'Morning Gents,

Or more likely late, late evening where the majority of you are currently located assuming you're in CONUS.

First of all, I'd like to offer an apology - I am a rather dense fighter pilot who has difficulty wading into unfamiliar territory and navigating such. It's recently come to my attention that commercial aviation may be a course I'm willing to pursue. This revelation is due to a variety of factors, both concerning the change of course that military aviation is trending towards, i.e., becoming ever-more focused on prioritizing being politically correct over tactically proficient, etc... As well as the fact that our incredible machinery is aging rapidly resulting in averaging less than 10 flight hours and that I've spent over 24 of the last 48 months away from home. Nonetheless, that is not the purpose of this post. The purpose is as follows.

All I've known up to this point in my aviation career is maintaining Air-to-Air timelines, BFM'ing the wire, and how to properly employ ordnance to desired effects. *Cue Top Gun theme song* What I don't understand at all, is the requirements, routes, and techniques that may assist one in getting hired flying commercial heavies.

I currently have about 1,000 total flight hours.
- 90 in a T-34C (turboprop)
- 160 in a T-45 (single engine jet)
- 750 in an F/A-18
- I've got 2-3 more years in the Hornet before I can consider leaving the Marine Corps, so I anticipate being >1,000 F/A-18 hours at a minimum.

I'm a NATOPS instrument instructor/checker within the squadron/MAG, I've attended the Navy's Aviation Safety Officer Program in Pensacola and have been the Aviation Safety Officer, am a qualified F/A-18 Maintenance Check Pilot, as well as a Combat Qualified F/A-18 Division Leader.

What do I need to do in order to be competitive to be hired by one of the airlines? As I understand it, attain my ATP certificate, and get a type rating? Anything else? What are the recommended ways to go about doing that? Do I even have enough hours to be competitive or even to qualify?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, let alone answer any of my questions if you so kindly choose to do so.

 

Your questions have been asked around here countless times. Take a little time in the evening over the next few nights and just surf through the postings from the recent past. There is a ton of information... much more than you will get in the next 10 posts that will directly answer you.

You've been winged for 7-8 years?

 

Will do. And just under six years. You weren't by chance a Kingsville exchange instructor by chance? I recall an IP with a U-2 tattoo on his calf and want to say his callsign was "Huggy." Though I could be wrong...

 

No. Here's a pic of Huggy's ink:

 

Get an ATP then apply to the airlines of your choice. You don't need a type rating in anything but you might get one when working on your ATP depending on where you go. Check into Higher Power Aviation for the ATP https://atpflightschool.com/flight_s...imulation.html

Take interview prep with Emerald Coast Interview Consulting. Start applying about a year from your availability...the airline applications are tedious and take some time.

Also, to enhance your civilian resume, take a look at Sheppard Air Flight Test 5.0 Prep Software ATP, Flight Engineer, Mil Comp - FAA Airline Transport Pilot . With your military quals and a fairly simple written test, you should be able to get your CFI, CFII, MEI.

Good luck.

 

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mi...tml#post938801

and

https://emerald-coast-interview-consulting.com/

 

In 2-3 years you will need a DD-214 to get hired.

 

Nope. That was "Horny". And not an exchange, but an inter-service transfer. Good guy, good pilot, and a good friend.

Jughead, I had the Hello Kitty laser removed last year. I figured that now that I'm older, it needed to go.

 

Job fairs to attend - WAI - typically first Thursday-Saturday of March, OBAP convention - typically late July/early August, NGPA - January.

I'd plan on hitting 2-4 job fairs, the more the better, prior to separating. That means if you're separating in 2018 you have to at least start with the WAI in March 2017. The lag time between application and class can take 3-10 months so to go from AD to airline, without a break, requires at least five months lead turn.

TT? On the low end. I know of a guy with 1600 hrs of fighter that got selected. He said he's the lowest time guy he's heard amongst his buds and interview group. The NATOPS/Safety are excellent squares to check off.

Type rating isn't that important. ATP is a must.

Plan on flying at a regional when you separate. Chase the resume enhancing opportunities not the pay opportunities.

ALL of the recruiters, to include majors, LCC's and regionals, will be the WAI convention in March.

Get your college degree, it's worth it. ;-)

 

You know all military officers (all pilots are officers) have at least a Bachelor's degree, right? Probably more than half have a Master's degree.