Just now starting!
 

Hi all, I am 22 and currently enlisted in the Marine Corps and will be transitioning out in roughly 90 days. I have been accepted by the University of Middle Tennessee State for a degree in commercial aviation (I did get my first class medical already.) knowing that this is a risky degree, it is the only way I can afford the flight training as well as a degree while using my GI Bill.
I am looking for any suggestions to help me smooth out my plan and goals.

So with my very little knowledge about how it all works, my plan is as follows:

-Obtain my degree with my ratings and hours (maybe flight instruct for 6 months to get on w/ regional)

- Get on with Mountain Air Cargo and push through the 36 month obligation via purple runway program offered by FedEx

- Be hired on at FedEx with in 48 months of starting at Mountain Air Cargo (Age 30-31)

How realistic is this and where are the holes in my plan and what do I need to add more realistically?
Any and all advice is welcome!!

Thanks!!

Hey Jordan,


Thanks for your service to our nation. Your plan sounds like a realistic one. Since the purple runway is relatively untested, it's tough to say how it will all work out. Getting the degree, the ratings and hours are the first steps to any aviation career. Leave as many options open for as long as possible, and you can commit to your desired path when the time is right. No one knows where the economy or even FedEx will be in a few years, so your options can change with one trade war, congressional decision, or anything else. When I was transitioning out of the Navy, I was told my goal was to work at the first major that hired me. I think that was good advice; you can always jump ship later if you desire and the opportunity is there. Best of luck!

Just now starting!
 

I have no advice other than making sure you get the name of your future alma mater correct on applications and resumes.

It’s Middle Tennessee State University.

Sounds like a good start.

I’d say: Have a plan and be ready to amend it along the way.
Not everything will go as planned. Like yourself, I too was very ambitious with a goal of being at FedEx by 30, but the Age 65 Rule and a Down Economy changed that plan pretty drastically.

Ended up at a Regional much longer than I’d planned, ended up having to jump ship to another Airline and eventually made it to FedEx at 35.

This is a very dynamic industry. Stay informed and ready to strike when the iron is hot. Along the way you’ll have to take leaps of faith with opportunity decisions. Try to make sure that those are well Educated/Informed decisions.

4-5 years from now MAC may not be the route to go. Be ready to alter that path. Time will tell how the Purple Runway Program plays out. The “Best” Regional to go to changes yearly.

Best of Luck!

Have fun with the ride. Believe it or not some of us are actually envious of where you’re at and wish we could do it all over again.

Thanks for all the responses!

I do have one question for you. When you got on with FedEx did you do another physical upon being hired regardless of your medical certification being up to date?

Most ppl just say MTSU. Do NIFA SAFECON. Do Uber when you drink. Get thru as fast as you can. One seniority number difference between getting furloughed and not.

I agree with the previous replies. It's a good plan, and it's good to have long term goals. But, don't pass up good opportunities in the meantime while you're working toward them. The one thing I would change in your plan is to avoid working for a FedEx feeder. First of all, it's all turboprop stuff, and most of it is single engine t-props. Get on with a good regional and you'll not only build multi-engine turboJET time, you'll log a lot more time, and also probably upgrade quicker and start logging that coveted PIC turbine time. Another point -- and I have to preface this by recognizing that the purple runway program is a brand new thing -- is that out of the current group of 4800-ish FedEx pilots, you could count the number of pilots who came from a FedEx feeder on one hand. Why would FedEx cannibalize their own feeder pilot group, which has a harder time replenishing their numbers than other entry-level airlines, when there are thousands of other qualified applicants begging for a chance. Just something to keep in mind.

This is EXACTLY what I thought. Didn’t make sense to me why they’d want the gaps in their feeder. Maybe the purple runway is a play to get more people on the feeder and nothing more.
Such a gamble either way. I do, however, have a rather big connection at FedEx Express that should be able to get me on but min requirements are what they are regardless.

I’ve got a couple buddies there, including a Marine vet who got out last year. PM if you’d like to be put in contact with them.