Mil to Airline | TheaterFire

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ButtersVeryOwnEp@reddit

Genuine question…but getting out in 3 years means you’ve already flown for 7 years assuming an active duty 10 year commitment. How do you only have 500hrs even in fighters. I got 450hrs alone in my first assignment flying.

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Check_the_shrek@reddit

This is fairly normal in the Marines.

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SelectGate8907@reddit

Agreed, something isn’t lining up with flight time and timing. I’d be interested to see his platform and what his career track looks like. Nobody I know in fighters is that low…

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Moist-Formal436@reddit (OP)

Appreciate all the advice today. Still a few years away from this but just want to get the ball rolling where I can.

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Mao_Kwikowski@reddit

Try getting a UPT assignment. Lots of hours.

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No_Variation8301@reddit

Ex Military flew at Cathay Pacific for 18 years , you could look abroad no 1500 hours required and CX used to count fighter time at like 3x.

Be warned its a different world from the USA no strong Union backup, but you get to fly a wide body off the bat and the training is excellent and with your background you will be fine.

I now instruct at a US legacy hence the warning

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No_Variation8301@reddit

Ok so ex Military I had more hours but if you arent stuck in staying in the USA there is no 1500 hour requirement abroad. I flew at Cathay Pacific for 18 years its not the same as it was, but may be an option and they look at fighter time differently from Civilian time. You could also look at emirates Qatar JAL etc if the war ends.

Cathay used to count Fighter time at something like 3x when it came to command.

CX is not like US Airlines though no Union power and your ticket is on the line every 6 months.

I now instruct at a US legacy and I can tell you, You will need to be well prepared at these foreign Airlines with no Union back up, but you get to fly a wide body from the get go and

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KCPilot17@reddit

You'll certainly have to start at a regional, but you need to crush getting hours even with that. Can you get to UPT for an assignment? While obviously not desired for most, you'll get hours that way. Don't do IFF.

Make sure you have your mil comp done, are keeping track of your own taxi time, and get your ATP-CTP done before you get out.

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leftrightrudderstick@reddit

Even coming from fighters? I guess it's just the current hiring market but I went to school with 3 good friends and 1 aquaintance who all became fighter pilots and they all went straight to legacies.

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Accurate-Indication8@reddit

Have a few buddies who were fighter guys who got to 1500 hours by flying GA on weekends and went straight to mainline airlines (within the past year so they didn't get hired 2022-2024).

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KCPilot17@reddit

Not with sub 1500 hours they didn't.

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LostPilot517@reddit

Best answer.

Plus you will develop those "normal" crew concepts/CRM skills that are applicable to airline life.

Also doesn't mil time transfer over at 1000 hours required, not 1500?

Disclaimer: No Military background.

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KCPilot17@reddit

There is no "transfer". Hours are hours. You can get your R-ATP at 750 hours, but that's just R-ATP.

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Prof_Slappopotamus@reddit

And ultimately, that's enough to be anything but a Captain at a 121 carrier.

I remember that mil hours used to count at 1.3(?) times the amount for application purposes, does that still hold true? Or has the advent of the R-ATP gotten rid of that?

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KCPilot17@reddit

If the company wants to give you more "weight" with mil time, they're welcome to. That's all internal to their own applications. There is no FAA conversion for holding licenses (1,500 for ATP, for example) so it's 1:1.

This is why it is so important for mil guys (especially fighters) to log their taxi time IAW the FARs. The amount of time we spend arming/dearming is all time that you can count, but the military doesn't count it.

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Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit

Does the military only track off-on?

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usmcmech@reddit

Yes. The military tracks wheels up to wheels down.

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willmeggy@reddit

Navy tracks takeoff to landing.

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LostPilot517@reddit

I was referring to the R-ATP eligibility.... I mistated 1000 hours, it was really 750.

Military - 750 Hours Part 141 Program (4 Year degree) - 1000 hours Part 142 Program (2 Year) - 1250 Hours Everyone else/standard - 1500 for ATP.

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Prof_Slappopotamus@reddit

Not mil, so I only ever remember hearing about it but never having a discussion with anyone that used it. I kind of figured it was an internal app thing, especially pre-ATP.

But yea, count it all. Who cares if you sat there for 6 hours, you taxied out for the purposes of flight.

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meticulouslycarless@reddit

They transfer even earlier, 750.

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UncleSugarShitposter@reddit

Also a mil guy. You may have to spend time at a regional, but you can also try and crossflow out of fighters to something fat and heavy like tankers or cargo that get a lot of hours.

Volunteer for a BACN deployment if it comes your way. Guys are getting 500-700 hours in their 6 month gig. Also, start your UMPP yesterday.

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manhof@reddit

Are guys dodging the regionals if they finish with 1500 hours? Currently 1300, most if not all pointy nose PIC. But two years remaining

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UncleSugarShitposter@reddit

I don't know about pointy nose dudes because I fly fat boys, but yes, I know literally zero people from my community that had to go to a regional prior to going to the majors.

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Moist-Formal436@reddit (OP)

I have read into the UMPP but if I know I’m going to be short on the 1500 it doesn’t seem like I will be a likely candidate. Unless, does UMPP fill for United regional airline partners as well?

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UncleSugarShitposter@reddit

You might be able to make it, or you can possibly extend your ADSC by however long you need to skip the regionals. I've seen a few guys do this. Or get that BACN deployment and extend out in the desert. One of my buds who was below glideslope from a long term DNIF did that and he's very competitive now.

I also would suggest seeing if you can crossflow out of fighters and maybe going to a guard/reserve tanker or cargo unit.

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trollisme_iamtroll@reddit

Not quite the same situation as OP, but I was able to stall my separation from active duty without extending my ADSC while waiting on interviews. I had good hours, just wasn’t a good time for hiring.

Admittedly I was in a weird situation where my UPT had commitment ran up only 1 year into my last assignment *and* since I went OCONUS —> CONUS for my last assignment the PCS only incurred 1 year of ADSC.

UPT commitment came and went, and so long as I didn’t set a separation date, I kept showing up to work and getting a paycheck. At this point I was just playing chicken with the USAF to see if id get a CJO before I got orders for a follow on assignment. Thankfully the gamble paid off, and when the first interview invite came through I put in a sep date.

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Minaervas@reddit

I highly recommend getting your ATP or R-ATP before applying to UMPP. Getting a CJO seems to be pretty difficult without one right now.

Seems a bit silly to me since that seems like the entire point of the program, but that's what I'm seeing right now. YRMV.

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Accurate-Indication8@reddit

Start flying GA on weekends. If you get out with your ATP mins and 1k of your 1500 hours are military fixed wing turbine PIC hours, you can skip the regionals and go straight to a legacy. If you start now, it'll be manageable. Or as others have suggested, try getting an IP billet. You'll slam hours and it will all be FW TPIC (and depending on the platform, multi-engine time).

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Ok-Cryptographer7080@reddit

Military pilots can get an atp at 750 hours

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Swimming-Ad2568@reddit

Highly recommend becoming an instructor or seeing if you can get a deployment to rack up hours quickly. If you can land a UPT instructor spot, there’s almost no way you won’t have enough hours after 3 years instructing.

Also, being an instructor will make your airline application stronger since you’re a fighter without an aircrew, at least not like heavies. If you spend just a tad longer in active duty, you’ll likely get to skip the regionals, or at the very least spend a very short amount of time there.

Lastly, keep in mind that going corporate could make it harder to get a legacy airline job. And going regionals first can make it harder to get the higher end corporate jobs. Just try and be sure you know where you want to end up so you can take the more proper path to getting there.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

Skip the regionals, dude. The majors and legacies hire low time pointy-nosed dudes.

The lowest time guy in the latest widget new hire class was a USAF bro with 1,700.

Find a way to be eligible for an unrestricted ATP by the time you separate. It will be 100% worth it, trust me.

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flyboy130@reddit

I think you underestimate the number of hours fighter guys get. This guy will probably get out with 700 total if he is lucky. He is going to have to time build somewhere.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

So take a UPT assignment, mil comp FAA ratings and do some stuff on the civilian side. There are ways.

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0621Hertz@reddit

Just take a UPT assignment is becoming outdated advice.

The airlines are hiring well and paying well, so a lot of MIL guys are wanting to go there. It’s not some kind of secret that UPT is the place to build hours.

There are civilians flying T-45s now to help keep more guys flying in the fleet.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

Well I'll eat crow.

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flyboy130@reddit

Fighter guys are so needed on the line that getting a UPT slot is near impossible. Even those hours are being cut. Mil comp the commercial...sure. No excuse not to.

And ya...build civilian time, which is why he is asking about regionals (wont have enough hours) or corporate. But he can't just skip the regionals. I know multiple heavy pilots that are good dudes with good records and hours that are having to do a touch and go at the regionals. Fighter guys have low hours and take longer to train in the sim/OE.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

Two things can be true at the same time. We're hiring min time fighter guys at my legacy every month.

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flyboy130@reddit

Min time being the operative word there.

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maverick715@reddit

Bro get to a training command ASAP. I don't know about AF, but Navy/Marines you can fly 3x a day everyday, including weekends. Try to get as much as possible before you leave.

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pooter6969@reddit

AF is the same, so much flying to be had in AETC. I got 1100 hrs in 3 years which is basically unheard of anywhere else outside of consistent AMC deployments

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pooter6969@reddit

Reiterating what others have said: go to your training command.

In my 3 years as a UPT instructor (Air Force, T-6) I got 1100 hours. It was hard work but there is always and I mean always more flying to be had in pilot training. Other added benefit is you’ll get a crap ton of sorties so the .3 mil conversion will boost the hours pretty significantly.

It’ll all be turbine time, instructor time, and you can try to get involved in FCF/stan eval roles too that will boost your resume and qualifications.

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ltcterry@reddit

Become an instructor. Then use MilComp for FAA instructor in case you ever need it. You’ll log lots of hours.

You can do ATP at 750. Do ATP-CTP at Delta; it gets you an internal letter of recommendation. GI Bill approved if you’re eligible.

Once you’ve done ATP-CTP and pass the knowledge test doing initial ATP in a light twin is not complicated. Even if you need a few extra hours for not having piston twin experience.

ATP as a new credential lets you bubble ever so slightly higher in any relative rankings.

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SelectGate8907@reddit

What is your platform just out of curiosity?

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Perfect_Big_5907@reddit

How much time do you anticipate having at the end of the 3 years

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Moist-Formal436@reddit (OP)

I would say right about 1000 if I stay flying fighters. Yes there is an option to go to training commands but we are so short pilots on line units that it is now almost difficult to get sent to training. (Navy/Usmc). I’m hoping my next tour is less deployments so I can start working on FAA quals.

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Perfect_Big_5907@reddit

yeah i was going to say if you can get to Pensacola or Meridian you could get the hours you need by then.

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KCPilot17@reddit

FAA quals will take you about 2 hours to study for and 20 minutes to take the test. You can do that whenever you want.

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BuddyTubbs@reddit

Yeah I'm a pediatric cardio thoracic surgeon BTW.

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bwohlgemuth@reddit

I saw MIL and first thing I thought was “how nice this guy wants to get his mother in law a job that keeps her away for weeks at a time…”

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AggiePilot16@reddit

Have you considered going guard/reserve to a tanker or airlift platform? We have a lot of fighter dudes who do that at my unit and get hired by legacy after a few years no problem

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Moist-Formal436@reddit (OP)

That would be ideal. Again, just another route I don’t know much about but I will continue research on that too.

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ThwpThwpTwp@reddit

I’m Navy, former H-60 driver and T-6 Instructor with 8 months active duty to go. I got my ATP last year, have all my airline apps in, and have been going to conferences. I don’t have a CJO but am really familiar with the mil to airline pipeline. Feel free to DM me if you want.

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Moist-Formal436@reddit (OP)

Thanks, will do!

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i_own_5_cats@reddit

lookup r/turbinegods and r/airlinepilots, tons of mil to airline posts there. get your faa stuff sorted early, grab atp-ctp, start networking. regionals love mil time. finding flying work isn’t the hard part, it’s everything else in life while pay sucks, especially now when it’s so hard to find a job

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I am currently flying fighter in the military. I am still relatively junior but have done a few deployments. Total time is around 500 hours (fighters can’t fly that long without tanker support!). I am looking into getting out of the military in about 3 years but will most likely not be at 1500 hours. I’m interested in starting at a regional or corporate to just start the transition but I do not know much about this route as all my flight training and experience has been military only. I’ve read through the forums and it seems like this is a possibility but I’m just looking for any advice, tips, or general guidance on how to make to start thinking about this next chapter.

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