The National Guard is utilizing a program allowing qualified applicants to bypass some military training and earn a pilot's license.

"We've had a lot of interest in the flight program. I think especially with the diversity of airframes we have now and I think people are excited to support the mission in Alaska," Lieutenant Colonel Michele Edwards, Commander of the 1st battalion 207th aviation regiment said.

For fiscal year 2018, the Department of Defense announced nationwide it did not meet

for Army National Guard or Air National Guard. But in Alaska, it seems the fleet is growing and that creates a need for pilots.

"The street to seat program allows someone who's never been in the military to join, go to basic training and then go through the warrant officer candidate training and then go to flight school so you're bypassing some of that military experience which is what we traditionally get,” Edwards said.

Edwards said it's a competitive program because candidates could be up against people with prior aviation experience but this could be a way for recruits to get involved in other areas of the field. "As pilots, we get a lot of the credit for the flying, doing the mission, we get to go out and do all this cool stuff but there's no way we could do any of what we're doing without our maintenance and support personnel," he said.

According to an Anchorage-based flight school, earning a pilot's license could cost at least $10,000. Since 2017, two people have participated in the street to seat program in Alaska. Candidates are expected to fulfill both active and reserve commitments.

More information on the National Guard can be found