Ispeakjive

Take my advice, I'm not using it.

There are 2.5 types of airline pilots: Ones that have served and those who wish they had.

The remaining .5 are the under 27-ish Pups who don't envision military flying because they want to be the $300k+ per year guy in the left seat by the time they are 40.

To each his/her own, but didn't we all get started in aviation due to an overwhelming desire for adventure...?

The slug life awaits you. But if you abandon your sense of adventure now, you might not like the 40 year old you see in the mirror one day.

For anyone who has read this far:
1) Have you flown military, and if so, any regrets?
2) Conversely, if you haven't flown military, do you wish you had?

FlewNavy

Flying part of the military was great but its only a very small part of the job. If you don't like the rest of it, than life may be hard. Some guys love the "Ready Room" dynamic and banter and some guys hate it. 9 hours of planning/briefing etc for every hour of tactical flying - some love it some hate it. Navy Pilots are first and foremost supposed to be Officers/Leaders in a squadron and honestly I know some pilots that are competent aviators but average or below average organizational/administrative leaders (including myself). Lastly its very much a pyramid structure where 80% of the flying is done by junior officers and the higher you get in the organization the less flying/fun you have.

FlewNavy

But to answer the OP - I have no regrets yet.

Arctichicken

Seniority is everything in the airline world. This means time off and more $$$. You can "buy" excitement, you know what I mean. If you have the desire to fly military iron, I highly recommend the guard/reserves, if you can score a slot. Active duty is a whole different animal, IMO.
AD flying is like waiting in line of Space Mountain at Disneyland for 1+ hour on a holiday weekend. Is the 45 seconds of excitement worth the wait? Only you know. If 12+ hours days behind the desk and getting 20 hours a month suits you, then....
I have no regrets but if I had to do it all over again, I'd rush the guard/reserves big time. The things I vales the most are lifetime friendships we've made and really enjoyed our overseas tour.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Started civilian, went Mil. Had I known, would have tried to go Guard or Reserve first, and then AD.

Instead, started AD, then went Reserve. Absolutely no regrets. The most fun, the best stories, the greatest adventures, the starkest terror, and the best friendships of my life.

Does it put me "behind" in seniority? Slightly, but I have an Active Retirement.....that extra money, medical plan, and stability puts me at the same net pay I would have had as a more senior airline pilot.

USMCFLYR

I usually seem to be in the minority when it comes to military time spent on this board, and much of it has to do with me not having ever looked toward an airline career, so some of the concerns of posters like artichicken aren't in the forefront of my mind, but I wouldn't give up my active duty military for anything!

ron kent

10 years active duty, 20 years at the airline, no way I would trade my 10 years in the military for 10 years of extra seniority.

Arctichicken

One more thing... Another good aspect about the guard/reserve is that you have a choice of airframe. For fighters, you still have to rank in the top 50% in T-6s to move onto 38s and for those going to heavies, I don't think the ranking matters. Guard and reserve slots are pretty hard to come by but still doable, especially at the Northern tear locations.
No matter which military iron you fly (fighters, bombers, heavies, trainers), it's a chance of a lifetime. For me personally, the other bs on active duty far outweighed the flying but looking back, I feel blessed to have been part of it all. If you choose to go active duty, try and finish out your 20 in the reserves/guard. The extra $ and bennies at age 60 should come in handy.
Needless to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying the airline life. It's not perfect but it's as good as it gets for me. The key is to just enjoy the ride!

Spike from flyi

Started wanting to be military, became enamored with flying helicopters in ROTC. Flew in the Army for ten years, eventually transitioning to Fixed Wing. Got invited to quit in 1992 (draw down). Opted for a regional airline job. Back and forth (Active/Inactive) in Guard, Reserve and Regular Army, dodging failed airlines and furloughs. Finished 20+ active and went back to my civilian flying job. Could I have done it better? Of course; however, the military status was a great help in troubled times. What ever you do, get started early.

nsavandal09

Military and regional pilots all sacrifice something. Regional guys are making 25k a year and that sucks, I signed up for 12 years of my life minimum and have had to do crappy desk jobs 60+ hours a week and spend 6 years in a crappy location so far, plus time away from the family which can suck too. I think I made the right choice with the AF, but to each their own.

I've had the chance to meet and work with incredible people flying a great mission with awesome deployments and I can still punch at 12 years and get hired by a decent airline and get my military fix with the reserves or guard if flying ILS's ever gets old.

I love getting the chance to see and do things that nobody else gets the opportunity and I've been lucky enough to stumble into good deals that let me do that, and regionals will never match that.

If it's money that is the #1 factor realize that seniority is huge and the military will lock you into a commitment that currently would be 10 years plus 1-2 after commissioning to graduate. That's 2028 and hiring is likely to start trickling down. So when you finally get your number everyone ahead of you will be slightly older so you probably will have a lesser QOL and lower paycheck than if you got hired sooner, until the last couple years of your career when the older guys get forced out. Everyone has their own priorities and we all make our choices, hopefully this helps. Good luck!