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Old 07-01-2018 | 04:39 PM
  #13  
Sliceback
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Dec 2007
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Vice - all solo time, even while a student, counts as PIC.

Not saying you missed that but just a comment about oversights guys have done before. 750 military fighter + 100 civilian with 500 PIC seems slightly low on PIC ergo my comment about all solo time = PIC.

Low time fighter guys seem to get hired in the 1500 +/- range. IP might REALLY help. Guy I was helping got his IP qual and got called within two weeks. Roughly 1300 fighter + 800 civilian including 121 FO.

Grab a regional and fly your regional brains out. Your TT is probably you're biggest hurdle right now. 1000 hrs 121 FO, and another 100-200 hrs F-16, and I'd think you might be coming onto some radar screens of the hiring folks. At worst it's a three year stint. Cranking out 800+ hrs 121 and 100 hrs F-16 will get you to 3000 hrs in about 2.5 years. Even if it takes that long you'll be hired about 2-3 years younger than the average new hire. Every year you can advance the hiring date is worth over $500,000 in today's dollars at the end of your career. If 2,000 hrs TT and 1,000 hrs military is the trigger you'll hit that in about 1.5 hrs busting your butt at a regional. That's 32-33 yrs old? Younger? You're doing fine. Steady progress and minimize your non-flying time.

Push hard now. Get a regional close to you that allows you to bust a nut at the Guard and the regional. Take a breather once you're at your final job.

Opinion - I'd value 121 time over AD/TDY orders. Your checking on multiple clocks - total time, PIC, military time, TPIC, 121, and ultimately perhaps 121 PIC and IP qual. When do those various clocks cross over at the trigger that gets your resume pulled? I think we're all guessing on that answer. 1,5000 TT and 1,000 hrs military? Is a trigger 500 TPIC or 1,000? With how much TT to trigger an application review? What's the balance/trade off? Going on orders will net 150 hrs a year? That's about three years to get to the bottom new hire guy I've heard about. And he was an IP. Pure regional flying from now on? That would get you to 2,500 TT and no change to your military time in about 1.5 years, or about 2.5 years earlier than the 150 hrs/year pure military flying. If you're getting 200 hrs per year in the F-16 it's two years to match the bottom new hires resume. So it's the balance between the two clocks (jet fighter vs chunks of TT with a 121 job). But if you get a 400 hr F-16 six month deployment? I'd jump on that.

You're in a great spot. Make steady advances. Hate the regional job and hear about a cushy 777 job that would pay more? Stay at the regional. You'll probably lose 300-400 hrs during the time you're switching jobs and getting qualified. IMO that's time wasted since cranking out hours, and not chasing more pay or bigger jets, is what will get your application pulled. $.02

Good luck.
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