Regional to Military??
 

So I know this is kind of an odd topic, but it's one that's been on my mind a lot recently.

I've always wanted to be a military pilot (specifically in the Navy). I just upgraded to captain at a regional, and I am still under the maximum age cutoff to become a Naval Aviator. Watching my good friend get his wings last weekend reminded me of how much I wanted to be a fighter pilot but never really pursued that dream.

My question is, is it completely unheard of and crazy for a pilot to leave a captain seat at a regional to fly for the military? I understand that it's a highly personal decision and one only I can ultimately make, but I'm looking for some advice here.

I'm currently making decent pay and could end up at a Major in the next 3 years, leaving me with 35+ years on the seniority list.

It's a tough decision because on one hand I've always wanted to serve my country as a military pilot (and I can only do it once, before I get too old) but on the other hand I have a very good "in" right now for a long career at the majors with plenty of seniority.

Current and past military pilots, what say you?

It is a personal decision, and I won't tell you what to do.

But you need to really think about this. Understand that there is no guarantee that you will make it through military pilot training. It may not even be your fault. Medical issues might come up for example. Do you still want to serve your country if you can't be a pilot? Are you willingly to risk life and limb for your country and your fellow brothers and sisters?

I have no regrets regarding my military career. It was right for me.

I'll second what Atlas said. You have to weigh the reward and pride of serving, and I don't say that lightly, against the 10-12 years of seniority at a major that you would be giving up. That's potentially a $2-3M difference.

I love the Navy, but have you looked at any Air National Guard jobs? They will hire guys off the street, send them through USAF flight school, then into a Guard unit. As I understand it, you may be active for a few years (flight school, then getting experience / qualified in your platform) then a part time reservist in the same unit, forever. No moving for you or your family. Best part, you're flying with pilots from every air line in the country...

One of the current blue angels was a former regional guy...his bio says he went to siu Carbondale...guess it can be done...

Not unheard of. If you think you want to do it, start the application process now. You can bail on the idea all the way up until you sign on the dotted line. If it doesn't work out you can always say you tried, but as was mentioned it could come at great financial cost. Do you want to (potentially) be sitting on a pile of cash at age 60 wondering "what if?" You could also have a stellar mil career and then go back and do 15-20 years at a major afterwards. Ultimately you'll have to decide what is best for you. Flying around the boat is probably the greatest experience in aviation, and I miss it. Flying for a major though is everything I hoped it would be, and more.

Don't quit your regional job, you will get orders to OCS (formally AOCS)
and if you get NPQ'd (NAMI WAMI) just go back to your regional.

If you like working out and flying you'll enjoy the Navy.

I went regional to military. I still have a seniority number and also plan on going to the majors within 3-5 years. I highly recommend going guard or reserves to keep your seniority number. I don't suggest going active duty, just me though. My guard unit is hiring if you're interested in flying heavies. PM me if you're interested.

There is currently a mainline Delta newhire at DLF right now sitting near the top of his class in T-6s. He was a regional Captain, went through the hoops to be military and got hired by an Air Guard unit to fly heavies. He will be on military leave for about 2 years whilst his seniority number goes up and then back to big D as a traditional guardsmen.

Yes it can be done, and if you go ANG/AFRC as others have alluded to, you can be on military leave while keeping your regional job.

Go for it, but you have to be in training by 30 for AF side of the business.

LOL I wonder what that even looks like these days......:rolleyes:

When I was in primary flight training for the Navy I had a classmate who had come from the regionals to become a Navy pilot. He was failed out of flight school for not doing the maneuvers and memorizing course rules the way the Navy wanted them flown. I was totally shocked--this guy was ten times the pilot that I was.
What's my point?
Whatever you do, and no matter how experienced you are, do it the way they want you to do it.
As to wether or not to do it at all....I leave that to everybody else. Make your choice and don't look back. Good luck!

1. You get mil leave for either active duty or reserve. That includes unlimited leave for initial training AND any service obligation incurred in training. This means you could join the navy, do training, stay in for ten years or so, and then return to your airline with full accumulated seniority...as though you never left. Actually you also get five years discretionary mil leave in addition so you could stay until about the 15 year point. So you're not risking your regional job (unless they go bankrupt or furlough someone senior to you).

2. You would be giving up the major airline opportunity for a long time...given current industry dynamics, that's a lot of seniority and pay at the back end of your airline career. As much as I like the navy, I probably wouldn't do it knowing what I know now...golden opportunities are rare.

Instead, join the guard or USAF reserves...that way you're only out a year or two for training and then can resume your civilian career. Career timing might be a wash anyway, since you'll be able to check the military box and *should* get picked up by a major that much faster.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! You guys are fantastic.

I want to fly fast movers, and I live in California, so I'm looking into the 144th Fighter Wing (stationed in Fresno, flies the F-15). Last I checked, they had just finished the selection process and were not taking applications. I'm going to check in with them in a little bit and see if that's changed.

Do the Navy Reserves work in a similar way to ANG/AFRC as in I keep my seniority and also get to land on the "boat?" Because if so then that might be my main focus.

The money and the seniority would be nice, but I've thought about it and 15-20 years at a major would be plenty for me. For me the satisfaction of serving in the military would more than make up for the lost time at a major airline (and as I understand, officer pay and a military pension are a good deal).

"Do the Navy Reserves work in a similar way to ANG/AFRC as in I keep my seniority and also get to land on the "boat?" Because if so then that might be my main focus."

Short answer - No. Navy Reserves only take winged aviators. I could be wrong, but I believe ANG is the only military entity that takes reservists off the street for flight training.

True statement.

If you want to be a tailhook aviator you have to go all in.

If you live in Fresno, rush those guys. They're always hiring because no one in their right mind wants to live in Fresno.

I've seen a couple guys with a lot of civilian time go through USAF pilot training and they all did extremely well, assuming no attitude issues. You sound pretty motivated and while there are no guarantees, good airmanship in T-6s usually means a T-38 if so desired.

That said, I think you'd be crazy to go AD. Get a guard/reserve job and get the best of both worlds plus insurance if there is another global recession/war/terrorist event. Good luck.

I say go for it. I've had several AF UPT T38 students that were regional pilots, most did well. Go in with a good attitude though. When airline guys do poorly it's usually due to a poor attitude, not lack of skill.

A couple things though.

Recruiters will lie to you, so be careful. For the Air Force you need to find an Officer Assecion recruiter. Your local strip mall recruiter can't help you but will try to convince you to enlist anyway. Navy recruiters will likely try to talk you into any job but pilot, and not cool jobs like surface warfare or submarines but supply officer or something like that.

Go reserves/guard if able. While you are trying to get hired by a unit, try to get on with a major. If you could get both jobs you'd be a hero, you'd spend your first few years at the major gaining seniority without the PITA of being a new hire.

You have to be your biggest advocate. You'll deal with lots of hoops and people that really don't care if you make it through the hoops. If you fail any medical requirements...look up the regs and fight it.

While waiting for UPT, hand fly a lot more than normal, and turn off the auto throttles. If you have VNAV, at least back it up with some mental math. You should be ahead of the curve at least through T6's, T38's tend to level the playing field a bit since it doesn't really fly like aircraft that you're used to.

Don't quit your regional job, just use military leave. Feel free to PM me.

How does rushing work? Is it true that you need to enlist in a squadron and "do your time" before they will consider you for a pilot slot?

(Enlisting)That might be the case for a fighter unit in a highly desirable location. Not nesacarily they case at undesirable locations or heavy units. As far as rushing, always a good idea to see them in person, bring a bottle of Scotch or Bourban and don't be a D. Bag. I started on AD, so never rushed for what it's worth.

I'm in the process of leaving AD for the reserves. If I were in your shoes I would not go to Active Duty; like most others here I would recommend trying for that ANG spot.

If you go Active Duty there's no guarantee that you'll get the aircraft you want at the end of pilot training, and a strong possibility that you'll end up flying an RPA (remotely piloted aircraft). There's nothing wrong with RPAs; in fact, it's one of my top choices for a reserve job. But I suspect it's not what you're looking for.

If possible, see if you can get a back-seat ride in an F-15 or F-16. I had a lot of fun teaching in the T-6 and pulling 3-4 Gs; when I got a ride in an F-15, I got to pull a little over 8 Gs. It's a different (unpleasant) experience.

That's funny and true. I believe they want you to live within xx mile radius of the unit. Fresno is Compton II.
If you want to fly fast movers, as many have suggested, go find a reserve/guard unit that has pointy nosed jets. There are too many unknown variables on active duty Air Force. If you want to go all in, then go get a pilot slot in the Navy and get jets but you'll be throwing away your airline career and will have to start from scratch when you get out. I'd suggest the guard/reserve gig.

Both the guard and reserve will hire you off the street. Not sure how the fighter units work, but expect it to be VERY difficult to get a slot from a fighter unit as an off-the-street hire.

And, in case enough people haven't said it already, don't go Active Duty. It's not what you think it is. You will regret it. It's not about flying planes. If you want to fly planes, keep your job and join the guard/reserves.


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Correct, you have to go full-time active duty for all of the sea services. But like I said, you could do that and still have your regional job at the end of the ten-year commitment.

mmmmmmm... high Gs are the best. :D Obviously not everyone finds them "unpleasant". :cool:

Seriously, though - getting a backseat ride in a fighter if someone had never pulled serious Gs is probably not the best way to decide if that's your thing. Working through T-6 and T-38 training will acclimate a newbie and the experience will be much easier to deal with after getting some "G exposure".

Fighter units do hire off the street on a fairly regular basis. I don't know how their UPT slots compare to other unit types, but in my experience, fighter units do want to hire new Lts.

Success in getting hired usually comes down to timing, networking and whether the unit pilots want you in the squadron. Success in UPT and beyond is the real variable. My squadron found it very, very difficult to find hiring criteria that gave an even marginally accurate hack on whether a candidate would be successful in UPT/FTU.

I've been at the regionals for just about 5 years, additionally been a guard guy for about 7 years working in the maintenance group on F15s.

Next year our unit is holding a board, was going to apply for this one in April but am going to wait until next year.

Guard has been the best thing to happen to me, counting down the days until I get to interview at my unit.

Great group of guys. I will say that it seems to be incredibly difficult even getting looked at for fighters without any internal recommendations or being an active duty fighter guy transitioning to the guard.

Also another consideration is as a regional pilot your airline may allow you to jumpseat. If this is the case why limit yourself to Fresno Guard, you can rush fighter units nationwide, and commute to your guard duty. BTW C-17's are just like fighters, we have sticks, HUD's and fly by wire!!:))

:eek: Yikes. I'm not sure I've ever heard someone seriously offer this as something to do on purpose.

Maybe the situation is different in a C-17 unit. Commuting to a fighter ANG unit is not usually an optimum plan. It certainly can be done, but it definitely makes life more difficult and diminishes some of the positives that can be available when juggling an airline and ANG schedule (especially as a new hire airline guy).

AND you guys do REAL shortfield landings--carrier style! --almost.

:D Now let's not get CRAZY! :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar-poc38C84

Let us not forget the Herk did 21 touch and goes and 29 full stops back in 1963.

Great discussion, just FYI, if you go airlines to active duty, you're doing the exact opposite of what 90% of dudes are doing right now.


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Must've been weekend warrior Barney SWA pilots.:D

My college classmate's father flew those herk carrier trials.

Just to add from prior threads, Adlerdriver and I have noted how difficult it can be for a Guard baby tactical pilot to get fully proficient as a part-timer UNLESS they have a long seasoning tour and good IPs to mentor, coach and push you. Tactical aviation ain't Top Gun, the movie; it's hard work, very demanding and unforgiving. You will put in 8-10 days a month to MAINTAIN proficiency, not get it.

GF

Regional to Military??
 

Totally agree... go ANG or Reserves. A guy a few classes behind me in UPT gave up 6 years seniority at AA to fly A-10s but that's a big risk. Also had a KC135 student pilot from Amer Eagle out of SJU go KC135 guard for the pay raise. Wash out as an active duty guy and you owe three to four years in a non-flying job. You also have to not only make it past UPT but Intro to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) as well. Flunk out of IFF and you're boned either AD or Guard. You're either headed to the B-52 or your Guard unit may not take you.
Pulling Gs is fun but realize there is a metric ass ton of fighter-centric academics and a ton of prep to log a 2.5 hr sortie plus a painful debrief. As for me, I wasn't interested in fighters though I did like formation. As noted before C-17s and C-130s do cool stuff like low levels and formation. If you go AD realize if you get an RPA those hours are worthless outside RPAs. Joining a guard unit near an airline hub = lots of internal recs (MEM C-17 and FEDEX, PHX KC-135 and SWA). YMMV.


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It's probably me - but just in case it's not - you may want to re-attack on some of the points you're trying to make. I can't really follow what you're trying to tell this guy (other than you're recommending ANG or Reserves). After that, I get lost.

Explain this scenario (i.e. how does flying A-10s equate to losing seniority at a major airline - what should he have done?) and what's the risk?

:confused: You're trying to emphasize he got a pay raise by leaving Eagle for the Guard?

Point here is......what? Yes, washing out of training is bad - is this a don't go to fighters point or just that washing out if you're ANG is less bad than AD?

Yes, flying fighters is a lot of work (and 2.5 hrs is way too long - try 1.5 or less :D). Worthwhile endeavors usually are. Maybe the OP isn't looking to take the easy road and that challenge is exactly what he wants. Probably more effective to tell the guy what you liked about the tanker and why that's a good way to go rather than what you didn't like about something you never did.

Generally speaking, joining a guard unit anywhere is going to = lots of internal recs - definitely doesn't have to be near an airline hub. There's not an ANG unit (flying manned aircraft) in the country that doesn't have a bunch of airline pilots working as traditional guardsmen.

Point 1: I loved high G as a captain, as an LTC they drove me from the jet. I've never endured so much pain as when I was an IP at Luke. 3 bulging discs later and I literally hurt all the time, not worth it.

Point 2: Agree, going from nothing to a 9G jet in one fell swoop is not fun for the majority of people on the planet. There are a few who like it, but overall a fighter is a scary experience for somebody new to the game.

Not sure if things have loosened up, but when I left the only ways to get a back seat ride were:
1. Reporter and the T-birds were in town
2. Mega star that could generate positive publicity for the wing
3. Politician that could make things better for the base
4. Quarterly/Annual award winner

There was no way some new guy off the street was going to get a 'test ride' to see if he liked it.

I flew at Trans States with him. He's Blue Angel #7 and he's a super sharp guy. He was very well liked by everybody and while it's an odd transition to make, he's proof positive that if you're a strong candidate, it can be done.

Know nothing about Navy

ANG and AFRes both hire off the street AFRC has just started sending people to UPT "unsponsored" so you apply to AFRC and they send you to OTS and UPT and they find you the unit by track select so now is a good time.