Tattoo guy, I'm not sure you would be able to find a military pilot who didn't love his job...at least the flying part of it. Each of us had an idea of what we wanted to fly when we started our flight training. Some of us managed to get that platform and others did not. In the end nearly everyone I know loved what they flew regardless if it was their first choice or not.
Eventually getting to fly for the military comes to an end. Even if you still get to fly some, odds are you are no where near the pointy end of the spear. My last flying tour was instructing. It was great, but there was no 20mm or bruisers coming off my rails. When the instructing tour ended and I didn't see a cockpit in my future it was time to move on for me.
To answer you question, going to the airlines will pay the bills, but I believe it is something I would do even if we didn't need the income. If you love to fly, then it really will not matter if it is a CRJ or a snake. When you look past the military you need to decide what is most important to you and your family. Location, pay, what you are doing, time off....the list of factors will be unique to you. For us location and what I was doing were important. Pay was lower so long as it wasn't low for ever. Albie hit some other points with the low stress and time off. The airlines are a great fit for us. The job will pay the bills, but it would be something I would do even if we didn't need the cash.
Best of luck to you and feel free to shoot me a message if you have questions about transitioning from rotors to regionals. Sorry about the long winded ramble.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk