Originally Posted by
AAron
Julio,
I've heard of AF pilots doing what you wrote, not Marines at 17 years commissioned service (YCS). The USMC has different regulations about going to the USMC active reserves. I'm too senior at this point.
The trick in my case would be:
-Finding a billet in my area
-Finding a squadron that would take a helicopter pilot and allow him to convert to a FW platform.
-Navigating the Gold to Silver transition (USMC to AF)
-Finding an AF active reserve flying billet (not Air Reserve Technition "ART" job, ART's would have a reserve retirement and receive benefits ~ 60 years old)
-Or find an active Air National Guard job (title 32 I believe)
-Be able to retire at or around 20 YCS and receive benefits immediately upon retirement.
Basically to have your cake and eat it too.
I appreciate all of the feedback.
My other option is to:
-Live where I want in this non flying staff job
-Get my MBA paid for with TA (won't really help with flying jobs)
-See my family every night
-Fly with a local flying club occasionally
-Keep options open with Envoy RTP (if it's still around then) or Border Patrol when I retire in 2020.
AAron
Most of your options involving a transfer to ANG etc probably would require knowing the right person at the right time with the right connections etc. If you don't have those things and are ready to pull the trigger on it NOW then it probably will take you months if not years to get them. You will never know if you don't try.
If I were in your shoes:
-Stay in your staff job and retire. The check will practically double your Regional Airline salary once you get there.
-Flying club - get your Single Engine CFI/CFII
If you have ANY instructor experience - go get your CFI/CFII in whatever platform you taught. THEN - go get additional instruction at your aero club for a Single Engine CFI Add-On check ride.
Find 2-3 NFOs that want a PPL and buy a C182 together for 20-25 grand each. Provide instruction time to them at their fuel costs. Thats about 30 hours of PIC/Instructor time each plus whatever your fly on your own.
You could probably get a few hundred hours in the next 3 years while on staff and in a better position to jump to an airline.
If you join a Civil Air Patrol squadron they are good for about 40 hours of training time per year after all the red-tape is out of the way.
Never pass up "free" education. You never know when the next furlough is coming or what could happen to your medical.
I'm still AD by the way and leaving from a staff tour at 20.
Edited to add: If this is your first non-flying gig - you might actually fall in love with meetings, regular hours, relatively easy work etc. Its amazing what defense contractors will pay for retiring officers to take this kind of job. Its not hard compared to operational life..and its pretty easy on the family...and you might find flying for fun on the side is "enough". You will be taking a pay cut to get a flying job after you retire...and that pay cut will last awhile since you are coming from the rotary world. Assuming you retire at 42-44 years of age - thats a pay cut for the first 5 years minimum leaving only 15-17 years to be at a flag carrier and only 2-3 years as a topped out FO or Captain. Go run some spreadsheets and take a look at your career earnings. Not trying to dissuade you from a decision but when I first read this post I thought you were leaving as a fixed wing dude that could jump to a regional at 20 years and 1 day to get current and then be at a major within 6 months of retirement.