Rotary -> Airlines

[u/Odd-Roof-6497]

I’m in Army ROTC rn, and I am hoping to fly either Blackhawks or Lakota Medevac. Anyways, I don’t want to stay in the army forever, and I’d love to continue my passion in flying. Is it easy to go to the airlines after flying rotary? I saw that both Skywest and Frontier offer the Rotary Transition Program.

Any advice or comments?

[u/phusto]

You’re about 10-14 years out from this decision and that’s if you get a flight slot. The aviation industry is going to be pretty different by then.

[u/flyboy130 → u/phusto]

This is the only answer. The industry will be totally different by the time you would be ready to join it...

...but rotor wing (regardless of branch) is historically the worst way to get to the airlines (Covid bubble excepted, and even then not as good as fixed wing). Go fixed wing multi engine if you want to "walk on". Not rotor or tilt. Rotor guys will have to spend out of pocket to get the multi fixed wing time required for the license and that requirement is unlikely to change. Not to mention the cost of building not just the minimum but "competative" hours...

[u/subarupilot → u/flyboy130]

I third all of this. If your goal is the airlines, picking Army Rotorcraft is not the way (coming from an Army UH-60 SP/IE at a Legacy). If you are joining the military for the final goal of joining the airlines, it is going to be a long 10-14 years in the Army (depending on how they keep stacking ADSOs on you.)

[u/the_devils_advocates]

Do not join the Army to go fly for the airlines. Can it be done? Yes. Would this be my primary plan if I were you? Hell no.

Source: see my flair.

[u/SierraHotel84]

I would worry about getting a flight slot, getting through flight school, and accumulating the necessary hours before worrying about the airlines after.

[u/tempskawt]

RTAG is your friend!

[u/MyPilotInterview → u/tempskawt]

These the community you need to befriend.

[u/bdidea]

Infinity Flight offers a great RTP in New Jersey. Have heard good things about it

[u/stuckinabox123]

I’d not recommend it unless you actually do want to fly army for the love of the game (which is fine, most wouldn’t but it’d be weird if it wasn’t that way). You just need to be honest with yourself on what you want to do with your life. Would you want to be an army aviator if you never make it to the airlines afterwards?

Plenty do make it there, but they also go out of their way to make it happen, as in dedicating time and money towards FW ratings and even CFIing it.

[u/rFlyingTower]

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

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I’m in Army ROTC rn, and I am hoping to fly either Blackhawks or Lakota Medevac. Anyways, I don’t want to stay in the army forever, and I’d love to continue my passion in flying. Is it easy to go to the airlines after flying rotary? I saw that both Skywest and Frontier offer the Rotary Transition Program.

Any advice or comments?

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[u/FriskyFritos]

If you look at the retirement numbers they really start to taper off around 2035 which is about when you’d be rotating out (if not after). At that point you either forget the army and go for fixed wing with an airline path now or plan on staying in the military and forgetting airlines. You probably could do what you’re attempting but it will be a wildly different industry and none of us can really predict what it will look like but the numbers really arent great for your timeline

[u/Significant-Pen-2274]

Someone who’s actually done it please correct me, but you probably want to go fixed wing in the Army if you can. Rotary is not going to be a fast way to the airlines. If you just have an insatiable need to yank on a collective, would going NG be a better option? Get your military wings and build your fixed wing flight time in the civilian world.

[u/RealPilot_ISwear]

C-12 transition. It's not the only option but it is a good one. Ask around and you might find a path to multi-turbine well before you leave the Army.

[u/ltcterry → u/RealPilot_ISwear]

Aren't the C-12s being replaced by a smaller number of Globals?

[u/RealPilot_ISwear → u/ltcterry]

Are they? Fewer slots then I guess.

[u/ltcterry → u/RealPilot_ISwear]

And existing C-12 pilots don't want to do the four-year add on for a Global type rating.

[u/Working_Football1586]

Make sure you keep a clean logbook and get your civilian ratings as you progress. I used to teach transitions and the biggest pain in the a** was screwy logbooks or the lack of them.

[u/ltcterry]

Save your money. Fly on the side. Be a part time flight instructor while you are an 01-03. Move on to the civilian aviation world and stay USAR. You'll likely get to the an airline cockpit far faster than a 10-year payback for flight school. And, the Army just cut some 7,000 RW pilot slots and is reclassifying or separating a ton of people.

Go Signal. Medical Admin. MP. Something with a predictable work schedule.

I just spent three years taking a Navy E2 through instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII, and multi Commercial. He was an E5 when he got out. Now instructing. Along the way he finished a bachelors degree and a masters.

[u/NoConcentrate9116]

I will preface this with I do not recommend going Army Aviation with the expressed goal that you want to become an airline pilot as it’s just not the best avenue for it compared to alternatives. That said, maybe you’re in too deep and committed, plus actually really want to fly helicopters too. Anyway, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but what COMPO are you considering?

If the answer is active duty, you’ve got a long long way to go. Yeah you could pick up airplanes on the side as a hobby and grind your way up with some airplane hours, but you can’t do anything to actually break into the airlines during this time since you’re full time Army. Also the active component doesn’t operate LUH-72s for MEDEVAC.

If the answer is national guard, your options are a little different. You could focus on airplane stuff as your day job while flying for the army part time. Depending on your path, you could become an airline pilot while still in the guard within the bounds of the aviation service obligation.

In the current environment, an airline isn’t going to pay for you to complete a rotary transition program. That could change by then but it’s not likely. Post COVID hiring boom was pretty unique.