Originally Posted by Coastie
Thanks for having an area dedicated to folks transitioning out of the military.
I am currently a Coast Guard pilot with 2600TT/1300 PIC hours in the HC-130, and have recently upgraded to IP. Although I currently have 5 years prior to being retirement eligible, I'd like to think that it's not to early to start planning what I hope to be my next career. Any input regarding the following questions would be greatly appreciated:
1. What can I do in the next 5 years to make myself more marketable?
2. Do the majors consider Herc time desireable, or should I seek a Falcon/Gulfstream transition for my next tour?
3. I currently manage approx. 100 people, 4 C130's and a fairly substantial budget. Do companies such as Southwest consider this type of management valuable, or are they strictly concerned about flight time etc.?
4. Is there any disadvantage to obtaining an ATP 5 years prior to retirement, or should I wait?
Thanks in advance for the input. The Coast Guard is an outstanding organization of which I would recommend to any one who is extremely motivated and likes to work hard. The wife and kids are just getting tired of moving.
1. IP is good, anything involving the regular evaluation of other pilots performance.
2. Pure Herc time is normally fine, but turbojet (esp glass) gives you a competetive advantage over the other guys. Some airlines are actually starting to REQUIRE turbojet time, due to the available plethora of RJ drivers.
3. For civilian pilots, management/supervisory experience is a plus because most don't have it. In the military, it just comes with the territory, so it's no big deal (a CO tour might help though).
4. The flight part of the ATP is nothing for you, but the academics cover 121 topics that are likely to come up on your airline interview(s). I'd do it immediately before separation so it's fresh...otherwise you'll just have to study it all over again anyway.
BTW, stay in, get your retirement...the airline business is unstable as you know.