty Marine […]
I have a confession to make: I have three jobs. Well, maybe four. At least that’s how my wife words it. The thing is, I feel like this is the least work I’ve ever done in my life. A few times a month, I catch a ride up to KATL and from there blast off […]
Welcome back TPN! This is Part 3 of 3; the final installment in a series looking at how to choose between job offers from multiple airlines. In Part 1 we recommended that the single most important factor in your choice is location. If your family can be happy living at a base for your airline, your quality […]