Not my intent. Just want to balance anecdotal inputs with some numbers.

FYI...I was SOF when an Eagle Squadron commander bailed out over the Gulf. Same guy later an F22 guy and wing King. He is now at AA. He did a stint at ASA/Exp jet for a year or so. He and dozens of guys like him now at Delta and SWA. Should they have had to "pay their dues" at a regional? Maybe not...but it worked for them. I had another guy....tons of warbird, multi, and GA time to go with his 2000 plus Eagle hours. He refused to "stoop" to flying regionals. He is now a GS pilot...airlines never called because 3-4 years out of turbine flying made him less attractive. He pointed out his flying was more challenging than any 121 right seat, and I agreed. But it also was not relevant.

My caution was more to a previous poster who alluded to a recruiter saying my GA was enough. It might be for some. As I mentioned, I have had a couple girls hired at UAL out of Doss. I cannot name another guy who got there that way. I just want outsiders reading these blogs to see the large picture. Post away, and forgive me if I came off high and mighty. My intent is to offer a bit of perspective from someone who has seen a lot of folks struggle with currency options.

Please post away...

 

Thank you for all of your insight Albie, it is exactly this that I was looking for when I asked the question regarding currency. I am brand new to the game, and know it will be by a different set of rules than those I have been used to for the last 20 years. CAN it happen? Sure. But given the responses I am realistic of the chances, which will be slim I think. Data points are simply what they are, and they inform decisions based on how one chooses to interpret the data. That's why this forum is great, and I thank each response because it refines the data. Like I said earlier, all I can do is my part to make myself as attractive as possible based on my heretofore career and stay flexible as the realities present themselves. As we love to say in the Marines, hope is not a course of action.

 

Guys from my (large) reserve unit are getting hired like clockwork by legacies and LCCs after 12-18 months at a regional. It's now part of my standard in-brief for new gains coming from AD. Multiple data points in the past few couple years.

Seeing the same thing from the Skywest perspective, ex-mil new hires not sticking around for too long. The company is willing to keep doing it to fill seats short-term, and in the hope that a few will stick around longer.

 

Agree strongly with Albie. My data is not near as extensive as his, but in a pretty large ex-mil network, approx 100+, only 1 person i know got hired non current, and he did his 737 type at HP and was very connected. Everybody else i know who has had to maintain or gain currency post retirement/separation did either Regionals or ISR. YMMV but it is usually 6 months to 2 years before you get the call, but you will get the call. So be ready because it will happen fast. Glad i did EC early and always took my Lengel Book, study file, interview questions flash cards, and Aero for Naval Aviators with me overseas and made donuts while prepping. With no sim to contend with getting that in before you interview is a logistics headache removed.

ISR is way better money and a great experience. But 121 time is the Gold Standard. 121 is not military flying, and FMS and ground ops in major airports is not taxi to the pits or your line. The 2/3 of my initial class who were prior 121 Regionals were so far ahead of the rest of us in the early part of training it was a class joke. Doing something post military is not only currency, it is credibility. If you retire at 20+, and even more so if you retire as an 05+, companies rightfully want to know if you can play well with others in the right seat and while not in charge. Every interview i did that question was not hinted at, it was directly asked. Nothing says i really just want to fly airplanes than really going and flying airplanes under less than optimal conditions.

Like the Nike Commercial says, "Just Do It".

 

Thanks for the clarification, Albie. Understood.
I'll echo that suffering through 6-18 months at a regional may be well worth your time. I know guys who've been hired into a legacy with 1800 hours... but they were also WELL qualified beyond flight hours (i.e. cum laude zoom types with tons of volunteer etc).

 

I just looked at a list of interviewers. Of the backgrounds that I knew of the breakdown was 8 mil, 17 civilian. Two of the military were civilian trained before joining the ANG so you could call it 6-19, 6-17-2(civ/mil).

 

Bingo. Sim jobs are a VERY low percentage path. Every day at the sim job is a resume that just got a day staler.

How many guys have posted "I havn't flown in a year and I got hired at _____"(insert Big 4, FDX, UPS, etc)?

You can't expect the job to come to you when there's 17,000 applicants and 1500-2000 are attending the job fairs. Do guys get hired without attending job fairs? Absolutely. Do guys get hired without a college degree? Absolutely. Do guys get hired with no TPIC? Absolutely. Do guys get hired that havn't flown in a year, or several years? Absolutely, but all the one's I've seen mentioned were O-6's or higher.

This is about putting as many factors in your favor as you can. You'll never know which one, if any, was the trigger that generated the email "hey, want to fly for us?" But choosing low percentage plays is a terrible plan.

 

Yeah, the regionals are a tough pill to swallow the older you get and the more money you earn. I flew for one back in 2004 when I was just off active duty and only lasted a year before running out of money. Now 10 years later and making way more than I ever did on active duty, that regional pill is even harder to swallow.

I will wait and see how valuable my 100 hours of turbine/recip time is as a weekend warrior corporate pilot/CFI. If nobody is biting by the summer, it may be time to take the AlbieF15 advice and go regionals again.

 

When I interviewed at FedEx, Both captains on the panel interview were straight civilian pilots.

 

Agree with Albie ... and even guys getting interviews w/o recent flying may not get hired. Got one bud, great bro, very personable, who has been out of flying for a couple of years. Interviewed recently by SWA & FEDEX and hired by neither. He's with a regional now and I'm sure will do better next time.