Let me first apologize for what I suspect will be a lengthy post. If you are a military aviator or have knowledge of this subject, please continue reading and give me whatever advice you can. I have been seriously considering a career in the USCG for several years and I have several questions before taking the plunge. Any input you could provide will be much appreciated.
First of all, to give you some insight on my background and situation, I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 24 years old and live in the midwest. I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and will complete my master's degree in criminal justice leadership and management in August 2010. I have been a police officer for 3.5 years and work for a medium-sized agency (160 sworn). I consistently lead my department in most statistics (arrests, traffic stops, self-initiated activity, etc.). I consider myself a hard worker and have been told I'm considered "on the fast track" to police administration. I hold a private pilot's license and will hopefully add an instrument rating by the end of 2010, which is when I intend to apply to the USCG. By that time, I should have a little over 150 hours TT with approximately 20 of those in rotary aircraft.
Aviation and law enforcement have been the only two interests I have ever had. I almost went Air Force ROTC out of high school, but changed my mind at the last minute for a career in law enforcement. I would love nothing more than to fly for the USCG. None of the other services are a serious consideration for me at this point in my life because I think a lengthy overseas deployment would be too trying on my young family.
Since I don't want to take the chance of going to OCS and not getting a pilot slot, my only viable option is the Blue 21 program. When I found out about this program two years ago, I was disappointed to learn my undergraduate degree from a respected state university wouldn't meet the minority requirement. For this reason, I chose to start on my master's degree at a school which did qualify.
If anyone has any experience with the Blue 21 program, what do you feel my chances for success are, given my level of education and work experience (I know it's a crystal ball question, but try to humor me with your best guess)? I know the program is intended to attract minority candidates, so will being a white male make it a long shot for me? Once one applies for the Blue 21 program, how long is the selection process? If not selected, can (should?) one apply again, and if so, how many times?
My next set of questions regard life as a USCG aviator. This is the one subject I really haven't been able to find much info about on the internet and what I am most interested to learn about. Since I live in the midwest, visiting an air station and talking to pilots isn't a convenient option. Before I apply, I want to make sure living as a coast guard pilot is something that will work well for me and my family.
How are duty locations selected (both initially and when time to transfer) and do pilots have any input? How often should pilots expect to stay at one station before transferring? What is a typical day like at an air station? How are the shifts/hours? What do most pilots do for housing? How does flying for the USCG affect family life?
I am interested to learn all I can about pilot deployments. Approximately how many per year? How much notice do you usually have before each deployment? How long are they? What are they like? What are the differences between helo and fixed wing deployments? What air stations have more than others? What about natural disasters? What pilots deploy for them and how long are you usally gone?
Sorry again for the long-windedness. I just haven't been able to find most of this information anywhere online and would like to learn as much about life as a coastie as possible before sending in the paperwork. This site seems to have a high number of military and USCG pilots as contributors, so I'm hoping for some helpful insight. Any other information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your service and for taking the time to help me.