Originally Posted by
AFSoar01
I’m finishing up my last few years of USAF active duty prior to hitting 20 years of active service and it looks like I might spend my last two years in a non-flying command assignment. If at all possible I would like to leave active duty and get hired by a major immediately after, so this assignment presents some problems. A lot of folks on this board have said that spending six months to a year in the regionals is a good learning opportunity and a resume builder, and while I respect that I would still prefer to get a jump start on the majors if possible. So here’s my question: is there a way to stay recent by flying on the weekends? I spoke to a retired Delta Captain last week who is close to the hiring process, and he told me that the only recency they care about is twin turbine, and not to bother with flight instruction, etc. So I’m wondering if any commercial outflts could use an experienced pilot who could only fly on the weekends? With all the talk of pilot shortages, it seems like someone willing to fly for free in exchange for a flexible schedule might be appealing?
Flying for free diminishes the value of the professional pilot and takes a paid job away from a commercial pilot. If you’re going to find a weekend flying job, especially one involving a twin turbine as you mentioned, please don’t do it for free for the sake of this profession.
Edit: to answer your question, yes it’s possible. I believe the AF requires an AF form 3902 to be submitted for outside civilian employment while active duty. I let my bosses know (in the army) when I had a weekend tour flying job, and it wasn’t a big deal. Skydiving outfits may be able to work with you, as they are busiest on weekends. Wouldn’t hurt to poke around local airports and asking around. That’s how I ended up with my weekend job.