Ideal Military Pilot Career Path – Making it Happen – Part 3

Welcome back TPN [and BogiDope readers.] If you’re just joining us, we’re talking about the ideal career path for military pilots. Go ahead and catch up by reading Part 1, and Part 2.

The career path I’m recommending is leaving active duty as soon as possible, getting a job at a major airline, and then continuing military service in the (Guard or) Reserves to reach retirement. This career path gives you almost all the benefits of active duty military service, without having to sacrifice your all-important seniority number at an airline.

In my mind, one question will help most most military pilots realize why this career path is ideal: What do you love about the military that you can’t also get serving in the Reserves?

In Part 2 of this discussion, we covered some of the kinds of jobs you can do as a Reservist. There are a variety of flying jobs, and plenty of non-flying staff work to support those who are interested. However, being a flying Reservist isn’t always easy. First off, you’re there to take part in your unit’s flying mission. That requires you spending time in the air. They need each and every one of us badly enough that they can give you as much of this flying as you can handle. Probably more.

However, the Air Force (and I assume the other branches) have to add requirements on top of that to make it more of a slog. You’ll also have a load of flight and ground training that has to be completed on a regular basis. Who cares if you fly 10 instrument approaches a week or do plenty of ocean crossings in the airlines…you’ll have to log your instrument approach and other beans for your military flying as well. (For the record: top airline leaders have met with top generals at the Pentagon and recommended letting Reservist pilots get at least some dual credit for these types of things. This would have been a win-win…saving both organizations money and other resources while making the pilots more available and effective in both jobs. The military was the one who refused this idea, and many others that the airlines presented to try and help. But I digress….)

Anyway, there’s a lot to get done just to stay current and legal to fly as a Reservist. Your unit might only require you to fly with them for one week a month, but sometimes that week is barely enough to meet your currency requirements. If you’re going to actually contribute to the unit’s mission, you’ll have to put in even more time. In some cases, the mission set is involved enough that one week a month just isn’t enough to stay effective. You risk feeling unprepared for the mission every time you go fly. If you live near your Reserve unit you might be able to squeeze in enough extra days to make things work. If you commute though, this could mean a lot of extra days away from home.

What this boils down to is: Reserve flying can be a lot of work. I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons I’m a pilot is that I’m just a little bit lazy.

I’m writing this on a layover in beautiful Charlottesville, VA. As I was pulling out of my driveway to start this trip, I noticed a Lawn Care Specialist working at my neighbor’s house. He was getting out of his nasty old truck with fast food wrappers and other random garbage covering the floor boards, drenched in sweat, and was visibly exhausted. He probably makes $15/hr to work all day in the sun, 5-6 days a week. I’ve flown a grand total of 4 legs over the last 2 days, and I’m getting paid to relax at the Omni for 30 hours right now. On 3rd year FO pay, my hourly rate is 10 times that of my neighbor’s LCS…before you consider 401K contributions, per diem, or profit sharing. I work about 12 days a month.

I could make more money. I could rake in millions working somewhere like Axe Capital…but I’d never see my family. I could be like my wife’s cousin, running his own landscaping firm. I’d make lots of money and get to own a bunch of cool trucks and power tools…but I’d also spend a lot of time doing backbreaking work in the summer heat. While I enjoy some hard work from time to time. Sorry, just not my thing I guess. I like air conditioning and comfy seats in my jet, and swanky hotels located near great burger joints or craft breweries for my layovers.

In a way, flying for the Reserves is like being a lawn care specialist. It’s a whole lot of work. It might be very fulfilling, but it’s not for everyone. Thankfully, there’s a lower-demand option for continuing your military service and earning a retirement. It’s called being a Category E Reservist. To be clear, this isn’t for everyone. But it just might fit the bill for some of you, and at least knowing it exists can’t hurt.

This is the way I’m continuing my Reserve service. I still get one point for every four hours of work I do, but I don’t get paid any money for that work. I can collect a retirement just like any other Reservist at age 60, but I don’t get a penny until then. I also don’t have access to Tricare in this job.

So why do it? Because it’s really easy, and somewhat fulfilling. I’m a USAF Academy Admissions Liaison Officer (ALO.) My fundamental job is to mentor and interview candidates for the Zoo. (Squids and Grunts have similar opportunities for their own Institutions for Fostering Social Ineptitude.) I’m actually the only human being from Air Force who speaks directly to most candidates before they show up at basic training. I feel like I make valuable contributions by identifying stand-out candidates at the good and bad ends of the spectrum. It’s fulfilling, even inspiring, to work with some of the sharpest young people in our country. The best part of the job is that it’s all on my own schedule. (More on that in a moment.)

There are a few other Cat E jobs out there. One is the Civil Air Patrol Reserve Assistance Program (CAPRAP.) Basically: you get a gorgeous C-182 as your private ride. Then, you fly around your state glad-handing, telling war stories, conducting inspections, and giving check rides…still on your own time. It’s an even better deal than what I have because you’re getting free flying out of it. If you get offered this job, you should take it! (More info here: https://www.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1125084/flexible-reserve-opportunities-supporting-air-force-auxiliary/)

The one catch for Traditional Reservists is that most units have what’s called Drill Weekend. It’s a designated weekend, every month, when everybody is required to show up and accomplish mindless tasks like fire extinguisher training, the PT test, OPR writing workshops, etc. (It’s also a lot of fun hanging out with your Reserve buddies. Most units do a good job of maximizing the benefits of being the federally-funded equivalent of a motorcycle gang while minimizing the pain of military queep ;). The problem is that Drill Weekend tends to rule your life. Some units will let you skip a few throughout the year, but in most cases you’re useless to your family for a specific 12 weekends per year. No birthdays, no trips, no soccer games…no soup for you!