Alaska2
September 15th, 2006, 03:54 PM
Why would the Army National Guard hire part time helicopter pilots when the Army could hire full time pilots and get far more bang for there buck. After all, training helicopter pilots is not cheap.
matthew.ritchie
September 15th, 2006, 04:40 PM
Training them isn't cheap, but the real personnel costs are not in initial training, but in the long-term. A pilot who spends 20 years on active duty can retire and draw half his former paycheck for the rest of his life. This long-term cost easily dwarfs the cost of initial training. That retiree will cost the taxpayers $10 million or more after he stops flying. Since the ARNG retirement isn't as lucrative, and benefits start later (age 60 under current rules), our total personnel costs are much less.
As far as bang-for-buck goes, the Guard easily beats the active component, since we cost 25% as much (taking into account the total life-cycle costs, not just the immediate costs of equipment and training, which are largely similar).
Alaska2
September 15th, 2006, 04:54 PM
Thank you very much! I appreciate your timely response to all the questions I ask. I did speak with the recruiter you suggested and he was a no ******** type of guy. He did not sugarcoat it at all. He was very helpful and I am sure I will see him again. Once again, thankyou!
gsrtonv
September 15th, 2006, 07:59 PM
what are all the requirements for being a helicopter pilot?