• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Where To Start??

J

jraychevelle

New Member
I am looking for any insight or advice that I can get. I am about to graduate high school with 30 college credit hours. My ultimate goal is to fly for the military but if that falls through I will join regardless. My limited understanding leads me to believe that there are more pilot slots available in the reserves than in active duty. Correct me if I am wrong. Some more general questions that I'm having trouble finding the answers to are:

  1. In the reserves do you receive any tuition assistance besides the GI bill?
  2. Would it be beneficial to enlist in the reserves while I finish college or would that make it even more difficult and complex advance to a pilot slot?
  3. Do you get the same retirement after 20 years of service as active duty?
  4. Any suggestions for what I should do I would appreciate.
I apologize if I have repeated any questions that have already been asked and answered and I appreciate any help that I can get.
 
Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
I think you have your "reserves" confused. On the Navy side, there aren't ANY pilot slots. If you pick up pilot and commission, you are accessed into the Regular Navy for the time it takes you to earn your wings + x number of years. Right now I think "x" is 8 years, but I've lost track.

Once you've finished your commitment of "x" years, then you can apply to the reserves (either SELRES or FTS) for a slot there as a pilot.

As for question 3...No, you do not get the same benefits after 20 years after retiring out of the reserves. You don't get the benefits until you're 59 1/2.
 
J

jraychevelle

New Member
Thanks for the feed back. With that cleared up do you think it would be beneficial to enlist in the reserves while I finish college? The only thing that I am worried about would be that already being in the reserves will make it harder to get a pilot slot than just waiting would?
 
twobecrazy

twobecrazy

RTB...
Contributor
jraychevelle said:
With that cleared up do you think it would be beneficial to enlist in the reserves while I finish college? The only thing that I am worried about would be that already being in the reserves will make it harder to get a pilot slot than just waiting would?
Click to expand...

Beneficial? I don't know about that. It could help you or hurt you. But the only way going the enlisted route will hurt you REALLY is if you suck. Obviously you will be applying against others so having some good LORs from some senior officers will be beneficial. You will also have the ability to prove yourself to the Navy. But I wouldn't enlist thinking that you will get selected because you already have served in some capacity. Have you not looked into the BDCP or ROTC?
 
J

jraychevelle

New Member
twobecrazy,
I have looked into ROTC. I am currently working on the application proses for the naval academy. All I know about BDCP is that you apply 24 months or so before you graduate and you get a commission and the rest of your school paid for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top