On the other hand, I think the minimums to fly Part 135 DO need to be revisited, and revised downwards to provide a more logical progression.
The FAAs obligation is safety, not to help you progress. That's your problem.
500 hour minimums for VFR 135 are too high? Hardly.
1200 hour minimums for IFR 135 too high? Not at all.
Interesting that it's generally the new guy complaining about the times being too high. It's also the new guy that thinks 1,500 hours is high time. It's not. It's barely enough experience to know how to open the door.
Serious lack of situational awareness here.
Ah, no.
A 1500-hour fighter guy is a premium commodity at most major airlines. His 1500 hours is competitive at any US major.
No, he's not. Especially not if it's single engine fighter time. Certain good-old-boy airlines like Delta where being a military buddy is the step in the door, it's an advantage. Others, not so much.
I know a lot of places that won't touch former airline or military, for various reasons. It's not necessarily a plus. 1,500 hours isn't much, regardless of weather it was in a Cessna droning around the pattern, or in an F16. It's still 1,500 hours. It seems like a lot to the kid with the star on his sleeve, but not to the rest of us.
I've known a lot of drivers who got out of the military thinking they were a hot commodity, only to learn they needed more experience to compete.
resume #1:
1500 tt, 1300 multi engine turbine PIC (all of the time is turbine time, even the time spent learning how to fly), fighter weapons school graduate, 400 hours of combat
resume #2:
1500 tt, 1300 single engine piston PIC, 200 hours piston ME, CFI-I. 1100 hours of instruction giving
Fighter weapons school has exactly what to do with flying an ILS to minimums, or dealing with schedules and passengers? Nothing. You're right. Airlines don't engage in combat. Combat experience really isn't relevant, you see.
I once heard a fighter pilot prattle on about how he'd been dropping weapons killing people at a young age that his competitors for the airlines had not, and therefore he was much better qualified. Testosterone and killing doesn't really make one competitive. It means one did one's job in one environment. Coming from the military, one has worked for one employer. Possibly several squadrons, and possibly several communities if one has a particularly broad background. However, just as most airlines don't give much credence to helicopter time, single engine fighter time isn't that relevant, either. Neither is fighter weapons school or combat. Then again, neither is aerobatic work and much of what's done in the fighter community, to airline operations. Different worlds.
Airline flying in generaly is about as middle of the road, basic, flavorless work as you can get, and particularly with respect to the regionals, very entry-level.
I've known more than a few guys who thought they had the world by the tail, and who were dismayed at the pay cut required to go civillian, and the need to go somewhere and get experience before they could compete.
I know a particular fighter jock who thought he really was the bees knees until he stacked an airplane up last year. He couldn't understand how the heavily laden airplane wouldn't climb when he pointed the nose up, and he rode it into the ground behind the power curve like a hapless student pilot. He never put the nose down, never tried to gain back some airspeed, and never jettisoned his load...and in the end was surprised to find that he was considered the bad guy. Unfortunately for him, that employer will never hire another military pilot again. Go figure.
Military aviators can be proud of their service, but don't be so proud as to think it's a ticket to the front of the line. It's not. Don't let anyone tell you differently.