Originally Posted by Sirecks

No advice on face time. Like I said, when you are talking to a unit you want to work with, find out what they have going on such as picnics, ceremonies, events. Show up for a few of those. That's what I meant.

Being full time or part time has nothing to do with how new you are. It has to do with the unit, the mission, how much money they are alotted, how many people they are allowed to have full time at once, and so forth.

Here at Charleston, when I first finished training, we were allowed 6 crews on full time at one time. We had a three month rotation. You could sign up for three months. When you finished your three months, if no one was wanting to start their three months, you could ride into the next three for as long as you could. Until you got kicked off the list by others who wanted to come on. It has to do with first come, first serve. Not how new you are.

Today, with all the money issues, we can only have 2 crews full time at once. And that is only going to last to May. With all the budget issues in D.C. right now, we might not even get our mandatory UTA weekends in pay here soon.

My point is simply this is a very important thing to ask your unit. How much full time can I get? How much flying can I expect? This should be a huge factor in what you choose. Here at Charleston, with the C-17, we are lucky in that the plane is still highly in demand and our mission is pretty diverse. So we get a lot of work. Now, a tanker or fighter unit will have very different demands and circumstances that will dictate how much full time work they can get, if any. You won't know until you ask that question to the unit you want to work for.

I don't get your last comment about flying for a regional. I've got more than enough hours for a job and I never flew for a regional. I flew the C-17 exclusively these past four years. I'm not saying that regionals are a bad thing, but if you can build experience flying heavies instead of RJ's, do it. Again, you won't know if that's possible until you talk to your unit you are applying to. All 2200 hours so far of my time in the C-17 are heavy, multi turbine time. Yes, I could have gone to a regional after 600 hours, but why? I make way much more money in the Reserves and I'm building much more favorable time. It is a very good, viable option for you. I'm not trying to tell you not to. Just consider ALL your options, and where you will be in 5 years with each one.