I've flown with a couple of Captains that took leaves of absence. I think the most they will allow for personal reasons is 36 months. Military leave can be a longer period. One guy thought he could make more money as an insurance agent. Another guy wanted to fly the Life Flight helicopters to car crashes. Both were gone under the previous contract, during the lost decade. Both came back because the time and money was greener on this side of the fence.

Start with the CPO. As long as you are not on probation, it shouldn't be a problem to ask.