rickair7777

I will say that it's not totally out of line to be considering your long-term plan at ALL times. But I would probably limit your airline career planning at this point to shooting for fixed wing.

Dragon7

Work three times harder than you did in college and get your platform choice then wings. FW is easier but I and many others made it through the helo route. Fly as much as you can and do the ground stuff the best you can. Performance and flight time/quals matter. Keep an open mind to a career but always have an exit plan. Then a plan B and a plan C.

Airlines are a great job but not sure I would have been happy at it in my 30s. An airline job plus a reserve job is balancing act of keeping momma, the squadron, and your airline equally ****ed at you. Flying airplanes without a ground job rocks but unable to ever change things doesn't. YMMV.

All you can do is control your now. And enjoy the ride.

Vito

Your question is akin to this:

"I just bought my first Wiffle-Ball bat, so what is the best position to play for on the New York Yankees?"

The advice given so far is spot-on, Good Luck!

crewdawg

I've heard this a few times before and i'm just not seeing it. Maybe my squadron is different, but our airline guys seem to have it best. The guys who have the civilian jobs (non-flying) are the ones that can't seem to find time for all three. Maybe it's because they are usually in fairly high up/important positions with their company. These guys just can't seem to find the time to get away to the Guard. Airline guys just drop a trip here and there or jump on a set orders...the airline doesn't miss them when they're gone. The same can't be said about non-airline guys.

YMMV!

CheapTrick

Dords91. I'm here to give you the straight skinny. The gouge. The dope. Any fixed wing + 1000hrs + reasonable non douchebag performance = a major airline job in 8-10 yrs. The airlines will still need pilots. The gene pool will be mighty thin by then. (Joffrey Lannister thin.) Keep your powder dry. Don't bend metal. And you'll be in good shape assuming the economy and society doesn't implode by then.

Find a community in which you can log some time and enjoy your NAvy time. E6's, F18, EA6b, Training command = time. P8's/P3's???? Ask around. They ate their young when I was in and now I hear they eat everyone.

AND, you didn't hear this from me, but... if... you get the opportunity to get a humanitarian discharge for a sick parent, in-law, kid, dog, whatever, take it. Go home and affiliate with local ANG or Reserves while finding any part 121 job for experience. That could get you to an airline 3-4 years quicker than your shipmates. Yes it is a douchebag move, but its all about you in the end. (Point's for using douchebag twice in a post?)

Timbo

8 years from now, the "Airline" landscape could look completely different than it does today.

You might be taking that 737 rating to Dubai, for a job with Sky Dubai.

As everyone has said, worry about getting your wings first, fly for a few years in the real world, talk to your buds ahead of you, who will be getting out and looking for work, then come back here in about 5 years and ask again.

It's wayyy too early in your flying career to be worried about what type rating to get. Focus on wings first.

CAFB 04-12

Dang it, that was going to be my advice!

bcav8tr

Dude...you should have 3 priorities and they are in no particular order, get your wings, get your wings, get your wings. Work your ass off, avoid Seville Quarter and Pcola Beach except for weekends, pass the obstacle course, the mile swim, the mile and half run, study your butt off and get through API. Then eat, sleep, rinse, repeat in Primary. Avoid Maritime (i.e. P3s/EP3s/P8s) unless you want EVERY flight to be a NATOPS check. Hit the riot trainer and use the crap out of every available sim time you can get. Primary grades will be the decider on your future. If you want to be challenged and have every flight be different, then get jet grades and learn how to land on the boat (i.e. CVN). Bottom line, you will end up loving whatever platform you get. Keep an open mind, be a sponge, don't be stupid, and kick butt in the fleet. Once you make it to shore duty (hopefully a flying job) after you first fleet tour, then start thinking about airlines. If you've done it right, you'll probably already love what your doing and stay in. If not, then start worrying about airline jobs.

Remember... get your wings!

gulfstreampiper

Take everything one day at a time. The only thing you should be worrying about right now is that next test in API (I guess that is your Navy version of academics?) Who knows, you may want to stay in after your ADSC. Don't pick the Poseidon just cause of the 737 type. Aren't there only like 10 of them anyways? Getting them is attainable but with that few of airframes, I bet they are gonna be competitive. Whats gonna happen if you don't get them? With the military, everything is fluid. You want to fly 737s in circles, but you may end up flying Greyhounds out to carriers. My .02 is pick the plane based off:

1. Mission/time you will actually spend in the cockpit
2. Bases
3. Plane with the best air conditioning

MikeF16

Nothing wrong with preparing for your future but you're putting the cart before the horse. This post would have been more appropriate after you'd earned your wings, or perhaps just before you selected your MWS but at this time it is laughable. If this is the approach you take in training you don't need to worry about your follow-on, your IPs will sniff it out in no time and you won't even get your gold wings, or they'll make sure that you're flying rubber dog shlt out of Hong Kong... sorry, I couldn't resist.