Buddy Spike

141 is still incredible! There's a site called myaacareer.com that can give you a good idea of your career earnings. This assumes I only want to live in DFW and upgrade when it's available there, flying long call for my whole career (73 hrs) and contributing nothing to the 401(k) except the 16% the company gives us. Starting at year two. It's nearly an eleven million dollar career, and that's with AA which is bottom of the barrel in terms of earnings potential and work rules.

It's all about luck and timing. I was hired at 33 also but my Sen@65 is only 141. Guys getting hired now with 30+ years to go will be in the top 1%.

What about Corpse man?

More importantly, I've heard of people using Linkedin as a dating site for professionals. Anybody had any luck picking up hot business chicks on these sites? As an airline pilot, I think it's time to start looking for my first ex-wife. Bonus points if I can get alimony out of the deal.

You've obviously spent zero time in the Navy Reserve. Comparing the two reserve forces (which is valid, not comparing AD to AD), the Navy Reserve is about as fucked up as it gets. I can't tell you how many months in 6 years we had one - YES - ONE jet available to fly. I didn't even know what a hot pit/hot seat was until it became a necessity just to maintain currency. I doubt the sky writer thing would've ever happened because, well, the ARC has better things to do than dick around on a 1 v 0. But as for risk aversion, well, every day I'd listen to dudes (and leadership) in the ready room marvel at the eagles doing closed patterns or unrestricted climbs and marvel at how they still had their wings. The biggest myth in aviation is that the Navy treats its pilots like adults. No, they don't, they just give you more rope to hang yourself with nebulous rules that can be used against you at their leisure. And I'll bet you went through an actual TX and MQT when you transitioned to the Guard, right? Not a "CAT Other" 8 hr checkout and a "go watch the DVD to learn BFM" directive? Meanwhile the flying schedule would get delayed twice a week so we could all gather round in the base gym and do group PT/jazzercise at 0730. Yeah, the Navy is definitely less fucked up.

I saw a sim IP job at Holloman posted on a Facebook group that was pretty close to $187k (if you took the no health insurance buyback).

Says the guy who spent 6 years in a Navy Hornet squadron and had a very good friend get FNAEB'd for it.

AKA standard takeoff. Unless you're in the Navy where they lose their shit over fighter pilots being fighter pilots.

What does a Reaper pilot "step" to? The conex?

So it's like the Navy. Maybe they should put finance/admin under the SQ/CC so it's easier to get paid.

Worse than the green boots?

I thought McCain's son was an airline guy?

PM sent.

Seconded... for science.

I agree. But some new guys may read that and think it's okay for a company to demand that. It's a slippery slope when it comes to setting precedents. If you're still in the military and flying for the airlines, it's just as important to know USERRA law and comply with it as it is to know your contract and fly it. Deviating based on company demands for either can screw your fellow pilots. This is the easiest job in the world. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.

While I agree with just about everything else you said, this is a hard no. USERRA has no such requirement and no one should be expected to do this. From the USERRA website:

No kidding. My first airplane was also a Glasair. I RG. Hard to beat 160 kts on 6-7 gph but you're absolutely right about building it. Buyer beware. You can inherit a lot of pre-existing issues.

How are you going to get 18 days off per month to sit short call in domicile from your AGR gig? What happens if your trip falls apart at some out base and you can't make it back to do your AGR job? And more importantly, WHY would anyone want to do two jobs simultaneously when the whole point is to go to the airlines to work less?

This. Plus, I don't think you'd be covered under USERRA for the orders.

What is your friend going to say when he turns in the orders and the start date is before he was hired at the airline? Can he curtail the AGR orders, go while on terminal leave, and then get a new set of orders?

Evil, is this rated or UPT only?

Can you gain points in the IRR without doing a CAT E position?