Expert: James Bell - 3/6/2008

Question
I recently have been thinking about retraining, I'm really interested in either Loadmaster or Flight Engineer.  But I've been told that you get tired of being gone all the time, I was wondering if you could give me some insight on these careerfields based on your experiences.  Did you enjoy being an F.E. or a L.master more?

Answer
Greetings Joe -

"Getting tired of being gone all the time" is a matter of personal preference.  If you are a married guy with young kids at home, you would probably very quickly get tired of traveling so much.  If you are a single guy looking to see the world and enjoy what's in other countries, then being an aircrew member is a great job.

I joined as a loadmaster, then switched over to F.E. after seven years.  I was single for my first four years of my military career, then got married.  Four years later we had a son, and by the time I retired he was 15.  My wife and I are still happily married.  She had only known me as a flyer, so she actually had to get used to me "being around all the time" once I retired, and got a 'real job.'  Yes, I missed a lot of little league games, Christmas's, birthdays and anniversaries.  But I wouldn't change anything I did.  I enjoyed flying, I enjoyed traveling, I enjoyed seeing the world.  Your perspective all depends on your goals and your home life.

I enjoyed both the loadmaster and flight engineer career fields.  Being a loadmaster is a lot more physical, as you are pushing cargo onto and off the plane at every stop.  Being an F.E. is a lot more mental, because you have to learn performance data and aircraft systems.  But, being an F.E. kept me in the cockpit, always in the thick of the actual operation of the aircraft, and I enjoyed that tremendously.

Again, it all boils down to perspective ... what are you looking for in a career?  If you want something to carry you after the military, there aren't many loadmaster equivalent jobs on the outside.  As a Professional Flight Engineer, you can get a job with cargo airlines, as the FAA currently prohibits PFE's from flying on passenger planes (they want everyone in the cockpit to be pilots).  Again, this hinges of a couple of things: As an F.E. you can get an FAA flight check and get your FAA FE certificate.  IF you also have a background in aircraft maintenance, and have your A&P, then both tickets give you the ability to fly on those domestic cargo planes.  If you don't have both tickets, there are many foreign carriers (JAL, Lufthansa) that don't require all the tickets that the FAA does, and they let you F.E. passenger planes.

As for me, being a loadmaster gave me no background in maintenance, so I have no A&P.  My FE ticket alone was not enough to get me a job with a domestic cargo carrier.  After all the traveling I had done, I was ready to settle down and not move for a while, so the foreign carriers held no appeal to me.  I now have a job outside the airline/aircraft industry.  I miss flying, I miss traveling, and those that know me always ask for some of my "war stories".  My Dad was in SAC bombers as a navigator/bombardier for only a few years of his military career, but it's something he ALWAYS talks about.  Flying in the Air Force is a unique career that will always be with you, and you will always look back on it fondly.

I hope this answers your questions, although I'm sure it will generate more.  Don't hesitate to write back if you have more.

Sincerely,
James Bell