Wingmen,
At 0630 this morning I was off the ground at Erie with @MauriceFlyz in the right seat of my turbo-normalized SR22, climbing into a sunrise over the Colorado Rockies.
Maurice is 22 years old. He is upgrading to Captain at a regional airline and will be 23 by the time he finishes as required by 14 CFR 61.153(a)(1) - in case you were curious..
This same week, I interviewed pilots who persevered for decades to reach the cockpit they dreamed about.
Both stories are true.
There is no single right way.
@MauriceFlyz and me over the Rockies this morning. He is 22 and upgrading to Captain.
1. SO MANY RUNWAYS. ONE DESTINATION.
Aspiring pilots sometimes think aviation is a narrow hallway.
I didn't go to the Academy. I'm too old. My GPA isn't perfect. I don't want active duty. I started late.
Every one of those is a door somebody else has already walked through.
Want a military cockpit? Service Academy. ROTC. OTS or OCS. Air National Guard. Reserves. Coast Guard, which almost nobody talks about. And the Army, including the Warrant Officer path, where a college degree isn't required to get started.
The guardrails are WIDE open.
And the civilian side tells the same story.
One recent new-hire class at my favorite legacy airline had 47 pilots.
Lowest flight time: 1,550 hours
Average: 4,879 hours
Highest: 13,800 hours
Youngest: 24
Oldest: 54
They arrived from the military, airlines large and small, regionals, corporate aviation, cargo carriers and international operators.
There is no magic resume.
There are dozens of ways to build one.
2. TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD OR TWENTY YEARS OF PERSEVERANCE
Maurice will hold a Captain's seat before most people his age have figured out what they want to do for a living.
Other pilots I spoke with this week were told "no" more times than they can count. They kept going anyway.
The speed of the journey does not determine the value of the destination.
If your path doesn't look like somebody else's, good.
It's yours.
3. THE LIFE BEHIND THE CAREER
Getting hired is the part everybody plans for.
Then comes real life.
Where do you actually live? Should you commute? Can you build an airline career and still live where you want? How do you nurture a marriage, family, friendships and everything else that matters when your career regularly takes you away from home?
These are some of the questions I get asked most privately and talk about least.
They deserve more than a paragraph.
We'll go there - and my subscribers always get the first look..
4. SPEAKING OF THE FIRST LOOK
You've heard me talk about the values, disciplines and commitments that have guided me through military aviation, airline flying and life.
I've made them easier to access:
353FlightPlan.com
And there's something else coming.
Your personal opportunity to fly with me awaits.
Stay tuned for how to qualify.
My inspiration for all of this continues to be YOU, my mentees.
Military. Civilian. Twenty-two years old or fifty-four. First flight lesson or fourth type rating.
You remind me every week why I do this.
If Fast Jet Friday was worth a few minutes of your time today, send FastJetFriday.com to one person who belongs here.
The destination can be remarkably specific.
The path to it can be wildly different.
Live passionately,
Captain Reeman
#AskCaptainReeman | IG @f16pilot
Past issues and archives at reeman.com
The Tools I Actually Use
Military pilot hiring, done right. GetYourPilotSlot.com Code: WHACKER
Airline interview prep, the right way. aviatorintelligence.com Code: AIMDC50JR for 50 percent off the masterclass
Momentous supplements, NFL standard. captainprotocol.com 30 percent off
My full supplement protocol. AircrewFitness.com
Track recovery like you track airspeed. WHOOP
Stay fit on the road, any city. ClassPass
The food you deserve. Beli
