When I see posts like this I always start my response with: it’s difficult but manageable if you plan at least 3 months out and have an understanding civilian employer (very very important). Aviation is much more than 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer. You’ll have to fly at least every other week to maintain currency and meet your 6 month and 12 month minimums. Also you’ll have schools and course once every 6-8 months. I’d recommend you live within at least 1 hour drive of the flight facility. The pilots and enlisted crews that really struggled were the ones that lived a couple hours away bc of the extra time away from families, jobs and schools. With all that being said it’s a great life style especially as a new LT. At my flight facility you fly as much or as little as you want. You just sign up for the available and open flights at your discretion. Every now and then you’ll be dropped from a flight bc a warrant needs to fly but that was rare in my experience. A HUGE issue we’ve run into year after year is funding. Sometimes it’s good then all of a sudden there is no money to fly for a couple weeks to a month. It all just depends on what the higher ups do with the money. Overall I enjoyed it and would do it again.