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Air Force / ANG / AFRC

Too old? Maybe I should pivot to Army helicopter pilot instead?

Hello everyone! I just joined BogiDope.

I planned to pursue an Air Force pilot slot after college, but my brother became very sick (for years in the hospital) and my dad lost his job, so I put that dream on hold to help my family.

Six years later, thankfully, my family is now healthy and stable.

I’ve always wanted to be a fighterpilot since I was a kid and that has never gone away.

There’s an Air National Guard fighter squadron only four hours from home that I’d love the opportunity to fly with.

My background:

  • Got my BS Degree in Government/National Security with a 4.0 GPA
  • Earned my black belt, joined the instructor team, and helped instruct throughout high school
  • Did CrossFit in college
  • Started at the bottom of my family’s company and worked my way up to Director of Operations over staff in 3 countries
  • Founded another company that currently has six employees
  • Have spent the last several years in daily leadership and management roles

The tradeoff is that I spent those six years working and supporting my family instead of flying, so I’m essentially starting from scratch in aviation.

I’m now 28.5 years old with just 1.5 flight hours—one hour in a fixed-wing aircraft and 30 minutes in a helicopter.

Am I too late to realistically compete for an Air National Guard fighter pilot slot?
Should I pivot to an Army Warrant officer pilot slot?

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  • 1 comment

SMAX

christian.hay Really glad to hear that your family was able to overcome some tough times. At the end of the day, that's the important stuff!

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? 28.5 is not too old for fighters. It's not too old for any Air Force platform or Army. And even if you get to 33, it's not too old...just more paperwork and some convincing. If this is your dream, then give it everything you've got!

Hopefully some of the BogiDope Community can pile-on with their experiences because there's no "right way" to get hired into the ANG/AFRC and everyone has a slightly different story. If your soul-searching says this is your destiny, then yes...you need to start hustling to become as competitive as possible in the shortest amount of time possible (Test Scores, Flight Time, etc). This is what we are here for. Lean on the community. When you're ready for specific guidance and to chart your personalized path, consultations are the way to go.

Good luck and I'm excited to see your journey!