Here are some of the places my team has helped guys get hired out of the military in 2011-2012:

Alaska, American Eagle, Express Jet, General Electric, FAA, FedEx, Atlas, Hawaiian, Virgin, Spirit, Jetblue, Southwest, Skywest, US Air, and World.

Jetblue is on a freeze that should break soon. World furloughed anyone I helped get hired in 2011. SWA has ceased hiring for a while. The rest? As far as I know they are still hiring. I expect CAL/UAL to start next year, and possibly be joined by Delta.

You will take a pay cut..for a while. The alternative is you can be a great sim instructor somewhere at the end of your active duty career, which depending on your goals can be the perfect job or a boring way to finish off the rest of your professional life.

Personally--with an O-4 retirement in my pocket and some TRICARE to back me up, I'd follow my heart at this point. Your head has done the work for 24 years. What does your heart say at this point? What will feel worse--a few tough years moving job to job flying in pursuit of the "right" dream job, or getting a few more years of retirement but pretty much writing off an airline career? Chair fly both outcomes and then make the call you can live with. Nobody else on these boards will know the best answer except you.

Good luck!

[QUOTE=Albief15;1269654]
What does your heart say at this point? What will feel worse--a few tough years moving job to job flying in pursuit of the "right" dream job, or getting a few more years of retirement but pretty much writing off an airline career? Chair fly both outcomes and then make the call you can live with. Nobody else on these boards will know the best answer except you.

[QUOTE]

i left when they wouldn't let me fly anymore. A bad day in an aircraft is better than a good day on a staff, at least for me. It is not a great hiring boom now but better than it has been in a while. PM me if you need a good lead. You are USMC C-130 background right? Concur with Albie, follow your heart. And if you retire go see him. Good luck.

Thanks for the encouragement folks. I've spoken to several guys this week who have made the plunge into the currently very muddy waters. The gist of their advice was; it doesn't get any better until you are deep into the majors, and even then the shadows of the economy always loom nearby. Lots of Pan-Am and Easterns out there. The O4 retirement will at least pay the rent on a double-wide, but the real test will be how long we can hold our breath before the majors/box companies hire. Two to three years of poverty wages until the thaw and then 5-8 as a junior bidder IF I can get on when the time comes. CINCHOUSE is having her doubts about that when the kids hit college at the same time.... No good options, just options.

See if a Guard C130 unit will take you. Having the done the gold wing to Guard process, expect 5-6 months. Fly for the Guard as a retired guy. Likely get promoted to O5 and gain more available years of service in the process. Maintain currency. Get hired by an airline. Use your Guard work to control the airline schedule until your seniority can hold an acceptable schedule, then reevaluate. I never regretted my 10 yrs in the Guard.

voodiloquist

Is a Guard job compatible with the hours and crappy reserve you stand while lowest of the low in the commuters?

No, but that's not a problem. You tell the commuter when you are doing mil (add a day on each end for travel/rest) and they clear your schedule. They have almost no options other than to comply fully with your mil schedule (federal law).

It depends on how you look at it...does the Guard come first, or does the commuter come first. Consider doing a USERRA search -- USERRA is the final word regarding how a company must accommodate a military member.

However, in my opinion, I decide the number of days per month I work while taking into consideration the competing requirements of Guard, airline and family -- all geared to acquiring the appropriate number of dollars needed to keep the ship afloat. You will likely get additional opinions on how this is handled. Typically for me, I take a look at what the airline wants me to do and compare that with the Guard requirements and see how they mesh. Then I decide how many days I want to be away from the fam (if you live at the Guard location then this becomes less important as you might be home each evening depending on the mission). The airline must, in spite of any pressure they may or may not bring to bear on you, accommodate your monthly leave request -- leaving you in the drivers seat regarding schedule with the full protection of the law. Believe me, this has been ops tested for years.

If you want a verbal tutorial -- this is alot to digest, especially from a "can do" military mindset one brings to an airline -- shoot me a PM with your number and i'll talk you through it.

Maintaining/establishing a viable military source of income/options/work in the USAFR/Guard world as a new airline guy will provide a myriad of options which will provide three things -- schedule flexibility (significantly enhanced QOL), augmented income and an enduring connection to the things you are accustomed to -- hanging with the boys, RR atmosphere, someone's got your back, etc.

My entry to the Guard was backwards -- I got out and walked right into a major, but this occurred on the heals of four straight squadron tours at the proverbial tip of the spear. Family was happy, money good -- I however, was a maladjusted prick in small town America wondering why I was constantly angry. Ittook awhile but then I came to the realization that I missed the fellas. Joined the Guard and all was well again. Just my opinion --

voodiloquist

As a USMC Herk/C-9 guy, are Guard units willing to make the investment in converting a gold to silver pilot? Rumors I've heard said the Guard was full enough with AF folks hanging on until better airlines, jobs, or seniority came along. Would they take retired USMC? Ironically my next orders are to an AF Staff billet.

Each Guard unit will make their own decisions regarding new hires. An interested party will have to "beat the bushes" and visit each unit they wish to join. If they want you then they will figure out how to make it happen. The squadron makes the decision and the personnel folks (usually at the wing level) are tasked with the execution details.

In an odd way I sort of like that better. Some of the commercial outfits I've looked at run your stats through a computer filter, select you like a Harvard applicant for how many school clubs you've belonged to, then send the remaining few names to the chief pilot to make the final determination.