Advice to aspiring airline pilots

[Swaayze]

In trying to make decisions about my own career I think I've finally figured out what I wish I'd known 15 years ago when I started. Take this advice as worth what you paid for it but at least consider it if you're looking to get into the airline industry.

Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.

BTW, this is nothing more than variation/detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.


Good luck and have fun!

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Glad to see some common sense!

 

[eyeh8flt]

Listen up everyone, he is right. Places like Ram air, flight express, package express are a waste of time. I also had to learn the hard way and get ripped off and lied to at the same time. I wish I had gone to one of these places like some of my buddies did. I am now way behind the career power curve.

 

[sleddriver77]

The BEST advice for aspiring airline pilots...

FORGET IT!!

Become a doctor or a lawyer or a loanshark or something...

Then buy an airplane, and fly only for FUN!!!

 

[CoolSidePillow]

Very good post. Shortcuts usually lead to dead ends. I know it is a lost ideal but dealing with grief and paying dues builds character and integrity which are two of the most rare traits left in society. Everyone in this country feels they are too good for everything and feel entitled that they should have more. Is it any wonder that the rest of the industrialized WORLD is growing in economic development and we are shrinking. We are now the consumers of the world living in an abyss of debt. If there is a useless gadget or gizmo or other techno crap we will buy it and we will open a new credit card to get it. There are some ok places to work in the regional world and there are some not ok places. Probably the best place all around is XJT. Here is the problem.... that same culture that was described a few lines ago doesnt want quality anymore. They want cheap. It is the corporate culture that is now the religion of this country. Get lots done as cheap as possible. Make money for majority stock holders. Funnel as much wealth close to the top as absolutely possible. So if you want the "good" life now it comes with some drawback. Longer upgrade for one which translates to less income over the long run. The less you make now... the less you save 401k, less you invest, the harder to own real estate etc. Regional FOs just dont make any money that is worth the effort. Now some people are happy to stay as captain at some of these regionals. They probably got in some years ago..... have been captain for awhile.... maybe moved close to their base and now have good schedules making max pay for their pay scale. Something to think about is to get hired now you are still at the bottom of the expansion that took place from early 2000s. Even if a company is hiring 1000 pilots. How many are there now? 1600? 2500? If you were hired now you have to factor in that half of those guys are going to upgrade before you. Most of the companies will be upgrading from attrition only. Even when majors start hiring it wont be gangbusters and the fact that for about 6 years there has been no hiring means the pool of qualified guys has gotten very big so there still wont be enough jobs to take everyone who meets requirements. So there will be guys staying put at those more "quality" regionals. Some guys with enough time at Whisky, XJT, Shupubliquat, etc... they are probably making a pretty decent nut with a good schedule. So if you feel that you can get to the big time then you want the PIC as soon as possible. As an example, my total time pursuing aviation has been about 7 years. Did everything Part 61, instructed, flew 135.... there was no pilot factory for me. I went to a "crappy" regional and did about 4 years with them and got that PIC and now work for a corporate company flying some ballz equipment making bank. I make more first year than most CAs at regionals. I had a lot of luck... but I also worked my a$$ off. In today's industry I dont think that is too bad. There are people who have been sitting as FO at some places close to how long I have been flying totally. This is still a huge gamble. Anything can happen to bury the industry again. No matter how you slice it things are going to suck for you for awhile. My thoughts are dont chase planes or dream jobs. It is better to have a dirty dollar than a skiny dime.

 

[OzBushWhacker]

paying dues builds character and integrity which are two of the most rare traits left in society

Good post.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

By accepting jobs at lower pay rates you are effectively moving the competitive pilot rate further down the pay scale. Whether or not you fly a CRJ or a 747 you have to pay your bills. There is no difference between a 747 and a CRJ in terms of job description. So whomever is working for the lowest rate is the competitive rate, it is managements job to seek the competitive rate. Even at SWA they are at the competitive rate of around 2 and 1/2 cents. They just make more because they have less employees per aircraft. How low do you want it to go? in 1998 the rate was almost 4 cents.

 

[aewanabe]

Listen up everyone, he is right. Places like Ram air, flight express, package express are a waste of time. I also had to learn the hard way and get ripped off and lied to at the same time. I wish I had gone to one of these places like some of my buddies did. I am now way behind the career power curve.

Wrong. Don't spend years there but even with a short stint you will gain judgement, maturity, and experience that you don't get from yanking gear and listening to your IPOD. Then when you upgrade in a few years and are sitting next to the frosted-hair backpack-wearing kid you'll have some experience to draw on when ******************** happens and the kid gets all wide-eyed and says "they never showed us that at Flight Safety in the sim"!

 

[Goose Egg]

Devil's advocate...

Good advice, and I agree with just about everything, but I have a couple questions, and forgive me if it displays my insolence or my youthful naivety: If Eagle will hire me at 800/100, and Horizon will hire me with 1000/100, why shouldn't I just go there now? Why would I want to go from making ~$40k as a Colgan Captain to $20k as an Eagle FO? Why not just get those lean years out of the way early? If I went to Eagle or Horizon, I'd have one lean year. If I went to Colgan and then to Eagle, I'd have a total of three.

Now, with that said, I think going from Colgan to a fractional or something like that would be a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure why you'd want to go back to a regional from there.

Not trying to stir the pot, but just wondering what you guys think. I think I know what you are going to say already, but I'm going to let you say it.

And it should be stated that I'm more than willing to pay dues. I've instructed for 3 years so far, and it's been about 6 years since I really started flyinig "for real," although I got my private about 12 years ago. And it should also be stated that I really don't care if I ever fly anything bigger than a corporate jet--I really don't have much interest in the majors--I find corporate/fractional flying a lot more interesting. I have my reasons for that, I guess, but I'm just trying to say that a non-SJS victim has these questions too.

-Goose

 

[Fly High]

if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.

Awesome post Brother!