The last 10 years have been golden for "bums", lots of flying, chances to upgrade, change units. The Global Express deal is simply unbelieveably good.

Get back to your unit, give them your loyaty, if an opportunity to fly TDY with another comes, take it for the flying and experience. You should have no problem getting 300 hours or more a year. With the dearth of ex-mil guys you should have no problem getting an interview. In the mid-80s, my unit had guys going to AA three years out of UPT. A gal went right out of UPT, but she had about 1500 hours of civilian time before going.

GF

 

By your contract, dont you have to give your unit two years - full time - right after MWS (herk) checkout?

IMO, be a guard/reserve bum and skip the regionals altogether...the money and lifestyle will be more rewarding. Regionals are great for building time, but a SID to an ILS is just not the same as "employing" an aircraft the military way.

Congratulations on getting selected by your unit to go to UPT. Do your best and make them proud.

 

Can't believe it took two pages to get to this. What Scambo said. Fly your butt off, upgrade, and keep taking TDY orders as a reserve bum until you get hired.

Also, you'll look great on paper. You'll have made it through two demanding training pipelines, so you'll be one of those rare guys that can check both the "mil" and "civ" boxes.

Congrats on getting a guard/reserve gig. Best kept secret in military aviation. I went through primary with a friend who was there training for a reserve C-130 gig. I was still SOL in the desert when she started hauling boxes for UPS.

 

i will echo the corporate brain trust here. Stay on orders as long as you can, fly as much as you can, even on loan to other units if they still do that, upgrade as quickly as you can... use to be 800 hours in type/2 years but that may have changed as well. I would only fall back on a civilian job at that point that if the ability to fly a reasonable amount started really drying up.

 

I'm gonna disagree with the last two guys here...

Get a regional job asap. Then do what everybody else says, ie bum like it's going out of style.

That way you will be building regional seniority in case the government flying dries up. We have political and financial imperatives to end these wars, so things will probably slow down (unless we pick up other wars along the way).

 

Problem is Rick, he is just going to UPT, there is year, survival school, and RTU at "the rock" will be another 3 months or so... then he owes his unit 2 years.... so like he said... 2014 or so before he can look for a civilian job.... most likely he will have 1000 ish total hours maybe a bit more...the "1500" rule very well may be in full swing by then.... hard to really know what the hiring landscape will look like in 3 years.

 

Scambo, this is exactly what i would like to do. no offense to the regional guys reading this but I would like to bypass it at all costs. I understand that the life of a pilot is one of continious absence from his home but, with how airlines are treating us right now I dont want to get in with some POS carrier (unless its Republic owned). I currently work for DL as a ramper and these guys always look super miserable.

I am not sure about how long I need to give to my unit. If it is 2 years of active duty flying, I am down for that. to be honest if I could get an AGR spot with them I would take it. They are great guys. I certainly plan on bumming as much as possible

Problem is my local area is very depressed regarding employment and I would like to leave ASAP. I have a family and want them in a prosperous area in the near future. Hopefully I will be able to put in a crap ton of time and then continue with the airlines in a different location, using my flight benefits to get back home and fly with my unit.

 

I'll give my 2 cents. I am somewhat new ANG Herk AC. There are many factors that will effect your career progression. Most of them out of your control. Example, how many other pilots are trying to bum. Does your unit pick up lots of trips. Will the unit entertain the idea of upgrading a min time co-pilot if they are ready (ANG/USAFR are notorious for dragging their feet to upgrade someone). I would say most my buds waited until 1000-1200 hours to upgrade. Like I said, unit dependent, out of your control. If you are a ***** to the unit, most Herk guys average around 350-400 hrs a year. And that is busting it and picking up everything you can (a ****ty way to live if you want a life). If you want the hrs, get on with a regional and get through IOE. Drop the mil card and make better $ flying at the unit.

Keep in mind there will ALWAYS be people out there that trump you in the hrs dept. Wether it is a regional capt or a guy retiring from active duty, you will always be behind people in hours. Do your best to network and diversify your resume. The people you work with in the military are top notch, and they know the right people. That's 99 percent of the battle.

I hope I didn't rain on your parade or confuse you. Flying the Herk in the ANG/USAFR is awesome, and you have some fun times ahead. However, if you know the reality before you go, it makes that planning stuff easier. Alright, I am done. The iPad is low on batt, and I gotta drop a deuce. Good luck!

P.s. You will get 90 days of seasoning orders after MWS. It used to be 2 years, but the government is broke now.

 

Just t clarify, that is 1000-1200 in your MWS. So anywhere from 2.5-4 years after you get back from UPT. Ok, now I am really done.