Originally Posted by
Spudhauler
I wasn't in the military, so I'll take Purple at his word. I'm sure a break after many years in the Air Force would be great before starting training at a brand new job. However, a guy who was hired two classes ahead of me endured a 2 plus year furlough, and I was out 4.5 years. Every number matters, even with a large pilot group. I hope no one ever goes through that crap again, but my two cents is get to class as soon as possible, not just for seniority within a category, but overall.
Couldn't agree more. One number in a category may be the difference between reserve/lineholder (especially if you're a commuter), staying in a category or getting bumped, upgrading to CA or staying an FO, and so on and so forth. Make every possible attempt to get the earliest class date you can without breaking the law.