Flying In The Air National Guard

The Air National Guard (ANG) offers a unique path to flying fighter jets like the F-15, F-16, or F-35, allowing you to serve your country while maintaining a civilian career. Unlike the active-duty Air Force, you apply directly to a specific squadron in a state you want to live in.

Here is the step-by-step roadmap to earning your wings in the Air National Guard:

Phase 1: Meet the Baseline Requirements

Before upgrading your aviation skills, you must meet the military's strict foundational criteria:

• Education: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (any major).

• Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen.

• Age: You must commission and enter Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) before turning 33 (waivers are rare).

• Health: Pass the rigorous military physical.

• Vision: Distance vision must be at least 20/70 corrected to 20/20; normal color vision and depth perception are required.

Phase 2: Ace the Standardized Tests

ANG flight boards use your test scores to screen thousands of applicants. You need to maximize your scores on two main exams:

• AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test): This is the military equivalent of the SAT. Focus heavily on the Pilot and Navigator sub-scores.

• TBAS (Test of Basic Aviation Skills): A computer-based test measuring hand-eye coordination, spatial orientation, and multi-tasking.

• PCSM (Pilot Candidate Selection Method): This is not a test, but a combined score (1-99) generated from your AFOQT, TBAS, and logged civilian flight hours.

Tip: Having a private pilot’s license (PPL) or logged flight hours drastically boosts your PCSM score and proves your commitment.

Phase 3: "Rushing" the Squadrons

ANG squadrons operate like tight-knit families. Because they hire their peers directly, they hold "rush" events (informal open houses) during drill weekends.

• Research: Find ANG fighter wings (e.g., Ohio’s 180th Fighter Wing, Arizona's 162nd Wing) and look up their hiring boards.

• Network: Attend drill weekends, meet the pilots, buy merchandise, and show genuine interest.

• The Goal: You want the squadron to remember your face and name positively when your application hits the board.

Phase 4: Submit the Package and Interview

When a hiring board opens, you will submit a formal application package. This typically includes your resume, college transcripts, test scores, flight logs, and letters of recommendation.

• The Board: If selected, you will sit before a panel of squadron pilots for a formal interview.

• The Evaluation: They are assessing your leadership potential, humility, and whether they could spend 24 hours in a deployment tent with you.

Phase 5: The Training Pipeline (2–3 Years)

If a squadron selects you, they "sponsor" you. You will then head into the multi-year training pipeline:

• Officer Training School (OTS): 8.5 weeks of military officer leadership training in Montgomery, Alabama.

• Initial Flight Training (IFT): A short screening program in Pueblo, Colorado, utilizing light civilian aircraft (skipped if you already have a PPL).

• Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT): A 12-month program. You will start in the T-6 Texan II and must track into the T-38 Talon (or T-7 Red Hawk) fighter track.

• Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF): A multi-week course teaching basic tactical maneuvering and dogfighting concepts.

• The B-Course: Your formal training unit (FTU) where you finally learn to fly your specific fighter jet (F-15, F-16, F-22, or F-35).

Phase 6: Returning to the Squadron ("Seasoning")

After graduating, you return to your home unit as a fully qualified fighter pilot. You will enter a 1-to-2-year period of full-time active-duty status called "seasoning" to build experience in your local airspace. Once completed, you can transition to traditional "part-time" drill status or compete for full-time technician/AGR positions within the unit.