Civilian path ahead
Civilian head start
Requires 20 active years
Total modeled payments
NET INVESTED POSITION
Retirement assets minus remaining training debt
MilitaryCivilianLoan
Age 65Military $4.43MCivilian $5.47M
Age
Civilian majorAge 30
Civilian captainAge 35
Military majorAge 34
Military captainAge 39
CrossoverAge 33
Model assumptions and methodology
Values are shown in approximate 2026 dollars. The model uses 2.5% inflation, applies investment growth annually, and treats the flight-school loan as accruing interest during one training year before amortized payments begin.
The default civilian path includes two CFI years with no retirement contribution, a regional plan totaling 8%, and a major-airline plan totaling 21% subject to a modeled annual contribution cap. Moving from a regional to a major restarts airline pay longevity and seniority; accumulated retirement assets do not reset.
The military path uses modeled 2026 officer basic pay, the selected member TSP rate, the BRS automatic contribution and match, and direct entry to a major after active duty. At 20 years, retirement pay is estimated as 2% times years served times modeled high-three basic pay.
Sources: DoD Blended Retirement System, DFAS 2026 officer pay, and ALPA pilot pay and benefits.