afpilot2016

Hello.

For those who have real insight please reply. Will a major hire a seperated military pilot with over 2000 TT in the tanker but non current for 4 years? Thanks.

tunes

Short answer no. Go to a regional and get current. Most like to see at least 100-200 hours in the last 12 months


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N19906

I agree. I've had a number of prior-service FO's cycle through the right seat to become 121 current and then disappear to the majors. (Except for the current one, he's a sh*t-show from start to finish.) BTW, I'm retired enlisted, needed glasses, blah, blah, blah...

FlewNavy

I'm guessing your current FO is reading this? Too funny…unless its true!

FlewNavy

Take some time and search the forum using terms like "currency" and "recency". Many threads discussing this but the common theme is to get current and then apply to majors if you have a substantial amount of flight time.

There are some extreme examples. In the Whose been Hired thread, somebody got a CJO with no currency from UAL during a Pentagon gig. Then there is Drum who has a full career flying fighters AND a year plus getting current/recent in CRJs who is hearing nothing but crickets.

Recommend also finding the thread about Square Corners and Timing the Exit from AlbieF.

As I prep to exit from a non-flying job, I've learned its tremendously competitive even for a military pilot. Having gone through three astronaut training selections (without success), the airline application process seems even more mysterious, complex and frustrating on who gets called and hired vs who is making minimum wage doing great work at a regional.

Good luck - make a checklist of all you need to do (medical, certificates, FCC license, passport, interview prep work) and start checking boxes like the rest of the thousands of pilots trying to get on with a major. Don't despair either - there are lots of folks sweating it out so you aren't alone.

Also - wanted to add that I have an email from the Director of Ops from a Legacy that says that currency will be overcome IF the resume strong and comes with lots of strong internal recs and multiple chief pilots etc. IF called for an interview, lack of currency will be discussed. All of the airlines have had to retrain aircrew from furlough and long term medical issues. Its NOT something they haven't seen before but you are going to need to stand out over ALL the other current/recent candidates. So weigh your background and if you are an average military pilot with no network and average flight time - expect regionals. IF you were a USAFA Rhodes Scholar, top graduate of flight school and have a distinguished flying cross and know several chief pilots on top of all the minimums (hours, ATP, medical etc) and volunteered more time than your day job…you might get lucky and get called.

afpilot2016

Hey thanks for thr great reply. Examples you gave of people getting hired and not is a mystery. But i do know that every single guy in my former unit got hired from a major within the last year and half. Thats about 15. Some were lt col and others were captains.

Sliceback

FlewNavy knocked it out of the park. Guys without recent currency are getting hired but there are reasons for that. Being stale(lack of currency), especially by choice, is a tough hill to overcome.

I asked a bunch of new hires to survey their classmates. About 2/3's attending job fairs. Mil guys avg'd 1.7 job fairs, civilians about 2.6. Average of 2.0. A limited sample but better than nothing.

Only about 15% of the applicants get a F2F opportunity each year yet they make up 2/3's of the guys hired.

Hacker15e

Afpilot2016, here are a few of the last times we discussed essentially this same question:

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mi...ck-saddle.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mi...-currency.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ca...-strategy.html

Do you have your ATP or ATP written done?

If I were you, I'd start looking at regionals that have junior bases that are close to where you live. If you don't have your ATP written done, be sure you ask them if they are offering a CTP program for their newhires.

Sliceback

Drum mentions retiring in 2008 and didn't get a regional job until late 2015/early 2016. So lack of currency could negate any resume from eight years prior.

A guy about to retire said he was prepared to fly for a regional for a year. What if it's 1.5 years? Two years? Three years? Don't be surprised if saying "I'm willing to do it for a year" goes over poorly in an interview. There's tons of guys doing whatever they can to get hired. Telling an interviewer that you're unwilling to do what they did to get hired probably isn't a good idea.

Hacker15e

I don't know of anyone who would actually verbalize that to an interviewer at a regional. It is more about expectation management for military guys who have the idea that they're going to just magically step into a major airline job because of their background.

I know a lot of military dudes with a chip on their shoulder who think they're "too experienced" to work at a regional, and they're the ones who need to come to grips with the reality that they may spend a year or two working at one before they get a call from their career employer of choice.

It requires both emotionally being prepared for that and financially being prepared for it.