Originally Posted by SlickDawg

Hi all - looking for some advice from you experts. I'm a MIL aviator that retired this month, but unfortunately I've been flying a desk for the past 7 years (War College, Joint Command, shore command) and haven't touched the controls during this time. Also, my flight time is not at the same level as my fellow retired aviators since I started out in the back seat. I'm currently at ~1700TT/820TPIC (with no MIL conversion) and was an IP and NATOPS Instructor with about 175 carrier arrested landings.

I live in Greenville, SC and don't want to relocate since I finally get to live near my young son since his mother moved here years ago. By location, PSA seems to be the best fit, but I just finished reading the "PSA Info" thread (all 340 pages...whew!) and in general, they are not a happy bunch. The difference in the tone of this Endeavor thread is stark, but getting hired at Endeavor would involve commuting for me.

Another factor that is part of my decision-making:
- Between my pension and my wife's employment, my priority is QOL over salary, but I do want to get to the majors some day to set us up for a comfortable retirement.

The way I see it, I've got 3 primary choices if I want to fly:
1) PSA (low salary/poor management/decent QOL if I get CLT unless I'm on reserve for a long time)
2) Another regional without a horrendous commute (are there any for me?)
3) Instructing (no benefits/low salary)

What would you recommend? Is it better to have a commute to a known schedule or drive 1.5 hours to CLT to sit reserve for a long time? Appreciate the guidance!