When the bay of his C-17 Globemaster III is lined with seats of returning troops or family members, Lt. Col. Todd Ray makes it a point to get on the intercom, acknowledge his passengers with a friendly greeting and sometimes even give them a quick weather forecast of the city they're headed to.

It's just a little skill he's perfected as part of his day job.

Ray, a reserve pilot with the 446th Airlift Wing at McChord Field, has been with the wing since 1997. When he's not flying C-17s, he's flying 737s for Alaska Airlines.

While there are some differences in the jobs when it comes to certain flight procedures, for the most part the transition is pretty seamless.

"You're just swapping your flight suit for polyester," said the 46-year-old Ray, an Auburn resident who's worked for Alaska since 2006.

There is a large contingency of commercial pilots across the airline industry that have spent time in the Air Force. Some spent time on active duty at one point in their lives, while others such as Ray and Maj. Mike Bautista continue to serve their country through the Air Force Reserves.

The military offers more training opportunities than one could get in the civilian world without considerable financial resources, said Bautista, an Air Force Academy graduate who has been flying for about 15 years and joined on with Southwest Airlines about five years ago.

"In the military world you're also exposed to a wider skill set," said Bautista, 38, who also flew KC-135 Stratotankers for 10 years.

Flying Air Force missions also helps build a heightened sense of situational awareness, which is a good thing for any pilot, Bautista said.

Although flying is flying no matter the airframe, there are distinct differences in the missions.

"The airline culture is very customer service oriented," said Ray, who spent nearly 10 years on active duty with stints flying C-21 Learjets and C-141 Starlifters. "The nature of the military mission is different. The nature is more mission-focused."

Commercial flights across the country are often routine and very structured - with pilots knowing full well what hotels they'll be staying in before they even touch down the ground. When pilots put on their flight suits and strap into the C-17, things change.

"You never know what you're going to get" when it comes to airlift missions, Bautista said.

Both Ray and Bautista enjoy the strong bonds with other pilots within the wing they've established throughout their time in the reserves. They attribute it to the bond that comes from serving one's country.

"We socialize a lot more on the military side, and build deeper friendships," Ray said.

And while the travel grind of juggling both jobs can sometimes take a toll on the pair (Ray is based out of Alaska while Bautista, who lives in Olympia, is Las Vegas-based), they enjoy the flexibility both sides offer.

"The airlines are very supportive of what we do," Bautista said. "They go above and beyond what the law says."

When Bautista was given active duty orders as part of a deployment in July 2008, Southwest immediately embraced his family, sending two care packages to his house. One came addressed to him containing items for his deployment; another came a few days later, this time addressed to his wife and two children.

The gesture was part of the reason Bautista nominated Southwest for the Air Force Association's 2009 Air Force Reserve Command Employer of the Year, an award it went on to win.