ATC question?

[SWAFO]

James,
Yes, I am a captain with Southwest Airlines here in the United States. I've been with Southwest for 3 years now, and prior to that I
was with Marine Corp Aviation (flying F/A-18D's) for 12. I definetly recommend getting a start in the military (since it's free of course, and
provides the best training available). I went to college prior to joining the military, and joined as an officer with the aviation MOS. I was
flying within 6 months of joining.

What exactly is it that you do for Virgin Atlantic? It's unlikely to move from a non-piloting position up to a piloting position, as
normally the airlines (operating on tight budgets these days) won't pay for any schooling or training you'd need (beyond training specific
to their operations). When I started with SWA, I was already a licensed ATP (Airline Transport Pilot), with a 737 type rating. I was able to
get different civilian pilot's licenses while flying for the Marines (flying for the military doesn't mean I can fly in the civilian aviation world...
it's completely seperate, and seperate certification is required.) Initially, it started as a hobby; I liked being able to fly fighters for a living,
and fly small single engine aircraft for fun. Eventually, I moved up from the basic PPL (Private Pilot's License), and invested quite a bit of
money in getting my CFI, Commercial, and eventually the ATP license (that I currently hold). It's been a lot of work getting to where I am,
but it was worth it. Now I live in a flexible, "semi-retired" state, where I'm able to choose my flight's based on a trip schedule that we as
pilots bid on (only the Captain gets to do this... the First Officer just follows the captain ). It's a fun career, and I wouldn't trade it for the
world!

Let me know if you have any further questions.