Can anyone tell me a bit of up to date info on what it's like to be a new C-17 pilot? I'm looking for info on flying time and how hard/easy it is to get on the schedule for over seas missions (excluding deployments). Also if anyone can tell me how competitive it is to pick up a 17 out of pilot training. Lastly I'd like to know if anyone has any predictions on the 17 community for the next few years (good times or bad). For example, I know the fighter world is having some tough times and it's only going to get worse. Do you pilots enjoy your jobs or do you wish you had gone fighters? Feel free to add any other pertinent info or even add on other questions.

Not a pilot yet, but I do fly on the 17s as a load. They all seem to enjoy their job, we get alot more flight hours than the fighters, it's a more comfortable jet, you have beds, a lavatory, galley ect., we are gone from home a lot, lots of travel. You will have no problem going overseas, most of the misions seem to go to europe or the middle east, but we go all over the world. The outlook for the 17 is great, it a fairly new jet so theres lots of life still left on them, they'll be around for a while.