I just wondered if I could get some balance into this discussion so here are my qualifications:
16 years on 4-engine transports in the RAF of which 10 years was on TacT (MR).
25 years in civil aviation of which 8 years has been on three-holers and the rest on four-holers.
For 20 of those years I have been a TRI/TRE or the military equivalent.
I have probably trained dozens of you out there who are reading this post right now (including many pilots who have ended up with BA). Not one of them has ever given me anything but praise for what I have taught them nor have I ever had an adverse comment since I entered into civil aviation.
The only time that I have encountered animosity towards military pilots IN TOTAL was from a character in GK who was known throughout the Company as the "Unaccompanied Minor" - especially by the cabin staff. I never really did work out what his problem was.
So what do I think? Military pilots have a lot to offer PROVIDED that they realise they are in a whole new ball game and that they start right at the bottom of the seniority list.
I have found civilian flying to be an absolute dawdle compared to TacT (MR). I have only had to shut down one engine in 25 years and I have never been asked or ordered to operate outside the realms of Performance 'A' and all that that implies.
The most difficult decision I have had to make in the last 25 years was whether to have the lobster or the fillet mignon!