Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Career Builder > Military
Anyone get hired by a major non-current >

Anyone get hired by a major non-current

Notices
Military Military Aviation

Anyone get hired by a major non-current

Old 01-26-2019, 05:32 PM
  #11  
Line Holder
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Posts: 80
Default

Originally Posted by Merle Dixon View Post
How many years active-duty service do you have? If you have less than 15, I recommend bailing for the airlines (if a major wont hire you, hell yes go to a regional). If you have five or more years until your 20, and you stay until 20, you are giving up thousands of seniority numbers at DAL, UAL or AA. Even FedEx has massive hiring plans. SWA, not sure, anyone else have info of SWAs projected hiring the next 5 years?

Any Reserve or Guard interest? I have friends that left active duty at 16 and 17 years, got an airline job, got off probation and then via full-time orders, or an AGR position, and military leave, got their 20 year active pension.
To answer your questions... by the time I can get out this October I’ll have right at 15 years of AD service. While I’m not opposed to going to a regional. I do have a wife and 3 kids to feed. So I’m factoring that into my decision as well as the odds that a recession will most likely happen sometime in the next five years which I’m assuming will slow hiring for a year or two (any one have thoughts on this). I don’t need to be the richest guy in the graveyard and I’d prefer to focus on what I think will give me the best QoL overall. And that might be working both the regionals and the guard/reserves until I can picked up by the majors but if I get out I’m leaning to just do guard/reserves until I can get current at least but I may just stay AD until 20. If we just had a recession my decision would be much easier but what I’m afraid of is by the time I can get picked up by a Major airlines, probably spring/summer of 2020, this economic expansion will be long in the tooth. The five years difference in seniority turns into four years difference due to having to get current and a recession that causes year or two of no hiring turns into two or three years difference in seniority to join the check of the month club. Not saying I won’t go to a regional, it’s just that it makes my decision that much harder. I’m also assuming if I wait to get out I’ll just be a senior FO with a mil retirement when I’m 60 which isn’t the worst thing in the world. Currently it looks like I may have a lot of options at the end of the day, some more risky, some more work and some more pay. I am extremely fortunate to have options but at least for me the decision to get out can be overwhelming especially without a job at a major airlines in hand and the possibility of a recession looming.
135tankerdriver is offline  
Old 01-26-2019, 06:13 PM
  #12  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Petting Zoo
Posts: 2,068
Default

It sounds like you are looking for reasons to not go airlines. And really want to stay in. Also that you want security, which staying in provides.

Nothing wrong with that. God knows someone needs to stay in. Unless you die in uniform, everyone gets out eventually--ensure you prep.

Recession, who knows. Sooner or later one will come. When and how bad? If I knew that I wouldn't be flying planes.

Don't forget retirements. Unless the majors want to shrink, they have to keep hiring to replace those forced to retire.
Sputnik is offline  
Old 01-26-2019, 06:49 PM
  #13  
Gets Weekends Off
 
PRS Guitars's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Dec 2013
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 2,295
Default

It’s a leap of faith... Same for me in 2013, I was current, but the hiring was just starting to pick up back then, with lots of competition. I told my wife, we’re rolling the bones, we’ll either be a hero (hired at the front of the wave) or a goat (unemployed) I gave my separation notice with no jobs lined up. It was not easy, and was the most stressful time of my life. I was turned down for the reserve unit where I was stationed. Then picked up to the fly the same jet elsewhere about a month later. Got my US Airway (knowing it would actually be American) job offer 23 days before my terminal separation date.

I can now hold captain and make double what I would on active duty (as an FO), live where I want, and am much happier than I ever was on active duty.

Yes, it could have gone bad, and I feel very fortunate every day. If you can line up a reserve job, it makes it very doable. Prepare your wife and cut your budget to the bone (I’m talking no cable, never buying Starbucks, etc). I’m not going to lie, the first year was tough, I hated the job for awhile, made $40 an hour, commuted to both jobs. But it got better quickly.

I have a great wife and that makes a huge difference, she was on board. I sold her on the vision, and we were a team.
PRS Guitars is offline  
Old 01-27-2019, 05:24 AM
  #14  
China Visa Applicant
 
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: IPZ to Mr.
Posts: 1,915
Default

Originally Posted by 135tankerdriver View Post
While I’m not opposed to going to a regional. I do have a wife and 3 kids to feed.
So did the rest of us who have made the jump and did a stint at the regionals. It requires some financial planning beforehand to make sure you can take care of your family during that part of the transition.

With 5 years left until retirement, and a plan to go to the airlines after leaving Big Blue (regardless of if now or then), and with the understanding that employment at the regionals is a realistic potential path to the job you eventually want, you should be preparing now by bulking up your savings account in preparation for those lean times.

Also ensure that your family is on board with the decision, too, because the transition will require some temporary belt-tightening that will impact them.

Just like with all military flying, you can't just have a Plan A in which you step directly from your AD job into a good paying major airline job. You have to have logical secondary and tertiary plans that you could actually execute if your main plan goes awry.

Since you're contemplating getting out *now*, I'd argue that if you don't currently have a financial cushion that you're prepared and willing to burn in a temporary low-paying job enroute to your career destination, you're already behind.

Yes, the regional route is a temporary financial hardship but it is a great way to get where you want to go if you're not current.

Originally Posted by 135tankerdriver View Post
the possibility of a recession looming.
If "recession" is your #1 threat, then stay in until 20 and pick up that pension. That is the closest thing to a sure-thing that you're going to see anywhere in aviation and you're in the unique situation to be able to take advantage of it.

That being said, if you decide to stay in you are leaving 5 years of airline seniority, and the possibility of millions of dollars in career pay, on the table by waiting.

That's the bet we all have to decide the correct time to place.
Hacker15e is offline  
Old 01-27-2019, 11:25 AM
  #15  
Line Holder
 
Merle Dixon's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Feb 2014
Position: Legacy FO, T-38 IP
Posts: 56
Default

Recession? Maybe. But, keep in mind, without my sounding too dramatic: the largest airline pilot retirement wave in civil aviation history is just getting started. This has totally caught the idiot AF management off guard. I mean, who could have seen this coming ? Recession or not, the airlines will have to continue hiring.

As others have typed, if you haven’t started saving, you are way behind. If you delay the airline job 5 more years, you are giving up oodles of seniority, mountains of cash and QOL.

Good luck to you.
Merle Dixon is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
deltajuliet
Mesa Airlines
137
12-29-2021 02:14 PM
Fopuddle
Envoy Airlines
93
06-28-2018 06:33 PM
Ex Comair Guy
Regional
27
02-10-2017 09:30 AM
thepilotswife
Major
90
11-10-2008 09:20 AM
MobiusOne
Flight Schools and Training
12
08-12-2008 10:33 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices