NickC5FE

Hello all, this is my first post on ALPF. I am a retired C-5 Flight Engineer with roughly 3,000 hours. I am also an instrument rated private pilot with 250 hours. I have a bachelors from ERAU in Aeronautics. By the time I got my degree, the AF max pilot age lowered to 28 (the age i was that year)...so the pilot route through Big Blue came to a screeching halt

Since retiring and taking on a non-flying gig i have found myself, well, not overly excited to do the job as it has absolutely ZERO to do with aircraft/aviation etc. In an attempt to get myself back to where I am most happy, I have recently signed up to continue on with flight training through CFII, MEI using my Post 9/11 GI Bill. My hope is that with my 500 hours from F.E time towards R-ATP and all of my commercial training i will complete over the coming months, that I will be competitive at the regionals.

All of this being said, I know and understand that QOL/ Pay/ Schedules are not the greatest, but you have to understand I flew for mere pennies for Air Mobility Command and was gone 250+ days a year. In my current position, i make a very decent salary as a Project Manager, but it isn't always about pay. I would gladly take a decent sized pay cut if it meant getting a start somewhere. From everything i hear/read, the regionals are in need of people pretty constant.

Thanks in advance and I appreciate any info that you all share.

USMCFLYR

Nick -

I'm curious.
Are you saying that up to 500 hrs of Flight Engineer time can be credited towards the requirements of one of the R-ATP programs?

NickC5FE

That is my understanding. According to a buddy that I flew with and is now a Regional FO. He got 500 hours credited towards his R-ATP. I believe the reg is 61.159.

USMCFLYR

I see that now.
Thanks for providing the reference.
The eligibility for the R-ATP will come because you are going to attend a P-141 training program for the rest of your training/certificates?

Good luck in your journey.

NickC5FE

Yes, the remainder of my training will be 141.

No problem and thanks!

fiveninerzero

Good thing you stuck it out until retirement. You're gonna need that extra paycheck as a supplement!

Only advice I can think of is to stick with your plan and go all the way through. Shop around to make your GI Bill stretch, don't cash out at the first school you walk into. You might be able to save some of it for a master's degree or an ATP/type rating later down the road.

Remember that the Montgomery GI Bill can work out to be better in some cases, that's worth almost $70k versus the Post 9/11 only being worth about $33k for flight training--although you have a copay of about 40% the old one could stretch further in some cases. Just weigh all your options before you jump into something.

NickC5FE

Hello, I will be attending Liberty U and under the yellow ribbon program as well as partnering up with Cessna Pilot Centers my flight training will be a full ride through to the end. The good thing is that I have already completed a Bachelors in Aeronautics from Embry, so I will be able to focus most of my time on the flight training. It's actually a pretty killer program..

I did not opt in for the original GI Bill-if you think regional pilots make pennies, Airmen Basics straight out of High School had it worse when I joined, so financially I couldn't afford the GI Bill. Thankfully they created the post 9/11 and have been bettering it ever since with more possibilities for students.

Thanks