People love to talk bad about the Tweet, but...all in all...best flying I ever did. Did UPT in it, then was in the last wave of IP's that got to fly the thing, and all-in-all, helluva trainer. Hands down, no question, better than the Sixer as a trainer. Of course, on a hot day in Del Rio or Columbus, I'd much rather toss on the ol' harness rather than the parachute on the 3rd flight in a trip-turn, and then have some cool air circulating rather than just an open canopy, but....here's a quick story.
Flew into Eglin on a CT XC one weekend for a junket trip. Me and the other IP (long, long story on that, and history), went there for a retirement of a Chief. Landed at Eglin, and started to taxi in. Passed a 2006 tail F-22 guy who was on the taxi out. He gave us the "Hang loose" sign, we returned it, and we kept on plugging down the taxiway. Next intersection, we passed an '85 tail F-15C, and the pilot there gave us the "macho man bicep flex". We passed it back, and moved on. Last intersection before the TA ramp, we passed a QF-4, where the guy gave us a thumbs up, and we passed it back, and realized we were rollin' in a '59 model Tweet. Oldest POS on the ramp, but...I'd bet each of those pilots in those sweet rides would still love to hop in for a quick 1 point 2.
Fastest G onset rate in the inventory, and somehow it was still stable enough to fly in instruments. And yeah, yeah, bellyache about the instruments, the deal was, they sucked, but they WORKED. And if you were proficient in them, trust me, I can still do a Fix-to-fix like nobody's business...
As far as the REAL purpose of this thread goes: Everyone here is testifying...they're speaking the truth. Follow your dreams, and if that's not about flying in the military, get the hell out, and go get paid. Only, realize it's not all rainbows and skittles. I got out, and spent some time getting my feet under me (I was not prepared). Did the Higher Power deal, and that was good training, but...keep in mind, it's not military training. You pay them, so they'll get you through it.
Ended up finally getting a job through networking at a "Large airframe charter service". Spent some time going through training for the 757/767, and all was good. Did my checkrides, and went out and flew it for a nice IOE trip. Had a blast, and it was great! I was ready to go out and kill dinosaurs all over the world. Only, I got furloughed.
And, since then, I've been in a sort of limbo. You already did this before, and now it's back to the start...waiting to hear about jobs you've applied for, and waiting to hear back from the company you're furloughed from, and in the meantime, you only get calls from companies you applied for but are a big step backwards in your progression. And you have to deal with timing: Sure, you can take the job flying a regional where they REALLY want you, but they want a training bond for a year or 6 months, while you're waiting to get called back to fly something big and interesting. What if you do get called back? It's always a gamble.
And, just to ignite the fires of the old farts out there....The Tweet Boldface died before the Tweet did! I was a procedure at the end, and not a BF. "Idle-Neutral-Aft-Spinning (left)-Needle (left)-rudder, full opposite direction of the spin and hold-punch the CI, recover from the dive".
And yeah, I know you all think that's lame, but it's less lame than not knowing what your stud is doing up front on the his/her dollar ride! You can see a lot, but there's a few dozen switch positions or settings that I'd have sold every Sixer on the lot for to get back into a Tweet!
And, once more, back to the subject for one last thought. I know it's a roller coaster, and you might see that, you might not. Do what people suggest...make contacts, scrub the resume good, and if you don't have something like Log Ten, then use the ARMS printout. Interview prep is up to you. If you're die-hard for a major, it's a cost you should probably shell out. If not, it's a cost you should probably shell out. Pick a good one though. And good luck out there. And by happenstance, if you get hired, remember all the good advice I just gave you, and then look me up and give me a recommendation! HAHA!