Lots of my friends in Naval Aviation got out after one or two tours and went commercial, with three to four thousand hours of multi-engine jet time under their belts. If you're going from "cold iron civilian" to an ATP, figure on close to 100 large and you still won't have anywhere near the experience military pilots bring to the table.

That said, there IS a huge pilot shortage so standards are becoming less, almost like in the mid-60s, where a couple of hundred hours in a Cessna would get you in the door of a major airline and they would train you. Good luck


A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”