avanti

BURflyer: That's right, ANA only employs foreigners at their subsidiery airline ANK-- my friend's dad is a pilot for ANA and teaches foreigners (mainly Australians) procedures or whatever here in Tokyo at a training center, but these foreign pilots will all go to the ANK (turbo props and some small jets) after completion of training. I don't know about JAL, but they are really really hurting right now following a lot of major maintenance issues so I bet they will streamlining operations if anything. Then there is SkyNetAsia airways which is a startup that flies between Japan's southernmost island and Haneda in Tokyo with 737s (I think). They hire foreigners, but again, I have only met Australian pilots working there. As far as I know only ANA and JAL continue to hire pilots for ad-initio training and lifetime employment. JAL Express (JEX) now hires on a renewable contract basis, both ad-initio and experienced pilots. However no foreigners as far as I know. (In Japan the ads don't SAY "no foreigners" but it is pretty much an unspoken rule).

Anyway thank you for the supportive comments!! I did my private while on "vacation" from work in Japan, so I flew every day, twice a day. So I think I could deal with the schedule at ATP, but what I am worried about is that I might not learn the material thoroughly. I mean, the CFIs at ATP are mostly kids right out of the 90 day program with fresh ratings and very little real world experience, right? (This is the impression I got when I went to see ATPs Phoenix location last fall). I got the idea that there would be more CFIs with real-world experience, actual instrument time, and experience problem solving in the air at a big FBO... am I mistaken about that or ATP??

I would be lying if I said cost is not an issue, but more than that I want to learn the material well enough to be confident and safe in the plane. By the way, I went to Galvin in Seattle and am contemplating continuing training there... has anyone heard of it, I wonder??

rickair7777: Thanks for clearing up that info about age cutoffs. I will contact a recruiter as soon as I can or next time I am in the States. I need to contact the airforce, navy, air natl guard, coast guard and army separately right?? I have sent emails to the "online recruiter" folks on the net but they always send back useless form messages like "thanks for your interest, please check so and so website for more details, and call me if you need more info" even though I just came from that website and was asking question to which the answers were not listed!! So I have certainly gotten the feeling that I am just a number.... just a warm body that they want to get to sign on the line.... but at the same time if I could use military flight training to my advantage and have some fun flying planes I can't fly anywhere else while getting paid, I would do it. I am nervous about OCS though... I am an relatively athletic, fit person, but it sounds like it is created to make you hurt... at least that's the way it is portrayed in movies.

Scott "Gunny" P: thanks for the advice about military bases here in Japan. As you know I am a civilian but I have visited Yokota, Yokosuka, Atsugi, as well as the Japanese Self Defence Force air-base at Hyakuri so far with a sponsor. I have met some Sunday-flyer types but no real professional military pilots... I don't know where to find them. (Got a tour of the US1 at Atsugi which was TOTALLY awesome--!!!) As you may know here in Japan Yokota and Kadena (in Okinawa) have flying clubs, but as a civilian with no military affiliation I was turned down. I wish more than anything there were some way for me to fly there ($65 for a 150 versus $350/hr outside the gate at a Japanese FBO). I was told that if I were a member of CAP it might be different, but I don't know how to become a member from Japan. Obviously most flying club members are military folks or their families who joined CAP back in the states and then came to Japan on duty. I wish there were a way to train here in Japan while keeping my job, but I haven't found it yet =(

Sorry there a lot of random info and questions in this post...please reply to whatever part you like!!

BURflyer

Well of course, you can't expect to learn everything in 90 days and you can't expect ATP to teach it all to you in that time frame either. ATP assumes that you know most of the stuff before you come to ATP. That's kind of an unofficial requirement at ATP. Another words, don't show up at ATP without reading and studying about stuff you will be doing or you will be lost very quickly. If you manage to study about instrument flying, multi-engine, and CFI flying before you go through the program you will most likely do fine, that's a small tip.

As far as the inexerience at ATP, I don't think it's an issue. CFIs at regular fbos get jobs at 250 hours with no experience. CFIs at ATP have all multi-engine experience and they've had the oportunity to fly in all types of weather around the country when they do the cross-country flying in those 90 days. I'd rather take ATP CFIs than those regualar single engine CFIs with more hours because those single engine guys most likely have never left 100 miles away from their home airport and probably have no experience outside that home airport. Multi-engine time is very important and more valuable than 1000 hours of single engine time.

rickair7777

No, their western pacific passenger operation is staffed mostly with Americans. This is pretty well known in the airline biz...

BURflyer

What you're thinking of is Jalways which is an independent airline from JAL. Its like comparing Pinnacle to Northwest.

rickair7777

JALWays is not a regional, it is a geographically seperate (but wholly owned) operation similar to Continental Micronesia. They operate big airplanes like JAL.

Roll Inverted and Pull

You have received some good advice and some that`s pretty far off...The first thing you should do is find a FAA approved medical examiner and get a really good flight physical. Get an EKG, all of the blood work. If you can`t pass a 1st class medical, you will be wasting your time and money. I`m concerned about your eyes. I`m not at all sure that the various military services would even consider someone that "Can`t see a thing" without contacts or glasses. Another thing...someone told you something that is unfortunately very true. A recruiter, military or civilian will lie to you. Make sure that everything that you are told is in writing. Good luck to you. I`ve had a wonderful flying career, both in the Marines and with Delta. I hope that you will be as lucky as I have.

LAfrequentflyer

Good luck to you. You won't go wrong with ATPs program. My research has lead me to consider only them for flight training. There are many ways to make a good living in aviation. The majors aren't the only game out there

Flying is a job like anyother nothing more / nothing less...

soldierboy

Avanti,
I've been in the Army for 18 years. They are now letting people enlist in their 30's. Saw it last week, new guy that just came in. Tell them you want to be a Warrant Officer if you want to fly. They will take care of you and you will get all free training and all your military benefits at the same time. College tuition is FREE for classes while on active duty. You just have to pay for your books. Can't beat it!
If I could do it all over again, I would have been a Warrant Officer and flown and been able to scoot right into the civilian airline industry no problem. But, at the time I joined, I wan't even thinking of aviation like I am now.
Good luck in your decisions.
PS. If you go to the Army, request Korea. It is the best duty assignment these days. Been here 5 years in Yongsan (Seoul).

ppilot

Holy resurrected thread...

beis77

If you really want to pursue aviation and would like the opportunity to serve in the armed forces; then I'd highly encourage you to look into the Air National Guard, or the Air Force Reserves. Yes, I'm biased as I'm AD Air Force, so I can't speak to the Navy or Marines; I'm sure they have excellent programs as well.

Do plenty of research up front, and keep in mind it's very difficult to get picked up by a unit "off the street", but if you can, then you won't regret it. As a TR (traditional Reservist), you'll build hours relatively quickly, and you won't have to worry about additional duties, as you would on Active Duty (unless you need the money/ man days and volunteer).

Active Duty is a good route too, but keep in mind that there is a 10 year commitment, and that's not by accident. If you go the active route, you can expect to be on casual status for several months, then go through UPT. Also, on the off chance that you were on AD and washed out of training, then you'd be stuck on AD for 4 years, and put in a separate career, which you may not want any part of, just my $0.02.

By the time you graduate UPT, you could have close to 2 years already invested, and BTW, your commitment doesn't start until you get "winged". So really, you're investing 12 years of your life before your initial commitment is up. Many people (not all) will tell you that once you're "over the hump" (past the 10 year mark), that you might as well stay in for the full 20.

Anyway, bottom line, if you want to fly and want to go military, I think the Guard or Reserves is the way to go. If you choose AD, just remember you are considered an officer first, pilot second. That means a lot of additional duties not necessarily related to flying.