Internal hire
You do not have to be military but you do need 1 sponsor. The only way around the sponsor is to be an internal hire. If you work for the company for one year, then you can bid on any position with the company that has an opening-Pilot included. So if you can swing "throwing boxes" for a year part time, you are guaranteed an interview if you are qualified. A lot of guys (me included) were hired this way.