Opportunites abound for enlisted flyers at 934th Published April 8, 2014 By By Chief Master Sgt. John Grutzmacher 96th Airlift Squadron MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION -- "Oh, so you're in the Air Force? Are you a pilot?" If you are or have been in the Air Force, I'm sure you've had that question posed to you by young and old. They usually don't understand all the different job specialties the Air Force has to offer. However, I usually inadvertently confuse the questioner by saying, "I'm not a pilot, but I fly as an aircrew member; a loadmaster." That usually leads to a whole new line of questioning. If one wants to fly in the Air Force, there are more opportunities for officers (ie., pilots and navigators) than enlisted. Approximately 22 percent or 14,095 Air Force officers are on flying status compared to 2.7 percent or 7,053 Air Force enlisted. That's almost double the number of officer flyers versus enlisted flyers. However, these statistics don't apply at the 934th Airlift Wing. Our wing's C-130 aircrews are composed of an almost equal number of officers and enlisted. There are approximately 83 enlisted flying positions between the 96th Airlift Squadron and the 934th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron divided into three specialties; Flight Engineer (1A1X1), Aircraft Loadmaster (1A2X1) and Aeromedical Evacuation Technician (X4N0X1). Technical training school length averages about one year before becoming fully mission ready. Once fully trained, aircrew members must maintain their flight training currencies above and beyond UTA training. This involves local training mission as well as "cross-countries" (aka TDY); for example airdropping Navy SEALs at Norfolk, Va. or flying an Aeromedical mission to Elmendorf, Alaska. The 96 AS and 934 AES regularly look to hire qualified individuals to fill vacant flying positions. If you're interested in cross-training, know someone who is, or know of a non-prior service person interested in joining, contact the following individuals: CMSgt Orin Johnson (Flight Engineer) at 612-713-1725 CMSgt John Grutzmacher (Loadmaster) at 612-713-1718 SMSgt Kevin Cassidy (Aeromedical Evac Tech) at 612-713-1892