Greetings. I am a Navy H-60F/H pilot with 1600+ hours who just separated from the Navy in December. After a few months of job (and soul) searching, I’m coming to the realization that I’m just not going to be happy being earth-bound. I’m seriously considering making a huge commitment to getting into the airline industry. I’m considering something of a two pronged plan to make this happen.

1. Use my GI bill to go back to school and get my masters. Embry Riddle has an online program for a masters in aeronautical science. The program offers a sub-specialty in aviation safety which is right in my wheel house having been to the Navy’s school of aviation safety and having served as an aviation safety O both in a fleet squadron and at a major NAS.

2. Go back into the Navy reserve and try to scratch and claw my way into a VR (logistics) squadron to build multi-engine fixed wing time. I’ve been in contact with several of these squadrons, and it seems the major hurdles will be that I have a rotary wing background and my proximity to where these squadrons are. I live about an hour away from Pensacola in Alabama, so I’m about two hours away from NAS New Orleans where there is a C-130 squadron. I’m about 5 hours away from NAS Jax where there are two other VR squadrons.

My questions are this:
1. Is it worth it to get the masters? How much more attractive would this make me in the industry?
2. What are my chances of getting on with one of the VR squadrons? I guess it would make more sense given my location to go to one of the training squadrons in Pensacola, but I just don’t think single engine T-6/T-34 are going to do me any good toward my goal. My fear is I won’t get picked up for a VR squadron and I’ll find myself boots on the ground in Kandahar in a couple of years.

Sorry for the long first post, any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated.