I had a Army guy in the jump just picked up by C130 gaurd unit, waivers up to age 34 now.

Interesting that USAF can't retain the pilots needed for at least 5 (or more?) years.. I"m sure that's gonna sort itself out for now.. I'm getting calls from those that dropped retirement / resignation letters... "what do I do now??". seems theres' a rush to cancel those letters.. I"m guessing the Force will gladly entertain those queries. Hey, we have an unaccompanied tour for you in Middle Earth!!

Yes, I'm seeing that too. Easier for prior service but am seeing even late 30's civilians (very few, but it's happened).

But for expectation management, military is not just another flying job, much more than that and previous flying experience gives you only a very limited advantage in training (and it can easily be a big disadvantage if you have the wrong attitude).

What is really surprising is the cruise lines get a bail out also. Their ships are registered in foreign countries to avoid getting taxed in the US.

only if they register their ships under a US flag. Most cruise ships will pass on the money because of that.

Thank God sanity prevailed on that... that would be like bailing out Norwegian to ensure ULCC trans Atlantic service.

I saw one of those Skillshare videos on YouTube a couple months ago. If I remember correctly there’s only one cruise ship that is registered in the US as of right now.

Well bubbas retiring have no need to worry. They're in the "Check of the Month" club. Guys/gals separating (present company included) should just go Guard/Reserve if they weren't already. There are boat loads of vacancies all over. To each their own and good luck.

Mesa is apparently restarting hiring today.

Yeah the mil is short enough that they can absorb some reversal of the personnel exodus. Unlike some private companies, their feelings aren't hurt and they're not vindictive about it. Eventually they'll get a lot more entry-level applicants due to the economy, but anyone already qualified and experienced is in a different category.

Only ones hiring will be cargo or 135.

Prolly govt, mil, cargo and 135 will make bulk of the industry for at least next 3 years.

Doubtful. Even at 50 percent airlines still far out employ those sectors.

Through 2030 theres gonna be retirements in the neighborhood of 5-10,000 at big 3 majors, ULCC and Cargo. A lot of pilots will leave right now for other careers. Some might come back as soon as airlines call em back. A good chunk may opt for early retirements. A lot of military guys will be absorbed in new hiring wave(years away). So lots of factors to consider. There still may be room for people going through the pipeline. MAYBE.

Yes airlines might be famine for at least next 3 years. But there still might be a piece of the pie during this famine and the feast that comes after for someone who stays around, polishes themselves etc.

The only thing that bugs us all on here probably is no one knows how long will it take for the feast to come back again.


Airline might be the biggest employers but there will be more oppurtunities in those sectors. Airlines will be too competitive.

I knew I should have taken that job flying rubber dog ******* outta Hong Kong...

is it still available? Where do I send my resume?? Can I get weekends off ?? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤪

I'm glad to be out of the regional world, but I will say the military is stupid to turn away good pilots simply on entry age. There are lots of guys would take a reserve slot flying the heavies. Leave the fighters and direct combat stuff to the youngsters. If a guy can fly a 737/767 or any number of RJ, Biz jet and turboprop equivalents all over the world carrying passengers; what's the reason they can't fly the same plane for the military wearing a flight suit instead of a company uniform?

It's not like you just change uniforms. OTS, UPT, SERE, follow on training, etc etc.. I mean, can you imagine Richard Gere shooting officer and a gentlemen NOW? :eek:

They've considered abbreviated courses, but I think their recruiting and retention challenges are over for a long time.

Also... the military "shortage" was not like the civilian shortage, they never had a problem filling new-hire slots, it was retention of mid/senior officers. Since military pilots are more managers/war planners/war leaders than just pilots, that senior experience is vital in the military aviation enterprise. They don't need 45 y/o RJ drivers in flight suits to fly their transports, they need experienced majors and colonels in leadership and HQ staff jobs... RJ drivers can't do that.

But as I said, problem solved for now.

Not quite that easy, all US airlifters have tactical roles and missions, in addition to hauling pallets from A to B. AARF, expeditionary operations, paratroop ops, etc.

Now, THAT is funny!

Leave it to the CZ alumni.

I miss them all already.

The plane flys differently how exactly during those type of flights?

military paratroop ops no different from mesa’s

Lots of stuff going on, formation night paratroop insertion at tree-top level on googles?

In war you might have fighter and ground based air defenses to deal with. In training you definitely will.

Not saying RJ drivers can't do it, some can, but they really need to attend the whole training pipeline. If there was a big war on and we had more planes than pilots, sure it would be just like WW-II, put on a new uniform and off you go. But that's not where we're at.

Sounds like the MIL needs to make more officers/managers then and stop saying there's a "pilot" shortage, or can only winged officers do the war planning and managing billet? Maybe the pilot slot is the carrot to keep mid-level officers around to do the managing?

No they don't need to do that, it would be very bad. The US military has very few "professional staff officers", for very good reason.

All warfare specialties need to be well-presented at higher HQ's. That's why our military is the premier joint combat force in the world... we don't stovepipe warfighters in peace and then expect (hope) they can work together in war. And those are hard lessons learned. This is all fundamental Joint Warfare 101 stuff.

Also each community needs upper managers/combat leaders who have the experience and credibility to lead in war.

It has always served that function, although not by design. Exception is the army where aviation is a supporting function, not the primary means of power-projection.

The first 10-15 years of your career is primarily operational, with some staff tours to educate you for later on.

The last 10-15 years of your career is primarily staff with a few top leadership jobs if you're lucky/motivated/talented.

After 25-30 years of that you're eligible for possible promotion to flag or general rank.

Anyone who thinks warfighters should be lead by career staff officers deserves to fight a war under their command :rolleyes:

If you want to join the military without doing any of the real world big-picture military stuff, join the guard. You can maybe get to 20 without doing a HQ staff tour.

Look at the CBP AIA thread under “Military” to see some of the frustration expressed by pilots who are managed by non-pilots. It would be difficult to take orders from anyone who has no idea what your job entails.

ATLAS apparently just passed a new contract. Just wow. I can't find rubber dog **** at any of my local stores because hoarders keep buying it all up.

I haven't looked at the details yet, but did the pilots concede on a lot of stuff? I can't imagine having any leverage in this environment, even on the cargo side with so many pilots on/soon to be on the street.

I saw 10% raise across the board with “no strings attached” so it doesn’t sound like any concessions were given.

Atlas did not get a new contract. Just a raise from management.

Why would Atlas give pilots a new contract? Furloughed pilots are migrating over there. No need for a new contract.

Piedmont is still interviewing and hiring into a pool.

Omni just opened their application window. Don’t wait. It’s only open a few days.


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How economical will a RJ 50 seater or 76 seater be with half the airplane blocked off for "social distancing"?

they did stop hiring into the cadet program though

Regardless of the answer there are a lot more to consider than variable operating expenses. Question now isn’t what makes most sense longterm but what is feasible right now given the hand you’re dealt. Maybe they cost more than an XXX, but that fleet is running up on C checks so it makes more sense to use the RJ’s. Maybe they cost more but someone is willing to pay nicely to acquire the cheaper fleet.

Is it already closed? I don’t see any FO positions open on their website anymore.