JTwift

It's a great misnomer that military pilot = instant job at a major.

Still gotta do the apps. Wait for the call. Do the interview, just like anyone else.

I think the biggest differentiation is that a lot (most?) military people going for the airlines get to put an X on the "Check Airman" box.

kme9418

While on military orders, I dropped below the dreaded 100 hours in the last 12 months. This tends to slow down calls from the majors. I'm back above that now with my current airline and my apps are updated so hopefully I will hear something soon.

Sputnik

My bad, totally misread point your post.

Good luck, phone will start ringing

Privateer383

A helo pilot's perspective...
As a former UH-60 helo pilot and newbie breaking into the airline industry, I chose to fulfill my military retirement, mostly for the medical coverage for me and my entire family (my retirement pay also transfers to my wife, should I perish before her). While an airline retirement is certainly nothing to sneeze at, I found significant personal security in knowing I have a retirement plan with the "biggest corporation on the block"! Regardless of airline mergers, bankruptcies, or unforeseen life-threatening medical issues that could cost hundreds-of-thousands of dollars, I will always have an income and medical-dental coverage, as will my family. With your current experience, a Reserve/NG slot may be the best of both worlds for you. However, six years isn't really that long for a lifetime retirement, is it?

Han Solo

There is a lot of misinformation in this post

Your kids fall off at age 21, 23 if in college, or later if severely disabled. Also, are you a currently passed over major at the 14 year point pushing to 20 or have you already retired? Significantly different perspectives. 6 years ago almost nobody was hiring so things were much different, you almost had to stay in.

Half your retirement pay. And you pay 6.5% of your retirement pay to receive SBP. Not worth a dime if she dies first. Still a good investment.


Most airlines no longer have a retirement. The majors contribute to a 401k in your own name.


Retiree dental insurance is expensive, your family loses coverage as I already mentioned. Tricare is definitely a good deal in the age of Obamacare.

At the airlines during a hiring boom, 6 years is an eternity. It could mean a difference of millions of dollars over a 30 year career.

Then let's not forget the deployments, the family moves, the significantly higher chance of dying on the job, the inferior pay, and the vastly inferior QOL if one chooses to stay. I'm not poo-pooing a military retirement, but this post I'm quoting is overly simplistic.

NK could also nuke SK tomorrow or the airline you land at could crash 3 jets in a month and you'd look pretty doggone smart for staying in the military. I'm not a fortune teller and I suggest you ignore anybody who claims to have some insight to the future. If things continue as-is then the airlines are the only way to go for a passed over major. Mil leave post-probation or guard/reserves being valid options.

C130driver

Some have tried to take your approach and get shat on for not wanting to climb the system. They get vilified for wanting to instruct the younger guys instead of growing their career. It's sad, really sad. My last squadron didn't yield a lot of flying due to Mx issues etc, half our copilots couldn't land the airplane. But you know what, that's okay, we need people like you who couldn't give a rats axx about career but genuinely want to make the younger guys better safer pilots. It's what our service needs above all right now.

Sputnik

To be clear, I got to push back on bs and focus on teaching once the career over light was illuminated. Not so much before.

I agree with your overall point, the idea that every capt should be striving to be the CSAF is counterproductive and wastes people. And, just stupid.

Sputnik

Splitting hairs but I think its 55% isn't it? I took it and am happy with decision. However I have some very smart friends who declined and invested the premium in a variety of ways that might possibly have been smarter than what I did. You can buy a lot of term life insurance for that amount.

Agree retiree dental and vision are lacking. I know no one who uses them, but I guess it's there if you need it.

Tricare itself I think is great. My family was on it [tricare standard] my whole career and it was awesome pre and post Obamacare.

BFMthisA10

Run the numbers including actuarial tables. SBP is in the same ballpark as whole life in terms of crap investments. Like redux or anything First Command: looks good on paper, ...and thats about it.

F4E Mx

People are bailing out of the military to join the airlines, the same airlines who filed bankruptcy a few short years ago largely to avoid paying promised pensions to an earlier generation of pilots.