Because you have a much better chance of getting a Pilot Slot in ROTC since there is no such thing as "simply" joining the military after college to be a pilot (Roughly 2% of applicants who are not ROTC or Academy are sent to pilot training).

 

All through blastoff....

I'll read all this stuff and then take a look at what I wrote and modify accordingly. Thanks very much for educating me

 

I agree with the last sentence. I did the second sentence, and then added a military career path section (7 paragraphs) to the website after receiving several e-mails from military guys. I did my best to condense EVERYTHING down to a few coherent paragraphs.

 

How recent is this? The Guard and Reserves have their own quota/slots for UPT. Additionally, I went to OTS and then UPT. Only two of my class of 20 or so were going to an AFSC other than UPT. This was however, over 20 years ago. FWIW

 

The Guard and Reserve slots are few and far between. Its a good ole boy network. OTS used to be a great pilot breeding ground, now, not so much with most of the slots filled by academy and ROTC guys. I'm an OTS product as well, but that was under Reagan. Doubtful that they're pumping guys through to fight the Cold War these days.

 

Thanks fellas. As a former nasal radiator, I like what I've read so far (although I may not agree with everything). I have to say that flying in this day and age is definitely not a picinic.

I started life out as a helo bubba who managed to switch off to flying fixed wing about 14 years into a 20 year career with the hopes of landing a flying job on the outside. I'd hoped to bypass the whole regional nightmare after I left the service, but had no such luck. Part of it was a lifestyle/location issue and part of it was who was in the process of hiring when I got out.

I've been with two regionals over the past five years and was furloughed just last week. I don't put much faith in my employer recalling anyone who has either recently gotten the axe or those who will surely follow. I have resigned myself to looking outside of the US of A for potential employment opportunities with either foreign flagged carriers out of the gulf states or flying with any number of defense contractors who are out there supporting the GWOT in the sandbox (I know that's not the PC name for it anymore, but I can't help it).

I've been blessed with the fact that I have a retirement income to fall back on to pay the rent and a couple of other things and feel the pain of my fellow pilots who are struggling to make ends meet after having lost a job that could barely do that as it was. I also curse the management team who let it get to this point. The company recently went into Chapter 11 due to its own shortsightedness. For most of us, this was an event long in the making and if they wind up closing up the shop, there are a lot of us out there who wouldn't mind all that much. That is of course until you factor in of all the great folks that I've had the pleasure of working with and the fact that they will ultimately be the victims in this unfolding tragedy.

I live and love to fly. I have since I was a small boy, and that won't ever change. This industry has become infected and is being slowly poisoned by individuals with no real interest in keeping this as a profession that one aspires to. What has happened can only be described as a soulless campaign to squeeze profits from a corporate entity at all costs and promote a lifestyle which has virtually ceased to exist to a demographic that can ill afford the cost of the ride they are about to be taken on.

Pardon the analogy, but, life is like a bowl of mixed fruit, especially if you only have cherries, plums and peaches in there. No matter what you bite into you're going to discover a pit. The only question is how big it's going to be. Most of us knew what we were signing up for in advance. That said, we do owe it to those who intend on following in our footsteps a sobering, honest look at what they're about to get themselves into.

Nuff said, it's past my bedtime.

 

The Guard an reserve do have slots. You just have to chase them. I was active duty for 12 years Guard 3, and now 3.5 in the reserve. You need to be resonably healthy, COLLEGE DEGREE IN HAND, flying expirience helps you compete but is not required, you need to be persistent and persue these opportunities. Find the units your interested in call them.
Go to baseops.net check the job listings for POC's.
This will take effort but has great rewards.

 

Very well done and a well written site reflecting many pitfalls and sobering facts. Very Nice work!

The profession can become "Hotel and a Hamburger" dealing with the Tub Stacking Association (TSA) on a daily basis as well as Cranky, PMS-ing,
bitter, man hating and bipolar FA's.
Oh I forgot about the ones with Kankles and the ones who have joined NAPA... Never Another Pilot Again. The Mgmt of many companys have resorted to treating the airline as an ATM machine, rewarding themselves with obsene compensation packages while the companys insfrastructure suffers. That part is sad.
This is what is a reality too.

 

Nice Job !!! People need to understand that $40/hr (when engine is running)for us with an 80hr monthly line means $20/hr for them getting paid 160hr a month.

Any idea how it can be spread to MSNBC, CNN, or FOX ???
This really needs to get out.

 

Everyone who applies for a student pilots license should be sent something in the mail that leads them to this web site.

Skyhigh