Originally Posted by oneflewnorth
Hi slowlane,
Thanks for the insight. Would you be able to elaborate on how fast jets are over rated/compare to transports etc? One of the questions I meant to ask a pilot at Williamtown was, 'if you could do it all over again, would they still pick fast jets?' so getting some insight from your statement might answer that. Thanks
Don't get me wrong as I was not putting fast jets down, just pointing out that there are many other equally rewarding options out there.
As I said, fast jets simply do not suit everyone. There is a huge work load over about four years to even get fully qualified and then to only get about 20 hrs per month. There has only been one deployment of any aircraft in the strike force since the Korean war where as the Transport, the Maritime and the Helicopter guys have literally been everywhere and continue to go everywhere.
Every type has its challenges and many types have a lot more quality time in many OS locations. Conversely I know quite a few pilots who have specialised in the training environment and had huge job and personal satisfaction.
The other question to ask is where do you want to be 20-30 years later? Maritime or Transport aircraft will set you up much better to get that coveted airline job. That is for two reasons, one of which is similarity of types and roles and the other is the airlines look at total flying time and as I mentioned earlier the FJ people don't get a lot of that.
The other part of the reality is that the military will post you to where they want you and not necessarily to where you choose. (On my pilots course there was one person who got their first preference)
I hope that answers your question.