Getting out after 20 years (Feb 16). I've got 6200 Total, 5100 Turbine, 2500 C17 PIC Time. I've got the time and qualifications to be competitive. All the apps have been complete now for 2 months. I have not heard anything. Wondering what's going on. I'm thinking I'm just too far out right now. Does anyone know what the time horizon is for the Legacy carriers?

Delta probably won't call you until you're within 60 days of availability. They want to place you in an indoc class within a month or two after the interview then onto to initial training shortly after that. If you declare your availability as 01 Feb 16, you can expect a call around mid-November for an early December 2015 interview.

Yup, keep updating your app, spell checking, networking. Don't excpect a call until this fall. Most of the majors want you in a class within a few weeks of the job offer.

To reword, putting in your app gets you in the line with thousands of equally-qualified applicants. Has a friend taken you in to meet a chief pilot, have you been to a job fair, what outside activities do you have on your resume?

Airline hiring is different than what we were used to in the military, in other words, you need to pursue the job. Just because you have the flight time, don't expect all the majors to come knocking on your door.

What sets YOU apart from the thousands of other applicants?

You are probably too far out for most to give you a call, so now is the time to do the things I listed above, plus get interview prep.

This^^^^^

You will likely get a call, it could come next week or it could be years. Your post about no word after two months can come across as arrogant be careful about that. There are highly experienced guys who've been waiting years not months for the call.

I recommend applying to all Majors (Legacy, Cargo, LCC's) getting some solid interview prep now, not after the call. Start preparing your wife for how crappy the first year is going to be. Start looking at plan B and C if the airlines don't call.

You'll likely get a call, but getting this job is very stressful, and the more prepared you are (both to get the job...and more importantly in case you don't) the better.

Are your contemporaries being called in less than 2 months? You have pretty unrealistic expectations from what I've seen. My peer group mostly got called after about a year of waiting. I don't doubt that time will go down but I'd be surprised if it was down to 2 months already.

First year doesn't have to be crappy.

Went to Eagle after the military, Captain couldn't believe I could buy him a beer on a Monterey layover.

2 months. Lol. What's going on is that there are 12,000+ apps in at all the majors.

Cut the guy some slack. He's been too busy queeping out for the last 20 years to have done much research into the process. He's not being arrogant if he genuinely doesn't know about the process.

OP: Take everyone's advice about starting prep now. Emerald Coast is pay once, use forever. I did their online prep about 6 months before I separated and then did an in-person seminar a few weeks before my interviews.

The timelines being discussed are also accurate. No one is going to call 9 months out to "lock you down." When you are someone they can start making money with, you'll get calls. You have good flight time, and since you made it through the queep gauntlet I'm assuming you have at least one Master's. I would expect to get calls from more than one legacy, but I wouldn't sit back and wait for the call. It's never too early to start networking. Based on your questions about timeline, you might need to step up your game in this area. Talk to your friends who have already made the jump and learn all you can from their experiences. If you don't have any friends who have done so, go to OBAP or WAI and make some.

You're in good shape, but plenty of work still to be done. Good luck.


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+1 on this and the rest of Gucci's advice.

Next year will come fast - You have a great opportunity to prepare slowly and methodically so you'll be ready when the time comes. Don't assume you'll stand out simply based on your quals and do whatever is within your means to network and make yourself as marketable as possible. Something to keep in the back of your mind - very little in your USAF career is going to relate to the experience that awaits you over the next couple of years. Be a sponge - be open minded and get as much info from those who have gone before you as possible. Emerald Coast is a must.

I was trying to get hired in the boom of the late 90's. Normal quals for a 10 year fighter guy. Did the hiring conferences, networked with bros, applied to a regional, did interview/sim prep, etc. Submitted my app to UAL June and heard from them by November.........of the following year!!
Got the call from Delta over a year after app submission when I was already on the line at UAL - never heard a peep from AA.

It's a marathon - not a sprint.