Military RW to FW ATP
Ok....I just joined the forum, have started reading up as much as I can here and at jetcareers.com. I've still got some questions but first some background on me.
-Army RW pilot with a little over 2k hours
-19 years of service, can retire next year at age 38
-never once thought of getting out but quite frankly, it's fiscally irresponsible not to look at the options out there.
I keep seeing these programs that are spooling up, such as the envoy and piedmont military rw transitions. I have my faa cfi/cfii for commercial rw. Other than that, I've got 6 hours I did in pursuit of my private fw. That's it. So from my reading, I meet the 750 hour requirement but still need to go to the official training to get the 250 hours for multi-engine PIC.
Unlike many of the commissioned guys I see do write ups here about the transition, I wouldn't be taking a nearly 50% pay cut starting off so it wouldn't be quite so painful.
I do have two issues though;
1. Would like to stay in for 5 more years to improve my retirement by $20k annually. That seems too good to pass up.
2. The only thing that would make me pass up option 1 is taking one of the contracting jobs I'm contacted about monthly ($260k with $100k tax free).
Doing the option 2 would give me a nice cushion for the first few years of low pay.
My questions that I need to find out (via you guys as common knowledge or via the recruiters are
1. Will these jobs (regionals and majors) last that much longer? I have to imagine they'll start filling up faster now with these RW programs.
2. How does this process work as far as hour requirements? R-ATP is 250 (after my 750 rw that I already have.) Where does that 250 come from? Not the rules but where will I be flying that? I can't imagine I'll be in flight school for 250 hrs.
3. With each promotion you get to stay at the bottom. Ok, well is there ANYTHING you get to select when you start. I'm personally interested in staying in one spot, wherever that may be. So what are my chances as the new guy selecting my duty location. And from what I've read, I need to make sure it's got spots that I can grow into I'd I switch to the parent company/major.
3. I get minimum monthly hours, but is there overtime (and if so advantages?l
4. What's main line vs reserve? Is reserve just the bench warmer each flight who gets called in if someone didn't feel like it?
So I basically start this job at $38k, with places offering $17k or so bonuses...in 2-3 years, Blanco, cpt? Then the chances come for the majors and starting all over again (which I actually find very entertaining).
Any other questions you guys wish you had asked period you committed. Thanks ahead of time