Huge benefit to that, before August 1st.

 

I know a couple of harrier guys that are flying commercially as well. I think that they're in the same category as tiltrotors. However, I feel that Lil Seinfeld might be right. Most people look at a harrier and think "airplane" whereas most people look at an osprey and think "helo".

 

Ultimately, I think that the issue hasn't really been a factor yet, so the airlines haven't given it too much thought.

I think it may start coming up in the next few years. We're just starting to get to the point where there are some pilots looking to transition to civilian flying with a couple thousand hours of tiltrotor time under their belt. 2007 was really the beginning of fleet units flying the aircraft operationally (prior to that it was predominantly test and eval pilots). Many of the pilots that started then are just now reaching the end of their initial commitments. They're probably getting out in the 1500-2000 hour range. For the guys that stick around a bit longer, I feel around 2018-2020 is when you'll start seeing a bunch of them retiring with anywhere from 2500-3500 or so. I think in the next 2-5 years there will be a much clearer picture.

 

This is true, like I mentioned before. A larger operation appreciates military helo time, but doesn't place a large value on it. A regional (for the most part, and based off of my interview experiences) values it at a much greater level.