Albief15

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!

Dragon7

[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.

SkyPig09

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.

SkyPig09

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

rickair7777

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).

SkyPig09

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.

SkyPig09

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.

Grumble

If you want to stay active (for the family) and keep flying, the U-2 guys at Beale are always recruiting.

Seen a bunch of ads lately for the Navy Herk units too, so there's another option.


Vood, as a part time guard guy, can you give a brief summary of Tricare coverage/cost?

SkyPig09

Spoke to a Guard recruiter found via the AF Personnel website today. The bottom line: the Guard is not interested in a retirement eligible prior from another service. Maybe the one I spoke to was not familiar or it's just a reflection of all services downsizing. I'd gladly fly AF 130s/135s, Coast Guard 130s, NOAA, Customs or anything else, but I can't seem for find a way to connect the dots. Getting started on the outside? I spent the day looking at regional airline FO pay rates and I just can't believe a McDonalds manager makes more per year. That's criminal. The Buffalo crash was not an accident, it was calculated risk that a poverty stricken PIC & FO sleeping on couches would not crash a plane. How'd that work out?

Flamer

TRS is excellent. It is better than any of DAL's medical choices. I use it, no complaints and there are plenty of fliers with all the details on the interwebz. Most of my unit uses it regardless of employer.