Resource recommendations
 

On/off lurker, first time poster. I'm going to transition in about two years and wonder if anyone could recommend a good book or two (or 10) to help me learn the ins and outs of the industry. I struggle to understand some of the discussions/jargon on this board, esp. WRT scheduling, management, and unions. I UTFSFed, but no luck (although I did see several recommendations for "Gates of Fire" - I'll have to check that out).

Also, I'm a horrible networker. Aside from the facebook and linked in (and this site), what's the best way to start reconnecting with all the dudes I've flown with over the years?

'Preciate any help.

If you want to learn how we got where we are, Hard Landing (Petzinger) will enlighten you. I can't think of any books about the current state of the industry, but I'm sure someone else can chime in.

As for networking...that can be tough cuz pilots move around. Try to find one person, he'll probably have stayed in tough with someone else you knew, etc, etc. Check out military alumni associations.

"Checklist for Success" by Cheryl Cage was around in the late '90s and I found it to be an excellent resource for interview prep. If it's available, I think it would still be a big help, especially for those coming out of the military.

I used these guys many years ago, and my interview went pretty smooth.
Aviation Consulting Services - Personnel
I would use them again if I had to do it over again.

The number one factor IMO in getting hired where you want is networking and getting internal recommendations. Without it, you are just another resume in the stack unless you have thousands of PIC time.

Facebook is probably the best tool out there because it connects you with so many people from the past. Simply put, call or email them directly. Ask them where they are working and how they like their jobs and the companies they work for. Tell them your intentions and goals and ask them for any suggestions or help. Ask for the recommendation if they work where you want to. When you ask for a recommendation, DON'T leave it up to them to remember way back when and write from scratch. Have a sample letter already written to which they can make their own. Have or tell a couple of stories of things that happened when you flew or worked together to help joggle the memory. You'll end up getting better recs this way.

Good deal - thanks for the replies.

Military Retirement decision
 

Related to the topic of this thread, I'll be eligible to retire from the military in about 2 years. There seems to be adequate information on what to do once one decides to retire from military service, but very little on what factors should be considered when one is considering when/whether to retire.

Anyone know of any good info sources (seminars, books, etc, or even personal opinion) on how to make the best decision on when/whether to retire from the military, from a pilot's perspective? I'm a pointy-nose type, should be able to keep flying until >19 yrs worst case.

Thanks!

I would say every month you're getting O-5 pay AND flying is a pretty good month. Stay in until the personnel folks offer you a PCS that you don't want.

They are good months, however working 6 day weeks with long hours is tough on the family in addition to the military uncertainty (travel, deployments, etc). An airline position seems pretty attractive to me, even if I'm gone 2 or even 3 weeks per month if I'm home the rest of the time. Thoughts?

It's a tough call, but for me I tend to think that for every day I stay past 20 I'm essentially working for half pay. I know it doesn't work out to exactly half because of benefits, bonus pay, etc. But it's close enough to make me want to find another job. The AF has been good to me and my family over the years, but I'm ready to move on.

I'm on the sidelines, but the airline bidness looks quite turbulent to me. Maybe it'll settle down by the time you're ready to get out. Best wishes.

Most major pax airlines don't do such long trips. Their schedules are typically broken up a bit more across the month.

Cargo, ACMI, charter companies, etc. tend to have the big trips and large work footprints across a typical month. However, at Fedex, there is a huge variety of schedules, so 2 weeks of work in a row is a choice, not a requirement (usually).

Being gone 3 weeks/month is tough on the family too. I did it for a couple of years before I came to Fedex. I wouldn't recommend it for a long term situation but YMMV.

2 weeks/month is a different animal and definitely an easier situation to deal with. It's still an adjustment for everyone and you have to develop a good system to stay "plugged in" while you are gone. Skype can help a great deal but if you're on the other side of the world, there will be days when you just can't connect due to schedules and sleep cycles (yours and the family's).

The major plus is the ~2 weeks off. That can be like crack. Once you get used to having that much time off in a row (or longer on vacation months), it can get very hard to not have it.

If your goal is an airline job, then I would plan to get out at your earliest chance. IMO, the sooner you start tapping the retirement income stream, the better. Obviously, the sooner you get hired and get a seniority number the better as well.

Spend the next 2 years getting everything ready. There's lots of good info here with the search function on a timeline for preparing to separate/retire and get hired at an airline. It seems like a long time but you have a lot to do.

Good luck.

Thanks, guys. Oka, sounds like you and I have similar sentiments.

Alder, FedEx seems like the ideal choice; of course I'm sure putting all eggs in one basket would not be wise (aka ultimately I'm sure the thing to do is to plan to apply everywhere that is hiring and then decide based on offers), however it sounds like it can take a year or more to land an interview.

The details I'm having trouble digging out of the mil regs are ones like: when exactly can I drop my retirement letter (is it 2 years or 14 months before 20 years of service)? Would it be legal/acceptable for me to start a profile with FedEx before then as long as I am clear about when I will be available (i.e. military terminal leave starts on X day).

As far as preparation, I'm working on my ATP now since I know that has to happen before I can start a FedEx profile, and I've seen the gouge on interview and sim prep (Emerald Coast appears to be a no-brainer).

Just throwing out stuff here-comments and recommendations welcome.