Leaving the Air Force and need advice.

[BrokeFOsho]

Hi there,

I'm leaving the Air Force since my pilot training commitment is up. I had a 1.5 year break in flying due to a skydiving accident back in 02'.

Ended up with 2000 TT all M/E turbine (C-130's) and about 800 of it PIC.

I guess what I'm getting at is when I leave the AF in March.... where should I go?

It looks like I'm qualified minimally for most of the majors, but since I put my apps out a week ago I've just heard back from Regionals mainly. Citation Shares also sent me a follow up questionaire.

Any thoughts? I'll give a six pack to whoever leads me the right way!

Cheers!

Rob

 

[lookin4better]

although the legacies are full of merger talk, if you have a contact at Delta, have them go to the guy doing the hiring and have them talk you up......you will get called/emailed for an interview with your quals.....

Cal works the same but they are on the end of a hiring boom....well maybe a slow down...

nwa doesnt work so much with internals....

depends what u want.....stay away from a regional unless u must remain current.....but bottom line they are all the same when it comes to QOL, even though kool aid drinkers will tell you others are better....its all just jet time building...


you can do well with those times......ups and fed ex may be out for now....but again....it all depends on what make YOU happy

 

[BrokeFOsho]

I know a couple of folks in the majors passingly. Not sure if they'd walk to the hiring dept. for me though.

I'll be happy with a job. Just don't want to go interview with a regional just yet when it looks like I might be able to start out at better than 22 bucks an hour!

 

[Huggyu2]

The Citation Shares pilots I met love it.
United is hiring over 200 this year.

 

[BrokeFOsho]

Yeah, I sat next to a Citation Shares capt. the other day. He really seemed to love it. I'm hoping my app with them moves on...

 

[av8orboy]

Shares

 

[HoursHore]

Work on getting a Guard or Reserve job for a Saftey net, then network a little more for a major or netjets.

 

[Caveman]

It's only been a week. Give it some time. You'll hear from some majors.

I suggest you attend the JetBlue hiring fair down in Orlando on Feb 2. Doesn't cost a thing. Just show up in business casual with a resume and you'll get to meet the hiring folks. Attending one of these fairs seems to be the inside track to getting an interview as of late. Make sure you complete the on-line app before you go. PM me your e-mail address and I'll send you a flyer with all the details.

 

[BengalsFan]

Don't forget that a lot of places will let you use a military equator... standard seems to be 1.2 times your flight time. That gets you pretty close to NetJets mins. So fly fly fly until the day you leave. Also, I'll back the "get a reserve/guard gig". That will give you the safety net and also help you build up those last few hundred hours... if it comes to that.

Good luck

 

[Just thinking]

Plenty of Air Force pilots at Air Tran (Chief Pilot F-16's). Reserve/Guard is a great way to offset costs and set yourself with an additional retirement. Food for thought.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Shares IS good. AirTran has a LOT of AF guys going there now.

You could go to Pinnacle and upgrade to CRJ captain REALLY quick and fill your 1000 PIC Jet, but PCL is a crap place to work. Mesaba is hiring street Saab captains, but the pay is lower than PCL-much better operation, however.

Definitely go to http://aptap.forumco.com/default.asp

It is was originally an Army helo site, but it is GREAT for guys going Mil-Civ, especially if they're helo or are low-time FW (or both). There are a lot of contacts and help there-these message boards don't have as high a % of helpful people as aptap does.

cliff
YIP

PS-USA Jet is a good place to start with more pay than the regionals-it's not for everybody, but you could start at $38K as a DC-9 FO, and get a Falcon 20 PIC slot in probably 6 months or less. That would be another way to get your 1000 PIC Jet pretty quick. If you want info on USA Jet, PM me with your email. Also, both Shares and AirTran are better than USA Jet.

 

[On Your Six]

I agree that you should fly as much as you can until you leave. Ciationshares would be a good option. I think Netjets and Delta are big fans of military flyers too.

 

[Benhuntn]

Unless life is just intolerable in the AF the best safety net is a 20 yr retirement. Times are shakey in the industry. If you jump now you may just be jumping to the frying pan. Coming to the business in a few yrs with a steady paycheck will give you some peace of mind. Serving two masters sucks (airline/guard unit). Working at a commuter for low pay and high work loads to build time for a legacy is tough also. Build your time in the AF, get yourself promoted and then jump. Just my two cents. I fly with guys though all the time that are working two jobs to get that safety net etc. By the way the guard retirement doesn't kick in until 60. These guys are always warn out.

 

[jke406]

Unless life is just intolerable in the AF

I notice some 89th tails on your avatar. Perhaps you had the good fortune of spending some time in the OSA community, which I don't think mirrors the typical AF pilot's experience. I don't know what else you flew, or how long ago you retired, but times might have changed. The life of the "real" AF heavy pilot, especially C-130s, consists of a ridiculous amount of time in the desert.

It's gotten "intolerable" for a lot of folks.

Guard/reserve probably best bet. Guys on AD are burning out, and no retirement "safety net" is worth it.

Rforbess might want to check into an LCC like Spirit or Allegiant as well.

 

[LeonPhelps]

Unless life is just intolerable in the AF the best safety net is a 20 yr retirement. Times are shakey in the industry. If you jump now you may just be jumping to the frying pan. Coming to the business in a few yrs with a steady paycheck will give you some peace of mind. Serving two masters sucks (airline/guard unit). Working at a commuter for low pay and high work loads to build time for a legacy is tough also. Build your time in the AF, get yourself promoted and then jump. Just my two cents. I fly with guys though all the time that are working two jobs to get that safety net etc. By the way the guard retirement doesn't kick in until 60. These guys are always warn out.

If you are getting out because of Economics...stay in, take the bonus, retire, and THEN come to the airlines. If you are getting out because you can't handle the lifestyle of living in Sh!ttySTAN...then the loss of income shouldn't be a problem. Age 65 really jammed the industry for five years, conveniently, on the front end of what could be a recession. I advise all my mil buddies now: stay in for the money, and get out for the lifestyle. Hope this helps...good luck, amigo!

And oh, btw...what everyone else said, with a few small exceptions is GREAT advice that I don't care to repeat. Only major difference is that I disagree, for now, with BeenHuntin. I like flying for an airline AND with the Guard/Reserve...but, that's because I'm a flying junkie, and I suppose that could change over time.

 

[BengalsFan]

Well if you're only options are C-130's, especially on active duty... get out now!!! the herc sucks!

 

[LeonPhelps]

Well if you're only options are C-130's, especially on active duty... get out now!!! the herc sucks!

LOL!!!

Spoken, spelled (you're? or your?) and gramatically representing the Bengals Fans all around the globe in such a wonderful manner!!

The herc has been the workhorse of OEF and OIF. So, I must say, "Au contrair, bonjur!!" Hope you have a great day though, I got a big laugh and a smile out of your post...now back to my regularly scheduled glass of courvossier.

 

[BengalsFan]

sorry... posted out of anger... so I didn't check all my grammmmermemamrrr, but I should clarifieyeey... it is great at the mission... it just sucks to be the one flying it!

Is that bettererer?

 

[LeonPhelps]

Yeah...that's much moe betta!!!

 

[pkober]

Herc flying is still good in the ANG. We are still our own culture apart from the AD.

There are still plenty of non AEF AD days available.

I agree with others. If you can stand it, stay on AD and get your retirement. If you can't handle it any more get out, join the ANG/AFRC and stay until retirement.

As a airline furloughee I can't tell you enough what an awesome deal having the ANG is to fall back on.