I've been reading the forums daily for the last few months gaining insight and education about the industry and the potential future. My situation is not unique but I would like some insight from anyone with good info.

I am career military (Army warrant officer). I can retire in April 2018 at age 52 after 34 years of service and 22 years active duty. I have my FW ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI and have around 2500 (1200 PIC) hours rotary wing (UH-60), ~2000 hours C12 turbine time (1000 PIC), ~300 UC35 jet time, with Encore/Ultra, BE200, and S70 type ratings. I do have my bachelors degree in Organizational Management. I have an SP/IP/IE/Aviation Safety background.

I am currently flying OSA/VIP missions stateside and will continue until retirement with a couple of possible UC35/C12 deployments included. The hours listed are what I expect to have at retirement.

Question:
Will my age be an issue?
How competitive will my hours/time be to get hired preferably with SWA, JetBlue, Delta, United, UPS, etc?
How far in advance should I put in my applications?
Ideally I would like to be based out of anywhere out west (SLC, LAS, PHX, So Cal).
What airlines would be best suited for my qualifications/background/hours?

I can stay active duty until age 60 if I choose but am really ready for a change and transition out of uniform. Money is not the most important thing to me (sign of my age I guess).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and insight.