Average Annual Salary For First Year FO

[captjim]

$19.5 my first year at COEX.

 

[Beantown]

Made $24,000 first year on the Jetstreem at now defunct CCAir.
-Bean

 

[jtf]

A lot will depend on how long your training lasts and how long you are on reserve. Training pay is usually pretty crappy and a long, drawn out training will really lower your first year total. My first training was for the J-41 and it took 5 months before I was done with IOE and put onto reserve. When I went to the EMB-145 I had a line within 10 weeks of the begining of training. Depending on the airline and how busy they are your perdiem can really suck if you aren't flying much. Money picks up a lot when you fly a lot, but first year pay can really blow- lots of ramen noodles.

 

[FL717]

My first year at Trans States the starting FO pay was $17.50 per hour (70 hour guarantee), and $1.10 per hour for per diem. It was horrible. Grossed barely $17,000 first year and $22,000 the following year as a FO.. including per diem. That was a while ago, and I know the pay is (supposedly) better now.

 

[BAe3100FO]

Man, I'm in the wrong part of the country...

1040EZ says I made just under $11k

4 months flying a J-32
4 months as a CFI
2 months unemployed
2 months grocery clerk

Thank goodness for college educated loved ones!
(NOT in aviation)

 

[WileE]

There are also ways to work the system.

If you can bid TDY you will get room and board paid for plus 24 dollars a day in per diem for as long as you are on TDY or around 700 bucks depending on the length of your bids.

Here at least you can also get move money for moving to new domiciles or getting displaced. That can usually vary depending on the move, but it can run from around 600 to 3000 dollars a month depending on distance.

 

[JOPILOT]

response to right rudder's " "

Well actually I fly all locals, so it is actually only like 200 hours of perdiem at the most per month...and to make up for my prudent wage, I pick up open time for voluntary junior man pay at 1.5 times $$$, which we seem to have a good deal of available because we are growing right now. Thus I am getting paid for about 120-130 hours of flying a month if I hustle. I hope this clarifies how I estimated $26 K this year...have a good one right rudder.

 

[rightrudder]

Well actually I fly all locals, so it is actually only like 200 hours of perdiem at the most per month...and to make up for my prudent wage, I pick up open time for voluntary junior man pay at 1.5 times $$$, which we seem to have a good deal of available because we are growing right now. Thus I am getting paid for about 120-130 hours of flying a month if I hustle. I hope this clarifies how I estimated $26 K this year

I'm glad you're so industrious, I guess you have to be since your wages are so low.

The question here, is how much is average first year pay, not how much can someone make if they work on their days off.

sounds to me like an average mesa fo will make about 19K first year, + 2400-3500 per diem

 

[Klamath]

You have 35 hours, join the military, avoid going regional. The pay is much better and you'll get more job satisfaction.

 

[Ty Webb]

I knew I couldn;t survive on FO pay when I was "at the crossroads" in 1998, so I went corporate jet FO. I made more, worked less, and probably had at least as much fun . . . . . don;t think that you HAVE to go regional.

After a few years as a corporate captain, I went to a national jet airline (AirTran) first year W-2 was around $41,000., I believe.