I flew KC-10s for about 4 years, and am currently flying Predators (on my second tour). My committment will expire at the end of this tour, in about 3 1/2 years, and I'm trying to start making an educated decision about whether to stay in or get out of the AF.

If I stay in, I'll be locked into the RPA career field and will most likely never see a manned cockpit again.

I have the option to get out and fly for the ANG, in which case I can be re-trained and start to accumulate PIC time again which will make me eligible for a commercial job down the road.

My major hesitation with staying in the AF is whether my RPA time will translate into any sort of civilian job in the future. Currently, it doesn't seem like there's much of a job market for RPA pilots in the civilian sector (at least not that I've noticed). If I stay in the AF, I don't want to be forced out with no transferable skills later in my career.

So basically the question boils down to this: if I stay in the AF, my only skill set 10 years from now will be flying RPAs. If I get out, I can fly heavy jets again (most likely with a C-5 guard unit) and get my time up to apply for a commercial job.

I keep hearing that the airline industry is set for a major hiring boom (USA today article, as one example). Is this true? Should I bet on this?
This makes the "getting out" option seem better to me than staying in.

Make all preparations required to get out and keep your cards close to your vest - things can change in 3.5 years.

As you get closer to the end of your commitment, if you're still looking at a joystick for the remainder of your AF career, I'd line up the Guard job and bail. I doubt the airlines/freight companies will ever consider RPA time for their hiring mins.

You could pursue a full time AGR slot in the Guard. If that's not available, depending on the ops tempo, you might be able to almost fly full time for a while to build hours and get competitive for an airline job. Either way, the Guard is a great place to do what you joined the AF for, which is fly airplanes.

Yes, many factors point to a hiring boom soon. Will it still be going on in 3.5 years (plus however long it takes you to re-train and get enough PIC hours to be competitive)? Maybe. Should you "bet on" anything related to a civilian airline career? Never.
Good Luck.

Well, thanks for the advice. RPA's aren't the worst thing in the world (the mission is usually pretty dynamic and interesting), but I'm thinking that, long-term, I may be better off seeking an airline job than trying to translate my RPA experience into a civilian job later in life. Plus, just this week the AF Times had an article about how 2/3 of passed-over Majors will be sent packing rather than being able to continue to 20 and retire. The AF just isn't the most secure job anymore with all of the budget cutting going on.

There are some really good opportunities in the civilian world flying unmanned vehicles. There are a few different threads on APC detailing a few if you search through them. The few I knew about before pay very well and there is no doubt that there is a future in that field. If you want to fly, then fly (really fly), but don't think that the USAF is training you in field that is nontransferable.

USMCFLYR

Sandman...don't you have a ten year post UPT commitment?

It is hard to think about what is going to happen to our military when the real budget cuts hit. Our country has some big bills to pay and nice things like having a big military will be cut first. Countries in Europe are cutting their ranks in half ... half. Hell Canada has less people in their entire Air Force than we have in some of our Commands.

I assume by your comments that you did not make Major. If this is true, I would be looking for another line of work and fast. If you want to remain in the cockpit, then I suggest you go to the guard/reserve job, make AC (they'll probably make you play co-baby for a while), and build that PIC time as fast as you can before the budget shockwaves hit there too. Well, they already have. Also, you have to make Major (as it stands now) if you want to remain in the guard/reserve. People joke about how easy it is to make rank in the guard/reserve but that too will change as the budget cuts take hold.

You need to do your homework and find out what your RPA experience can get you in the civilian RPA industry. Do RPA operators make a living? Or are they paid like Play Station 20 year olds? I say that jokingly because that is probably the target audience for those types of jobs ... not a $1 million dollar trained military pilot with college degree, air and space basic course, squadron officer school, yada yada yada. The other servies use enlisted to fly their RPAs. I hope you get my point. What about management jobs in engineering or operations in the RPA industry? You would be a shoe-in. If I were you, I would apply to those companies, work for them as you build PIC in the guard/reserve. Then if the big hiring boom hits, you then can decide if it is worth it to change careers ... again.

All true statements an good advice. The sad thing is that if we completely gutted our military and sold off everything, we wouldn't even put a dent in the deficit. Spending on the military is not the problem, not by a long shot

Social entitlement programs are the lions-share of spending, but DoD is pretty significant too. No way we're dodging cuts even with a regime change.

For the OP, what are your prospects for O-4? Is RPA a kiss of death?

Even with DoD cutbacks, RPA should remain a boom industry...if you are in the program as an O-4 I think you will get to stay, even if the manned ranks get decimated. Your government prospects will be looking up after you make O-4. Even during the last drawdown they were letting surplus majors retire at 15 years. I tend to suspect they would do that again before booting O-5 non-selects who are a year or two from sanctuary (18 years).

Sandman,
There are definitely opportunities in the civilian sector if you decide to cross over. it really will decide on what you want to do in the long run. Realize the guard/reserves is a great way to finish up a military career but is not without some issues of their own. It is a great way to keep flying and make contacts for the airlines. It takes some time from the family and has deployments, activations and has some people that can't go anywhere else. Having 20 of my 23 years in the guard, I wouldn't trade it for anything! However, I have seen many a flyers that don't have the fortitude or the supportive spouse to make the 2nd job work. I think it is a golden opportunity but definitely bend some buddies ears before you commit. Sitting in the trailer or sitting in the cockpit can only be decided by you. Good luck.
PC

Take the Guard Job.

A pilot in a manned aircraft can always get a job doing RPA's.

An RPA pilot can't get a job in a manned a/c.