devilviper

Social D and Trailmix: Shack! If you're not willing to give up your left nut to fly fighters, you might want to do some serious soul-searching. The training pipeline (which goes way past RTU), is not a cakewalk - at several points you'll be relying on sheer determination/desire to get through. DV

Pretty tough to pass up a guard fighter slot. You've got four years to put together an employment plan; you only get one chance in life to become a fighter guy. In four years, who knows if your current employer will still be around or if you'll even want to work there. Nothing is guaranteed, but depending on where your unit is, there are ample opportunities for aggressive young guys in the commercial sector. Since I only post infrequently, I'll share my background. I'm guard fighter baby whom went traditional right after seasoning and I'm not a airline pilot - I'm in the technology business world. My comments are through that lens - I don't know much about an airline career. Balancing a real job and the guard is certainly not easy - but it is doable and far more rewarding than I could have imagined. Nothing will be handed to you on plate - on either the guard or civilian side of your life, but then again if you want to be a fighter guy, you probably (or at least should) have an affinity for tough challenges. You do have one distinct advantage over the AD guys who come to the guard and then try to go traditional: you've had a real civilian job before. Further, you'll be able to transition back to the civilian world far sooner in your career. It's very different for a 35 year old AD major looking to transition into the business world than a 26 year old captain. Good luck - you're fortunate to have the chance to be among an increasingly scarce breed - guard fighter babies. DV

I too personally know two guys whom G-locked in tweets and now fly vipers. It's all about your attitude. Plenty of guys puke in tweets, if you have the determination to see it through, the ips / phys guys at upt will help you get over it. The formula for success at upt and fighters is very simple: the guys that are most hungry and willing to work the hardest usually come out on top. Never give up.

Anyone have an in-line plug that would allow me to record off and/or add audio to a mil comm cord? In-line: ie would work with a fighter and not screw up regular comm usage. Happy to purchase one if someone knows how to build it. Thanks, DV

RJP, Don't be afraid to exercise the congressional option. Of course some O-5 somewhere is going to be stressed over a few calls from the Hill, but that's how our government works. If a Senator, and more importantly, his staffers are willing to bat for you, go for it: its his job to help constituents stuck in executive branch clown acts. You'd be surprised how well a little pressure from the Hill can break up a bureaucratic logjam. Who cares if it upsets some AD idiot flying a desk on the AF staff? The real BS is having some arbitrary rule change derail your chances of serving this nation as an aviator. Also, its highly unlikely that word about you calling your elected representative would follow you to UPT. That being said, you must keep your Guard OG and Wing CC in the loop so they are not blind-sided. You certainly need their strong support to make this work. Private message me if you want to talk more details. Good luck, flying fighters is worth the fight. (I'm a guard viper guy) -H

I'm usually a lurker, but this topic requires a reply. Unfortunately, even the Guard is not immune from the slow, painful death facing most fighter traditions. Just found out two weeks ago that the ANG/CC has decided that fighter bars are inappropriate. That's right, no more alcohol allowed in any ANG fighter bar. YGBSM! If the Guard is not safe, what chance do the AD guys have? We'll be having a lot more evening tactics talks in the weapons shop, but that quite doesn't cut it... What really torques me is the fact that the leadership imposing these restrictions were all once fighter dudes who enjoyed our traditions to the fullest, but now that they are in power they readily sell out those traditions to prevent any blemish on their career ambitions. -Devilviper