Originally Posted by
MCFlyer
As I've mentioned before, I am about 3 yrs to the end of my military commitment and am looking at all of my options. I've got about 1200 TT and in 3 years should have 1800-2000 hours with the majority of them being in the F/A-18. I do not have any civilian ratings.
I am looking for information on what I would have to do between now and then to get the required ratings to be qualified to apply to an airline such as Southwest, Delta, FedEx or any airline that may be hiring in 2013. What exactly do my military ratings buy me IRT civilian ratings? I am open to any recommendations on acquiring the requisite qualifications as I am not too familiar on how to go about getting them. (Besides the standard Google search)
Thanks in advance for the info!
MCFlyer
Like some of the other responses posted here, what will your total service time be? If you are at the midway point (where I seperated) I would spend some serious time during the next three years cultivating a slot at a reserve/guard unit. For me, this was the ONLY way I could sleep at night knowing I was seperating during the middle of a hiring downturn with the other side of the curve years? away. Plus, there's nothing that will replace mil flying so it's always nice to get your fix every once in a while. Things like Tricare/United Concordia, TSP, retirement etc... are just too valuable to give up completely. A sentiment that you will see echoed in hundreds of other posts.
Set your timeline. If you want to walk out the door of the MC on your last day of terminal leave and lace up your new FO shoes I would recommend getting serious 2 years out. Some things you should have in hand 12 months out.
First Class Physical. Check out
Find an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
ATP. I did mine Dec 08 and paid $2400, PM for details.
737 Type rating. Lots of options, all expensive, no-brainer if you want to fly for Herb. Save some money and do your ATP at the same time if you choose this option.
Resume. I have several versions for aviation, corporate white-collar etc. Airline Apps is a good resource if for nothing other than compiling lots of your data in one easily accessed place. You don't have to pay anything until you get serious about submitting your apps.
References. Start thinking about those who could vouch for a large part of your career and have them pen some nice words about you. Also, it's a good idea to start a list of people you know at each carrier. Once again, if you hook up with a reserve unit this number will likely skyrocket.
Appearance and health. Okay, this may be debateable but I really do believe looking athletic, healthy and having things like cholesterol and blood pressure under control can't hurt anything. Although, coming from the corps this should be a no-brainer. For the rest of us, report to the pull-up bar!
Knowledge. It never hurts to spend some time each day reviewing some small tid-bit of aviation GK. I bought the FAR-AIM app for ~$5 on my phone and just peruse a new section every day to stay fresh. Tons of question banks exist out there just for the asking or googling.
Start saving for your "transition period". Figure out what your monthly nut will be and have 6-12 months of liquid just in case your plans don't work out as smoothly as planned. If you desire to leave active duty, it would be a shame if you couldn't "afford" to leave due to excessive financial strain.
Once you get all that set you can start applying and interviewing in the last 12 months before you seperate. Obviously, you have to be up front about your commitment to the military in regards to your earliest start date.
Hope this helps, not that I'm an expert on matters but just some casual observations. Heck, I'm still a Reserve mercenary but always on the lookout!
Good luck!