There are many mil pilots who fly in AK doing any number of mission types, many who are IPs in any number of airframes, and a number of mil flying gigs in aerial recon that are merely a more complex version of survey flying. I would say many are already developed in these ways and more. The above aren’t necessarily inherent to only civilian flying, they’re merely the same or very similar things, just done in different ways as it comes to the mil side.
Flown with and worked with a lot of these dudes who’ve gone from flying for Uncle Sam to flying part 135 in AK.
They fare about the same as anyone else coming up to Alaska - even the guys who flew in Alaska for the military. An advantage the mil guys have is they can usually learn to do things differently. A disadvantage is the “mission mentality” - we ain’t saving babies (usually) so being able to turn off “last flight out of Saigon thinking” is something they struggle with. With some exceptions, I still believe that after 3k hours or so, you’ve either “get it” and are adaptable or you don’t/aren’t. That is the key to doing well and being safe as much as anything else. At that point, you will be able to do the job or you won’t. The military guys flew about the same as the civvie guys in this regard.
A notable exception being the coast guard guys - those guys have always been pretty damn good when i came across them, also generally the guys who flew on boats or did “weird” flying. They tended to be able to adapt well to “ok, we have inadequate procedures, what do you do?”
Worst guys I flew with with prior mil background were the dudes who’d never had variety in their career. They had flown the same airframe for their whole time in etc. They were “adequate” but they also had very little adaptability in my experience.
All that being said, the best aviator I’ve ever met was an Airforce FAIP who came to Alaska after he got out. So, you know, depends, ymmv.
Things for guys getting out to avoid in their first flying job:
1. You’re not better than everyone else. Now you are the FNG, cooperate to graduate and don’t be a nob. Nobody cares about your squadron patch.
2. You can’t take 8 hours to plan a 45min flight anymore unless it is stupidly complex for some reason. Figure out a solution - not necessarily an optimal solution.
3. You still have a lot to learn. No, you’re not an idiot and you completed a great course of training and have experience - but this is new to you. Act like it and learn - the same way you’d expect things to go if roles were reversed.
4. You will not be prepared for the workload in Alaska 135. You will be tired. The rest and duty regulations are hot garbage. You may be a •-hot fighter pilot, but after 15 legs and 14hrs of duty 15 or 20 days in a row you will be tired. You must listen to your body and know when to say, “dude I’m tired, I can’t do this anymore,” and adjust what you are willing to do. There’s no shame in it. The stakes aren’t high it’s ok to say “I’m tapping out.”
5. Oh my god, please for the love of god listen to the old guys. Your 5,000hrs is not “high time,” Dave over there has 31,000hrs, and CFIT and lived. Listen to him. He’s got wisdom - he may be rough around the edges and unimpressed with you - good, he’s seen you and 8 others like you. Find out why he’s still alive and emulate the good parts.
6. Understand that you’re going to have to make a lot more decisions now. This was one thing that the military guys struggled with I saw a lot. Analysis paralysis would wipe them out. Learn to recalibrate decision making because often times there will be nobody to ask while you’re flying.
7. Finally, have fun. There’s no need to be as serious as you’re being right now. Yes it’s safety critical work, but tell a joke, smile, be happy about your life. What we do (or what I did) is fun! Enjoy it! I’ve seen a lot of these guys not have any fun - it was like they didn’t know how. That doesn’t mean go buzz caribou or other stupid pilot tricks (that’s more of an issue with the civvie guys tbh) - but it does mean go enjoy yourself. What you are doing is fun! Enjoy that feeling! Even when it’s hard it can be fun. Enjoy the flying.
Anyway, those are the things I can think of that I noticed along the way. Like almost every job the biggest asset mil guys can bring to the table is a good attitude and willingness to learn.
