Recency of experience
 

Military pilot with 8,000 plus hours in C-130 and C-17. Instructor and evaluator time. However, stuck on staff for over 5 years with no professional flying. How big a problem?

None, just come in and learn and if your buddies havent told you already we don't do mission mentality here.

Get your sims done, youll be at mainline within a month.

Don't bank on being gone "within a month". With 5 years away from the seat, the legacies will not likely pull your app for score & interview invite until you have 100 hours within past 12 months (SWA is the only one that may still accept a 5 year break in flying).

If you don't have your ATP, consider going to Delta's ATP-CTP program (especially if that's your main target) before going to the regional. Almost ends up being a pre-interview and helps get your app scored once you get the recurrent time.

On a side note, use the getting recurrent time to get your apps and resume squared away (a.k.a. use a review service).

For reference, I had a post-retirement 8 year break, went to regional (9E) and the month after I hit 100 hours, I got interview calls from most of my target airlines. Because I wanted a specific legacy, I waited longer than I could have and ended up spending 13 months at the regional.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

What? The mil guys in class with his resume dont make it through sims before they have the next job offer. Ive seen a couple mil guys stay for more than a year but that's either because they're retired mil and will move at whatever pace they please, or they are completely intolerable to sit with for 30 seconds, and i think even that guy left a year ago.

Have your mainline apps updated and keep doing it regularly. You have a very good mainline resume, especially once you get through sims and IOE.