Don't sell yourself short
Do you think you really have anything up on the next civilian climbing the same ladder as you?
You have maturity and real world experiences. Many Navy, Marine, and Army Helo pilots with Helo only time have to start out on the bottom rung also.
I sometimes regret not going to flight school for the Army. I just got tired of playing the game. Know what I mean?
You and the hundreds of other Military crewmembers jumping ship each day are glad to be out of the military's grasp. But there is a trade off for your freedom as I am sure you have seen by now. I commend you on taking the leap of faith to get out. I know many dudes who stay because they love it. But there are many who stay because they are afraid to take a chance and give up freedom for security.
I guess I will just have to swallow all of my maintenance knowledge and pass it like one big turd and jump in the trenches like all of the other guys getting all of their tickets.
Who fed you this line of crap. There are many schools out there that will give you college credits for your training. Plus many corporate jobs and FBOs would like to hire an A&P who can fly also. And if you don't have or are not planning to get your A&P then you are wasting your experience. I sometimes wish I would have followed up on my A&P when my crewchief time was still fresh. I could use it today at many FBOs and on my own Aircraft (if I still had one). If you didn't get any college while on Active duty then you should look into using your GI bill to go to an Aviation college (which there are many), that allow you to build time, Instruct, and complete your degree. It is not going to be easy or inexpensive but it is do able.
Are you in a Guard or Reserve unit. How old are you. Have you thought about joining and Army Guard/Reserve Aviation unit or Air Force Guard/Reserve unit to go to pilot training. Here is a website that lists AF Guard/Reserve units that need pilots.
www.baseops.net/newjob.html. It is never to late to go to flight training for the military. There are many units hurting for pilot candidates, and they are all looking for mature former military guys to send. If you need to get a degree, I would join a guard unit to get the state kickers (sometimes as much as $350 a month for School). Plus many Guard/Reserve units pay full tuition, leaving your MGIB as extra money to spend. The Guard/Reserve is not like active duty. If you don't even look into them then you are turning your hard earned Active time into one big flushable Turd.
I just think it's really hard to relate having a ton of maintenance and operational knowledge but no time on the controls. I guess if I had played the cards right I would be slinging loads in Panama right now with the 160th.
I can honestly bet you are way more mature and instructable than your younger peers. I know a Ton of AF Navigators that are chief pilots at companies now. They had no more flight time than you did when they got out, and had to start at the bottom also like most helicopter only pilots. My time as a Crewcheif on the UH-60 paid me huge dividends over my career. I have always understood what was happening to the aircraft during emergency training because I understood how the Aircraft functioned. Unlike my non-mechanic peers, who only had a very small knowledge of what actually went on under the hood. I am a Maintenance Test Pilot in the New AF T-6, my Crewchief experience continues to pay big dividends today.
Get over the fact you didn't do something you wished you would have. It will not do you any good other than to not make the same decision. I have seen way to many dudes leave the military and 10+ years later you could still hear them say: "If I would have only stuck it out another 17 years I could have been retired now." I tell them: "The same crap that you disliked about the military that made you decide to get out is still there and will continue to be their." Learn from the past, make a decision, and get on with your life. It is better to make a bad decision than no decision at all.
Some days I wander what my life would have been like had I stayed in the Army and transitioned to the Apache, or gone to the 160th. Yes I think it would have been fun, but in the long run my wife and I were not cut out for active duty Army life. I sometimes think about doing one more tour in the F-15E so I can bomb some bad guys. But we have made the decision to retire and my wife and kids are ecstatic, so I will do what needs to be done and get on with my life. If I end up with out a job and end up flipping burgers, you can bet I will do something to get retrained for a job in the area so my wife and kids can live in one place.
I miss the crew adventures and have to just bite my tongue around all my training buddies because I guess you just have to have been there...
You are right, no one likes to be around a know-it-all or someone who has a story for everything or who has to one-up everyone else. My kids deal with it every time they switch schools, especially one with a predominate non-military population. My kids are constantly being told they are lying about having lived in England, or seeing the Leaning Tower of Pizza. They have learned to only talk about it when it is relevant.
Do you know why most WWII vets didn't suffer from Post War mental problems, while many Vietnam vets have. The reason is: There were tons of WWII vets in every community, they were their own built in support groups to talk to each other and help each other. Where as the Vietnam vets came back to communities where very few had the same experience. I am here to tell you that Vietnam vets that stayed on active duty or joined a Guard/reserve unit didn't have near same amount mental problems that Vietnam vets who went cold Turkey from the military and had no one around with the same experiences.
For this reason, I recommend that you join an aviation Guard/Reserve unit to allow you some time with dudes with your background on top of helping pay for school or getting a Military pilot slot.
Worthless FE with no real worth in the civie aviation world
I am sure you are kind of Tongue and Check about saying that, but if you think this way then you are the only one who does. The time you spent serving your county is only as worthless as you make it. There are tons of Military Units and employers out there that would love to hire a dude that has a good work ethic, plus mechanic and pilot skills. Don't sell yourself short, you are your own worst enemy. If there is something you want to accomplish then set the goal and drive towards it at all costs. Nothing worthwhile is easy, nothing easy is worthwhile.
LUCK is when PREPARATION meets OPERTUNITY. If you don't do what it takes to meet the minimums then you will never be LUCKY enough to get the job you want.
I would be more than happy to help you find a Guard/Reserve Job. Just PM me if you need and help at all even if you don't want to be in any type of military unit.
Worthless FE with no real worth in the civie aviation world
