One of the greatest flight training experiences is provided by our nations military. Army, Navy, Marine, Coast Guard; all have excellent programs that create good pilots. The problem is that armed forces training does not make for a very good commercial pilot at the start. When I began commercial flying, I was an ex- AF Helicopter Instructor Pilot and Standardization Pilot and I thought that 1500 hours in type was a lot of hours. However, my civilian Chief Pilot told me that, "First, I am going to have to teach you to think." I was upset, but I learned how right he was.
I love ex-military pilots, hell, I was one! The problem is that some of them come to the commercial market believing they have an incredible experience base and because of their superior training they should be pushed to the front of the line to take the place of the "Robbie Rangers." Actually, the reverse is true. I worked as an instructor for a major Gulf of Mexico operator where I had the opportunity to train many new commercial pilots, civilian and military background. I have to tell you, when it comes to making a good commercial pilot out of the box, the civilian trained folks were most often head and shoulders above the military folks.
Why? Here's the reasons:
1. Commercial flying is all about the regulations; 61, 91, 135, 133, GOM, and he like. Commercial Pilots do what's in the regulations and the commercial pilot generally makes most of the decisions on the job. That's not the case in the military. Heck, when I was in, the decisions were made by the USAF, then amended by the Numbered AF, modified by the Wing, and restricted by the Squadron so that eventually, little latitude is left to the line pilot. It's the same in all the services. It's not the pilot's fault, it's just what it is; the military pilot does not make a lot of decisions. Meanwhile, the person who knows the FAR's the best can be initially more productive; that would be the commercially trained pilot. The Military Pilots catch up, but they have a lot of studying to do.
2. Military pilots generally do not have "good hands" to start. The majority of them flew H-60's. H-64's, Apaches, and other large aircraft with advanced stability systems. So then, when it comes to flying the line in an A-Star, 407, 206L, A119 or the like, they often have a little catching up to do. They catch up here too, but it takes them longer than the Robbie Ranger who was trained in a fairly unstable platform like the Robinson or Hughes.
3. Military pilots have a hard time functioning alone. They always seem to want a large crew, a big audience (higher headquarters?), a big organization, or a large system that provides their support. A Commercial pilot is used to functioning alone, getting their own gas, loading their own cargo, briefing their own passengers, and being on the job by themselves (In fact, in most companies, the management team doesn't want to hear from pilots till the job is done!) The military trained pilot eventually figures this out, but it is another learning experience.
4. Also, many of the Military trained pilots do not understand the nature of customer support. The Commercial pilot understands that they are just "drivers," hired help part of the client's team to get a job done safely; just a piece of the pie. Many Military trained pilots seem to think that when they come on the commercial scene, the world revolves around them and they need to hold court telling all how things are to be done. They can be pretty self-centered and whether it's insecurity or not, it seems that within 10 minutes on the job, many feel like they have to tell the customer about Vietnam or the Gulf War or something else that has nothing to do with the customers job. They also eventually figure this out as well but it sometimes takes a while.
5. Finally, many of the military pilots have a bit of an attitude. After years of being a "Pilot" or an "Aviator," walking around in a flight suit and having people salute them, they come to believe that that somehow, they are superior. Certainly, that attitude is part and parcel of the flying community however, many Military trained pilots believe their own press and bring it to the client. It doesn't bode well for customer service. The Robbie pilot paid a lot of money for their education and they tend to be more humble and supportive of the client.
So then, what advantages does the military pilot have? The biggest is that a door in commercial aviation is already opened to them because of their experience and training. Second, is the fact that they are not in debt for $70,000 or more for their education. Third, the fact that many are a little older and have the maturity that helps the make good progress. Finally, if a large commercial helicopter is in their future, they are better able to grasp the ECS, SAS, AFCS, FMS, multiple electrical systems and the like of larger aircraft.
Like I said, it evens out in the end but at the start, their are many military pilots who have a way to go. If I had to put a pilot on the job, unsupervised, in a short time period, give me the Robbie Ranger. The military guy will catch up, but "out of the blocks", I'm going with the person with the R-22 or H-269 in their logbook.
