I have decided to write an end all be all to this argument (yeah!).
Joe Civ vs. John Mil.
Joe and John are the same age, and go to the same college. There freshman year they both get their private pilots license. Second year Joe gets his Instrument rating and Commercial. John Mil joins ROTC. Both are engineering students and work hard at school. Third year Joe Civ gets his CFI and CFII and John mill stays current and holds his private. Senior year Joe civ has been instructing during the summer and part time during school and John mil is busy studying hard for ROTC. Both graduate and Joe Civ slides into a 135 operation flying old piston twins hauling checks. John Mil goes active duty and his first year is spent doing something other then flight school. John mil stays current flying the clubs 172. Joe civ after a year has 2000 TT and 800 PIC multi.
Second year John Mil goes to UPT. Studies very very hard. Training is intense, and relentless and you sink or swim. He studies hard and graduates in the top of his class and gets the aircraft of his choice, fighters. He goes on to fighter training and as he was thinking UPT was hard, they crank the pressure up on the fire hose. Joe civ has upgraded to a turbine aircraft that was built for 2 pilots that he flies by himself. He did about 5 days of training and some sim time and off on line he goes. After another year Joe Civ has 2800 TT and 800 PIC turbine. He has been flying about 4 hours a day in the Midwest in t-storms ice and what have you. John mil has been honing strategic flying including tight formation, gunnery and high speed operation. He is expected to know multiple operations and coordinate them; he is also an officer and has ancilary duties as well. John mil has about 550 hours TT, with almost all of that jet time.
John Mil is now done with training, for now, and is flying all over the world. His deployments take him to hot spots around the world. He flies over mine fields, avoids artillery and missiles. He uses night vision to help land at unlit runways at night. To get to were he is going, he has to refuel in flight. The margin for error is nil. Being at the right place at the right time and on target is his main mission. Joe CIF is still flying turbine cargo planes; his main mission is to get from point A to point B on time and without delays. He may have to penetrate some weather and does his checklist on the go. When the cargo door is closed, he spools up and starts to taxi. He lands on runways here and there that are far from ideal but for the most part they are the usual.
After 3 more years Joe Civ has 4500 TT and Joe mil has 1400 TT. Joe civ has learned how to survive in grossed out underpowered twins; and John mil has learned how to survive in the kill zone. He has mastered weapons systems, tactical navigation and long range planning. He also plans entire missions that involve multiple aircraft and ground units.
Joe Civ unable to get hired by a major goes to a regional and for 2 years sits as an FO. After 2 years upgrades to captain on a CRJ. Joe Mil transfers to tankers, goes through more training and pays his dues by flying all over the world supporting the aircraft he once flew. He practices landing the tanker at all kinds or fields an unlike the fighter, were his crew was in a plane next to him, he is now with a crew of 4 or 5. He has 4 years left on active duty and is looking to get out. Joe Civ is still at the regional and has around 6000 hours TT. John mil has around 2200. The years pass, and John Mil is ready to exit and Joe Civ after years of airlines not hiring is ready to move on. Joe Civ now has 7500 TT and John mil has 3000 TT. Both guys are in their early 30’s and are still close friends. Both apply to airlines and cargo.
Employers look at Joe Civ as an unknown. He has proven himself via his longevity and survival. He has not bent anything up, or slid off of runway, or run out of gas. They look at John Mil as a known. He went through a system that is well known and proven. They realize that he has less then half the time of Joe Civ, but know the training he has gone through was fast and furious. And, they are comfortable with him. Of course, letters of recommendation, personality, who you know, are all variables that have to be taken into account.
