Advice to aspiring airline pilots

[acaTerry]

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"!

A-MEN!!

 

[AC560]

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.

Fairly certain that has been the way of things since time began.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Fairly certain that has been the way of things since time began.

True. Social stratification has always been in place, even in the most primitive societies. Cast system or not, there is a natural pecking order and the money follows it upstream.

 

[n25na]

A-MEN!!

this post makes me want a delta charlie..mmmm

 

[Amish RakeFight]

this post makes me want a delta charlie..mmmm

I'd rather have a Bravo Juliet......

 

[Swaayze]

Goose Egg,

The problem with going to an Eagle or Horizon first, or even worse - too soon from a bottomfeeder, is that you will not be competitive for stepping up from there for many years. The reason you might want to leave a Colgan and take the pay cut is for QOL issues; perhaps you can live in a nicer city, have better bennies and fly nice equipment in a very professional environment where you can turn down a broken airplane or delay in the face of wx without fear of reprisal. 2nd year pay at the quality RJ operators will be darn close to 1900 or even Saab Captain pay at the bottom tier airlines.

In your case, not really that gung-ho for the majors, you'd probably be better off just finding a quality regional or fractional that has a base where you want to live and going there with the intention of staying. If you're low time and really want the fracs then any regional will probably do, or you should really hawk corporate jobs.

Good luck.

 

[CherryBomb]

Uh, don't go to Flexjet????

Whats wrong with the fractionals??? Whats wrong building your PIC time in a Biz jet as opposed to an RJ? The fractionals have a SUPERIOR quality of life and a SUPERIOR pay scale. We have guys that came from the airlines who hated the airline QOL, and not just the regional guys either...

Look at the new hires at Continental, UPS, etc. More and more guys are from the fracs...

 

[Goose Egg]

The problem with going to an Eagle or Horizon first, or even worse - too soon from a bottomfeeder, is that you will not be competitive for stepping up from there for many years.

That's pretty much what I thought you were going to say. And I think that my plan is to do something similar to what you are suggesting--not go right to a "jet" regional yet. Actually, it would be awesome if I could go straight from my "non-jet" job to a frac, but if I have to pay some dues in flying an RJ, then I guess I have to.

In your case, not really that gung-ho for the majors, you'd probably be better off just finding a quality regional or fractional that has a base where you want to live and going there with the intention of staying.

Once again, pretty similar to what I'm planning on, minus the "quality regional with the intention of staying." I'm sure being a captain at a good regional has its positives, but I have no intention of becoming a lifer.

In any case, thanks for your advice.

-Goose

 

[pilotyip]

Swaayze. I find your approach one of the most realistic I have seen posted concerning a pilot career. It fits with what I have been stating for year. It will take you approximately 10 years to get to a job that will allow you to start making QOL a goal in your job search. Pilots get hired at good places because they have Turbine PIC, you must build turbine PIC to have control over your career. You have to go wherever that job is that gets you turbine PIC. You stay in that job until you can get another job that gives you better turbine PIC, i.e. Bigger airplanes, Turbojet, 121, etc. It is called paying your dues everyone must do it. Some do it in the military, some do it at the regionals, and some do in the on-demand business. Everyone pays his or her dues.

 

[Swaayze]

Uh, don't go to Flexjet????

Whats wrong with the fractionals??? Whats wrong building your PIC time in a Biz jet as opposed to an RJ? The fractionals have a SUPERIOR quality of life and a SUPERIOR pay scale.

Absolutely nothing, but in the context of my original post I stand by the statement. As I said originally, this advice is for aspiring airline pilots who are young and unencumbered. My point is do not go somewhere "better" until you have the turbine PIC if you start at a bottomfeeder and can upgrade there fairly quickly. The FlexJets of the world are a definite step up from the lowball (probably almost all) regionals but I caution anyone on chasing QOL (or bigger/better airplanes or certain domiciles or even more money) too soon at the expense of getting that PIC, unless of course a FlexJet is your desired final destination.