Becoming a Regional Airline Pilot

[taloft]

I love to fly and I could see no other way of making a living. I would rather be a poor pilot than a rich investment banker. Is that wrong to say? Maybe I am naiive but I guess we are supposed to be at this age.

That is precisely the attitude you're going to need to get past training, instructing and your first few years at a regional. So at least you've got that going for you. I say go for it. It sounds like you know exactly what you're getting into.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

My advice to anyone who really wants to do this job is to find a good PUBLIC university or college with a flight department. I've flown with several San Jose State grads and they've all impressed me. I'm sure there are some other state schools with good aviation programs. The private schools like ERAU are not worth the extra money.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

I would rather be a poor pilot than a rich investment banker. Is that wrong to say? Maybe I am naiive but I guess we are supposed to be at this age.

Right now I am single and don't have a lot of responsibility (except my education), but I guess if I have a family one day it will be hard. How do some of you guys deal with the family issues? I realize it is hard but I know some people make it work.

Thanks for the insight.

The problem is once you have a family and a mortgage there is a neverending supply of kids willing to do your job for free. Wages will always be lower in the regionals. Once people spend some time in the industry their outlook changes and they become a bit more practical. If you want to do something fun when you're young that doesn't pay well try being a ski bum or boat bum. I've been both of those and that beats any job.

 

[JSky26]

Dave,

How long were you bummin' till you realized you couldn't do it anymore?

I do attend a collegiate program so I feel good that I'm not wasting my money by going to Riddle or DCA (even though it is still expensive as hell...I can't imagine how some of those kids finance that). The little money I make on the side is playing drums in shitty ass bars on the weekends...its not much but it is a great time...couldn't take that away from me

 

[WMUSIGPI]

This guy is pretty funny. This was posted at 11:16 today. Take a look at the post in the Aviation Mechanics forum at 15:38 TODAY - a mere 4 hours and 22 minutes later. Wow we must be some unbelievably disgruntled pilots to be able to turn a newbie this fast. That must be some kind of record!!! All said - it's probably for his/her best.

Disgruntled... naw that's for Post Office employees. We are far beyond that point.

 

[Ilikeairplanes]

Be careful what you wish for! I wouldnt recommend this career to anyone. I love flying, but I wish I had a good paying, steady, 9-5 job with stablity. I live like a nomad and have pennies. Maybe someday I will have a nice 75k a year corporate job flying. But I will be 35 years old. Most of my friends are in their late 20's with nice houses, wifes, and cars.

 

[av8er2]

You can get to one without spending all that money. And you can get to one spending all that money.

You can get all your ratings on your own for less, instruct a little, and then apply when you have the minimums.

The regionals will have a hard time getting qualified pilots for a few years so it won't be too tough to get on.

I would not spend a ton to get into this business.

Have a backup and don't go into big debt to get here.

It is fun but I would be careful.

Good luck.

 

[freeflyer14]

Have a backup /quote]

Best piece of advice you will ever hear about going into this business...

I unfortunately got an A&P as my backup to flying thinking it was the way to go, if I could do it again, I would obviously get into something totally unrelated to aviation.

 

[Flying Ninja]

I agree with all those folks regarding going to a flight academy or an accelrated school. I went to CAPT and am now 3+ months on the streets trying to land a job. I pretty much spent all my money and now I'm dead broke. I can't even work for a regional because the student loan payments monthly is horrific and I won't be making enough money to eat and have a roof over my head. I'm going back to my old career path where it's stable.

 

[JustaNumber]

Be careful what you wish for! I wouldnt recommend this career to anyone. I love flying, but I wish I had a good paying, steady, 9-5 job with stablity. I live like a nomad and have pennies. Maybe someday I will have a nice 75k a year corporate job flying. But I will be 35 years old. Most of my friends are in their late 20's with nice houses, wifes, and cars.

I'm in my upper 30's, and I'm still waiting for the nice houses, wives, and cars! (Okay, I do have a nice wife, who is standing over my shoulder right now).

 

[Bringupthebird]

So you're flipping through some magazines and you see an ad that says you can be a pilot in 6 months? How good a job do you suppose that could be? I haven't found too many ads saying, "Become a neurosurgeon in 6 months!" " I went from a dead-end job to Cardiologist and you can too!"

Realize that your entire career and quality of life from training to "retirement" will depend on access to easy credit, since you won't really make much money. Take a break from the drums for a weekend and seriously think about how practical it will be to live on $40,000 or less for the rest of your life. The wages you see today, as bad as they are, are likely to be the highest they will ever be. If you look at this job realistically and throw out all the nostalgia and stereotypes about the Captains with the Harleys and the sailboats, and realize what you are getting into is a job with about the same salary and benefits as a department manager at K-Mart, then you may escape the disillusionment that many here are facing.

The FedEx guy likes his job and for good reason: his company is in a business with sufficient margins to pay him AND make a profit. Most airlines are not like that and they are making up their revenue shortfall by taking it from the employees. They are not changing their business model to make more money, they are merely adjusting the expectations and payroll to accomodate the failed business plan and hoping for cheap fuel someday.

Life is only so long, so do what you love. But love something loveable.

 

[taters]

Working ramp will give you a feel

I worked ramp until I graduated college only to get furloughed!! thats right a furloughed ramper but I also got an upclose view of what life would be like a s an RJ pilot....I am now in the insurance industry saving money (32k 1st yr)to finish off my ratings and an AFB aero club. I was one week away from going to ATP with financing in hand and told them screw it. I can finish off for 20k at an local aeroclub(offut AFB) versus 50k which turns into 100k once you get the loan paid back. My point is that I miss this industry very much but I will NOT get into a rush to BOW DOWN to mediocracy!!! (i.e Mesa..etc) so I am taking my sweet A$$ time ,I would rather CFI for 5 years and then "upgrade" to single pilot ops versus regional flying right now in a CRJ with low time. To all you aspiring pilots thinking about an academy, remember there is no rush, you probaly have no real concept of what life will be like as an RJ pilot. DO YOUR RESEARCH!! Many of you will probably change your mind, and for those of you who have it in your blood, (God Help us all) do everything you can to bring this industry back......STOP FLYING FOR TURDS INSTEAD OF DOLLARS.... I know its a cool jet but trust me you wont care after two week s when you get that 1st paycheck..and you want to vomit....All of this comes from my observations of this industry as a ramper.....so there you have it .

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Dave,

How long were you bummin' till you realized you couldn't do it anymore?

too long. way too long. now i'm playing catchup so i can start doing it again on a more permanent basis.

 

[ROJO]

MAPD a good option

I went through the MAPD (Mesa) ab initio program a few years ago and had a lot of success with it. It's a hard program and somewhat costly (my total flight costs were about $36K), but if you graduate with a high enough GPA, they'll interview you for a job. Most grads get hired. I went into the Dash-8 right out of school. It was very tough but it can be done if you work hard.
I think you'll hear pretty much the same thing from any MAPD grad. We were all very happy with the program (in my class at least). Most of my classmates have moved on to the majors (SWA, AirTran, and Alaska).

The FBO/instructing route is also good, but those guys didn't seem to have an edge in ground school or sim training at the airline. 50% of my Dash-8 new hire class washed out, and all of them were CFI types from Mom and Pop FBOs.

Again, it all depends on you, your preferences, and how you learn best. You have to be very disciplined and willing to dedicate your entire life to training as you are working your way toward that first job.

Regional airline flying is tough and the pay is low. The airline industry is hurting right now. It's a hard life sometimes, so do a gut check and make sure you REALLY love flying. If your gut still says GO, then set your goals and go do what it takes to acheive them.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Flying Ninja]

Regional airline flying is tough and the pay is low. The airline industry is hurting right now. It's a hard life sometimes, so do a gut check and make sure you REALLY love flying. If your gut still says GO, then set your goals and go do what it takes to acheive them.

I would do more than a gut check. Do a financial review of what you bring in and what you need to pay out. Also keep in mind the life style of a regional pilot as well. I read a lot of people within pistol range screaming about quality of life. I'd find out what the screaming is all about before you decide on anything.