Originally Posted by
Hacker15e
It's not all roses, however, and you lose many of the things that are great about flying in the military -- the exciting flying, the sense of mission, the tight squadron camraderie. It's a tradeoff, but I think that by the time a military guy gets to an airline seat there is not too much to b*tch about.
Except for the day I passed my Captain upgrade final check, I don't think a day of my airline career ever equaled a similar day in my military career.
But...I was doing exactly what I wanted in the USAF. Flying fighters. I can well understand that others may feel differently...after all, the separation rates over the years are testament to that.
For me, military flying was a life style...airline flying was nothing but a job. I didn't look forward to military retirement...I did in the airlines.
Back to the poster's original question...the value of a military flying background cannot be overstated when considering going to the airlines. While I would not endorse the idea of going into the military for the purpose of sweetening the hiring process later, I do recognize the advantages that military time brings to the table.