what to do?

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I experienced two completely different cultures in the military.

I flew helos for MAC. EVERYTHING went exactly by the book. Safety and following the AF regs was Job 1.

Then I went -135s to SAC. EVERYTHING was about getting the job done, regardless of what the AF regs said, or safety. They were pretty much, night and day, opposite cultures.

During one -135 flight, I was trying to get the Instructor pilot (dumba$$) to follow the safety and regulation procedures. He didn't want to.

I asked my buddy, who was also on the flight (there were about 6 pilots on the training flight), why he didn't back me up. He said there were parachutes in the back, and we could always jump out if it wouldn't have been safe to land the plane.

cliff
YIP

 

[skywiz]

I would agree with what most are saying. If you want to fly fixed wing for the military, try and go AF or Air Guard. If you want to fly fixed wing, but wouldn't mind flying Helos, go Navy. (1/2 of Navy pilots fly helos)

Regardless of which service you go into, realize that you do lose control of you life. You are not guarenteed any aircraft (ex: you want to fly fighters... but you might get tankers)

You may not get your first choice of duty station, you most likely have to do a non-flying tour, get shot at, be gone from home for long periods of time, etc.

Another thing to remember is that flying in the military is only part of your job. Unlike the airlines, being a military pilot involves other duties that involve being a leader and dealing with all the other BS that you deal with in the service.

Realize that the extra flight time you have will help, but don't rely on it. I knew a guy that had 400 hours and he almost failed out of primary because he didn't spend enough time studying. Eventhough you already know how to fly, you will have to learn the AF/Navy way. Just be humble and you will be fine.

On the other hand, the pros of being a military pilot are great: pay is pretty good(i make 75k/yr at 27yrs old), get to see the world, know that you are a military aviator (in my case a Navy pilot - a job very few do), and later on down the road get the benefit of being very marketable to the airlines.

Whatever you decide, make sure you think hard about the commitement you will make because it will be a big one (10+ years)

Good luck.