ANG and pilot training

[ShaggyAce]

I am skipping a semester at college to join the ANG and begin my pilot training at a local part 141 school. Will I be able to use the GI Bill to help pay for my training? Regardless I will be taking out a loan to pay for my training. Also, is it possible to work at the ANG for more than just two weeks a year and one weekend per month? Since I will be out of school I need something to do right? I am also thinking about volunteering at my local Civil Air PAtrol wing. What is the pay rate for a new recruit at ANG?

 

[dmccormack]

Whoa, there, pardner!!

Those of us who served in various branches active and reserves will have different experiences because the rules are nearly as varied as the jobs.

My son is currently learning the hard way that what you are actually eligible for, and what it takes to get what you're owed are about as complex as any bureaucracy can make it.

So -- before you sign, get it all explained, and don't sign until it is clear and comprehensible. Also, get a point of contact you can talk to after you return from basic.

Believe it or not, the ANG recruiters have to be a bit more above-board, as you're coming back. They don't like dealing with irate, discontented airmen.

 

[Fearless Tower]

I am skipping a semester at college to join the ANG and begin my pilot training at a local part 141 school. Will I be able to use the GI Bill to help pay for my training? Regardless I will be taking out a loan to pay for my training. Also, is it possible to work at the ANG for more than just two weeks a year and one weekend per month? Since I will be out of school I need something to do right? I am also thinking about volunteering at my local Civil Air PAtrol wing. What is the pay rate for a new recruit at ANG?

First, to be able to use the GI Bill, it is more than a matter of joining a service - you actually have to spend some time there earning the benefits and the longer you stay, the more you will be eligible for. Join the ANG becuase you want to serve - not because you think it will help pay for your flight training.

As far as using the GI Bill for flight training, that is in limbo a bit right now - under the current post 9/11 bill, the only way to pay for flight training is if the training is part of an accredited college program and there are only a handful of those in the country. Embry-Riddle is one - I think there is another in Florida and maybe one it Utah. You cannot use the post-9/11 bill outside of an accredited college.

Now, the NEW GI Bill was just signed a few weeks ago that authorizes flight training - specifics aren't out yet, but it will most likely be part 141 schools only that are set up to take VA Benefits (basically like the MGIBILL). The catch is that the new one doesn't take effect until FY12 (October 2011).

If you are thinking of taking out a loan and hoping that the GI Bill will later kick in and re-imburse you - I do not believe it works that way - to use benefits, they generally have to be paid direct to the institution itself - not through you.

 

[poadeleted20]

Since you're going to be on active duty away from home for the next six months or so at Basic Military Training and the school for your career field (AFSC), you're not going to be doing any training at a "local" flight school any time soon. Second, once you return from active duty training, you'll be able to check with the benefits counselors at the unit regarding eligibility for various VA and GI Bill programs.

As for working at the unit for more than the minimum drill requirements, that's not going to be an issue until you complete training and come home to the unit. You'll be a full-time, active-duty person for several months receiving full pay and benefits. However, since you'll probably be living in the barracks and eating in the mess hall, if you're smart about things, you should be able to sock away a lot of money during that time, and that will help you get rolling on your flight training when you get home.

Once you do get back to the unit, the opportunity to pick up additional FTP's or "man-days" (or whatever they call it in the politically-correct 21st century) will depend on your specialty (e.g., loadmasters get a lot more days than admin clerks) and your unit's commitments (e.g., only local flying vs getting regular cargo runs to Afghanistan).