Originally Posted by mooney

Dude nothing bratty about being selected to go to Colorado Springs. I admire anyone who serves the country and attended the Academy!

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

Lol no no FlightSafety Academy...To serve and to fly would be my dream.. I'm currently thinking about pursuing it, but the odds are a bit against me.

But we will see what becomes of it.

Originally Posted by USMCFLYR

People that go the military route will "pay their dues" in spades - both through effort put into training, passing that training while being held to extremely high standards (you can't buy your way through the training), and then putting that training to use for many years in many a clime and place. Just a piece of advice - but like our former discussion on the Ace part of your username - best not to be referring to yourself as the guy that "went to the Academy" before ever making it there. It might not make a big difference to you now, but if you hope to go that route in the future, you will want to start realizing the downfalls of certain views before actually getting into that environment. I doubt that USAF is that much different than the other services when it comes to counting your eggs before they hatch.

You make a good point about the lack of entry level jobs. It does seem to be getting harder and harder to find that low time entry level position. Maybe in the end that will make what is called a "barrier to entry". That is a pain for the guys that don't stick it out and ends up being a blessing for the ones who do.

As for the benefits to CFI'ing, I can agree with you because I never wanted to be a CFI when I had just received my ratings, but you also don't know what you don't know about the benefits of being an instructor. Whether it be in the military or in the civilian world of flying, being an instructor or evaluator is viewed as highly prized experience. There is a reason for that and it comes in many forms. CFI;'ing was suppose to be the beginners level experience to build time for those other experience building jobs which hopefully led to the ever challenging night freight operation or air ambulance job for example. Now you're talking the whole enchilada. The weather, the PIC duties, the aircraft issues, the flying at all hours of the day and night, the pressure of getting the job done...etc.
THEN you are ready to move onto those regionals to get your P-121 experience.

I probably have a biased view of what you mean by operating at the airplane at its' limits I grant you, but looking back at my short time as a jump pilot, I'm not sure that I could have said that myself. YES! I agree. Try flying into Fargo ND in the freezing rain with the wind howling - AND NOT with a load of paying passengers behind you the first time. If you want to beat on doing the "same thing OVER and OVER again" then look no further than your current job Ace. In my aviation career I can't remember a time that I did the same thing over and over more so than when I flew load after load of jumpers. Talk about repetition!

You say that you have got more experience from having 4 jumpers on your wing than you would have got if you were a CFI doing the steep turns. Well.....consider a few other things. First - you aren't instructing, which I have already explained to you is a boon of both experience and a resume builder. Second...and I only have two types on my license and one recurrent under my belt, but I talk a lot to other professional pilots and I've never heard of having 4 people hanging on your wing as part of the administered type rating requirements, but steep turns has been on every checkride I've had since getting out of the military and in a strange. more unconventional manner was even a part of most rides in the military too. So in which situation are you gaining more valuable experience that you might take forward into your blooming professional aviation career?

You say:"People see things so black and white and have no regard for the big picture for us little guys trying to get into the game still. I think they could cut a little slack for the folks trying to get in the regionals."
Some pilots have forgotten their roots Ace. Some have forgotten what it was like to be a low time pilot struggling for hours and what it meant to get those first few multi hours in the logbook. They need a refresher for sure. Others remember it all too well and have at least walked in your very shoes, some in the not too distant past, where as you have never stood in their shoes. Maybe you are the one seeing it in shades of black and white (being what is best for Ace at this date and time) and have not lost sight of the BIG PICTURE, but have yet to even glimpse the bigger picture.

You're in a good spot right now I think. You have a job, some interesting flying which will lose some of the *fun* after the shine has worn off, but you're making money and building experience as you said. My advice to the old me sitting in your situation would be to constantly be on the lookout for the next flying opportunity that afforded more variety in flying - especially anything along the lines that got you out of the local area, gives you opportunity to put that IFR rating to some actual use, experience different classes of airspace and increased your exposure to ATC, and even possibly instruct some amount of time (which may provide you with all areas mentioned).

Good luck and keep sharing your stories of you current experience. It is nice to see enthusiasm from a new guy when the forum is so full of the tired and struggling. A bit of color among the drab.

USMCFLYR

Originally Posted by jay2

So you have to fly to serve your country, or do you want to serve yourself?

Originally Posted by IA1125

Honest question, do you mean we are looked down on by other nations or other nation's pilots or both?

Originally Posted by Senior Skipper

Honest answer...I have friends in "third world" countries who laugh when they see what pilots are paid here. I'm not talking just regional pilots either. They look at some of what the major FO's make and agree that for the amount of flying they do, they're grossly under paid.

You don't find many pilots rushing to come here from other countries do you? Every wonder why?

Originally Posted by block30

I actually thought we did have foreign pilots still coming to the States in decent numbers....maybe did, past tense, is the operative word now. ??

Originally Posted by ALTsel

Foreign pilots come here because the training is cheaper.

They then go back to their countries because the job itself is more lucrative there.