Flight Engineer time towards R-ATP
 

Any other former Air Force FE's used their engineer time towards the restricted ATP mins? According to FAR 61.159 I am allowed to reduce the 1500 hour requirement by 1 hour for every 3 engineer hours up to 500 total hours reduced. I currently have about 1150 hours between C-130's and C-5's, hoping to use this rule to get to the airlines faster.

Yes, you can do it. The 8710 form does not have a block for FE time, but you enter it in the remarks section (you will need to bring logbooks or other docs to the checkride, and I would also bring your military FE certification doc if you don't have an FAA FE rating). That's it.

That's great news, thanks for the info

Out of curiosity, did you apply and get issued an FAA Flight Engineer license with a Turbojet/prop rating based on your military training and experience? Probably not many civilian carriers left that need "plumbers" but had a friend who did it in a 727 and earned his ratings and flight time on his days off. I know there are still a few operators in Alaska but most of them want A&P certification as well.

If it's just a paper work drill I would do it because every box you check increases your app score. I wouldn't spend much money or effort though.

No I had a few fellow 130 engineers get their FAA turboprop cert a few years ago but it wasn't easy to organize. There is only one DFE left that does turboprop and they had to pay for him to fly to them, also took quite a bit of work to get the Air Force on board with conducting an FAA evaluation on a C-130, especially since it required a cruise engine shutdown. I don't think its even possible for me now that I'm on C-5's so it's probably not going to happen. I did however get authorization from the FAA to take my A&P exams based on my prior MX experience but its not a high priority for me at the moment as I am working to finish up my commercial ratings this Summer and CFI this fall.

Sounds like a good plan! Wrenching and plumbing will only slowdown your pathway to the airlines. How much time do you owe the Air Force?

I'm a traditional reservist now but have another 9 till I hit my 20, might stay longer but most likely will retire then.

Aircraft List?
 

Sorry to resurrect this old thread - but do any of you know if there's a comprehensive list of aircraft that qualify? 61.159 says "Is acquired as a U.S. Armed Forces' flight engineer crewmember in an airplane that requires a flight engineer crewmember by the flight manual". I fly as a crewmember on the UH-60 Blackhawk, but we've always been referred to as "crewchiefs", not flight engineers. I feel like it's a long shot, but if there's any chance of getting that R-ATP, I'm sure going to try.

An FE and a CE are two entirely different things. Don’t think you can get an R-ATP.