I'm ex-military fast jet and now fly big busses! I massively respect the pilots that I fly with that have come through the civil training route. They are skilled at operating in an airline environment. I learnt an immense amount from them and will always be greatful.
When I first arrived I found that most of the questions I asked the Captains that I flew with were to do with passenger handling and the flight operation manuals rather than how to handle the aircraft, aircraft tech or how to operate along routes. My time in the military had covered all those bases neatly. The transition course furnished me with enough knowledge to fly a different aircraft type. Don't forget, apart from galleys and toilets, military fast jets have just about all the main sub-systems that a modern airliner does. Yes they differ in exact detail but I used to have to understand the system so that I could diagnose flaws. In an airline environment, that is positively discouraged, the key is just to follow the ECAM.
I shelled out my own money for the exams and got an exemption from only the GFT. I worked reasonably hard, passed all the exams first time and the lowest mark that I got was in the low 90%s. The exams were not difficult just a learn/dump examination exercise. The whole process from start to finish took 4 months. I can honestly say that the CAA academic exams have had no bearing at all on how I operate on the flightdeck today. The only pleasant surprise was that I didn't have to do Astronav and that Dip is a thing of the past. My military training covered pretty much all of the important aspects of operating within controlled airspace both at home and abroad. Yes, military aircraft do operate in Class A-G airspace, in and out of major airports.
Lets face it, the academic exams in the UK are a hoop jumping exercise. We are just not as good at it as the FAA. There you get the book with the Master Question File, learn the answers to the questions: Ques. What is the beam width of an ILS beam. Ans. D. Yep, most of the guys I did my FAA exams with didn't even bother to learn the actual answer because the questions never changed. I think this might be the reason that the US majors like hiring ex-mil pilots because they are known quantities with a known training background.
I don't personally know of any ex-mil pilot that failed to pass the CAA exams or IR (eventually) in the last 5 years. Some have spent a little more money than others but c'est la vie. Since I have left, the military now pay for the civil exams and instrument training anyway so that guys will sign on for a bit longer.
I had a great time in the military, awesome flying but I now have a life away from work. Every time I flew I made decisions, now I eat meals. I don't begrudge the Long Haul flyers their flight time. I just wish I could have claimed for the time spent in the crew room eating between sorties. The other day a guy gave me a hard time saying that the key to experience was hours. He said that experience could only be gained that way. He did spit some food onto the newspaper that he had been reading for the last 2 hours as he said it.
I believe experience is exposure to all types of inputs and situations that will make you an effective commander. It can be done by osmosis or it can be ticked off methodically. The only real difference I see between the military and the civvies is that the military tick off the boxes and make certain the pilot has been exposed to everything that it is necessary for them to see to operate effectively in their environment. A lot of civvy companies 'hope' that by waiting a bezillion hours for command the boxes will be ticked.
I think the whole system should be overhauled, the CAA should decide exactly what is required of a First Officer and Captain and produce some training and exposure objectives. Then all the companies should make certain that those objectives are met by their crews irrespective of background.
I am now a civvy, I was in the military. The bottom line is that the CAA exams are a hoop jumping exercise designed to insulate the industry from no-hopers. They are not difficult, you just have to have average intelligence and be committed to pass! The flying test is different but probably harder in a Herc than a Duchess.
Ghost
