Thank you everyone for your "even-keel" input and response, it's greatly appreciated.
Wow, lot's of serious thinking to do. Thank you very much "Amigo" for you detailed response.
Which begs me to ask perhaps a dumb question: With corporate culture like this, what type of pilots are being interviewed for Southern Air? Are they kids (no offense to the younger generation) trying to jump ship from a small commuter, furloughed pilots or pilots that's had problem elsewhere in their past and can't get on anywhere else? Again, no offense to anybody out there, and my apologies if I offended anyone. I just can't figure it, why? That's a lot to sacrifice the quality of life, especially in the first year, just to fly a B-747.
Is deadheading with Southern Air, Economy Class, holy-crap, that's a long time to sit in back of a cabin twice a month across the pond? OK, so it's a bit better than sitting in back of a C-130 or C-5.
One additional concern I realized today about companies such as Southen, World, Evergreen etc., which has an extensive CRAF DoD contract is when things wind down in the Middle East (let's all hope so, being a retired military and in flying sorties in the sand-box, I've seen enough carnage to last me 3 lifetimes), when the DoD contracts dwindle, the first thing these air carriers do, is layoff pilots since they are so dependent on the CRAF contacts. Evergreen had a big layoff a few years back until things perked up again in the sandbox.
I've applied around prior to getting out of the USAF and being a big client of the DoD, went to check out Evergreen International in Oregon. They offered me a B-747 earlier this year with a F/O position, but after doing some due deligence with other USAF pilots that went to fly with them, the corporate culture (Mr. Del Smith owner and Flight Management) was just plain "strange" almost "cult-like". Just not your oridinary weird, but really strange. I told my friend who also decided not to fly with Evergreen at that time, that there must be a giant tub of Grape Kool-Aid somewhere in the Evergreen Offices (remember Jones Town, Guyana). So I thought I would just keep fishing and looking.
I guess when you hit the mid-40s though, even with extensive flying experience and a squeaky clean record, one's options starts to get limited and somewhat refined. Today's employment market isn't as wide-open to pilots in our age group as it once was, especially here in the United States. Perhaps, I shouldn't be too picky. It is frustrating (but more power to them and wish them the best) to hear a person with 1/3 the experience receive an interview invitation and offer and we're left wondering huh...., what criteria the airlines use, who knows. It's probably a HR person shaking a Big Magic 8 Ball.
Perhaps my technique to get an interview here in the US can be more aggressive. I realize that it's a "not what you know, but who you know". I'm perhaps foolishly attempting this by getting interviewed and hired based only on my own merits. No favors, no bending over with the KY Jelly and no guilt-trip. That way, I feel no obligations to anybody, no hurt careers of my friends who recommended me, should I decide to move to another employer. Noble, but probably the wrong technique, considering I have a lot of friends flying in the industry who could probably come to bat for me.
On the Contract Flying front, one thing positive about flying in Japan is that the age restriction is now 63 going up to 65, so long as you have been employed by the company by age 52. This is definetely a plus. I've flown with the 18th TFW at Kadena AFB, so I'm pretty familiar over there. I just hate having a contract-bond over my head, it's like being held hostage. The B-767 is at least good dependable airplane.
Cathay and NCA seems like a good place. I hear that Cathay has a unique cultural blend.
I've never worked as a "gun-for-hire", so I'm not quite sure what the instability is with contract flying.
Anyway, many thanks for all your sincere and honest inputs. Please keep posting them, it really helps.
Thanks again! Snoop