Becoming a Regional Airline Pilot

[Freight Dog]

No1pilot... there is an entire other side of aviation - corporate/fractional side of the fence. Forget regionals... you can get your ratings, do your instructor deal, but then start looking at charter operators flying turbine equipment. With about 1500TT and some multi time, you could find yourself in the right seat of a Lear or Citation. Pay is usually better than the regionals. You eventually get into bigger and better equipment, and start looking for the gig that suits your lifestyle and your needs the best. Now, similarly to the airlines, on the corporate side of the fence, it's all who you know and your personality, and that's more important than your flight time. Here's an example:

Let's say you're a copilot on a Lear, and you fly a charter customer, and he/she really like you - your attention to detail, treating them right, they'll remember it and they'll remember you. They may decide to get their own airplane, and guess who they will want to fly them in that new jet? You. Do you think they'll pay you regional airline wages to fly them? I doubt it.

In any case... if down the road, you figure out you want the airlines, you'll have plenty of experience to be competitive.

Here's another option, say you worked for this charter company, and you want more stability - look at fractional operators like NetJets or Flexjet. You can easily have a good career with a fractional operator flying all sorts of bizjets all over the place. Find a NetJets pilot on this board, it shouldn't be difficult at all. Go under Fractionals... it's almost all about NetJets. They can tell you more about that. Many pilots now consider NetJets a career place.

All in all, there's a whole 'nother side of aviation. Explore all your options... lot more to it than the airlines.

 

[dabandermac]

i'm so glad i read this thread....

i'm graduating this semester with a degree in biochem with high gpa and dat (dental admission test) scores & was in the process of applying to ANG units.

after reading this thread i'm canceling any guard interviews i receive, and will be applying to dental school for fall 2007.

thanks guys! no sarcasm intended, as this is the most depressing thread i have ever read. i wish you all good luck and hope things make a turn for the better!

 

[EFIS COMP MON]

Hey Cpt. Markcist, bit* me

how about this...get all your ratings..then be a flight instructor..then maybe be a multi-flight instructor...then get a job flying checks in a baron...then upgrade to an MU-2 or a LRjet..and get a type in the LRjet...build your time and then you will have some quality experience to operate an RJ and carry my family members...do that for a few years and then come sit next to me....or go into our armed forces..protect our asses for 10 years and then you can apply anywhere...it's that easy...

Your literary jargon is so sly, I just couldn't help but appreciate your intellectual comments. Lets you & I go into the mountains,ice,turbulence,non radar enviroment & b/s of the west in a Cessna-206, where I came from. But wait-now-I'm an F.O. on an R.J. so all of a sudden I'm not worth sh*t. (Not to mention my 4 year degree that was so easy to attain just let me walk into my regional job). Give me a break. Mark, I dream of the day where I can have the experience to sit next to you in an airbus just like you have depicted on your dumba$$ picture, and then maybe, finnaly, I can say truthfully " I have arrived, I can fly with Mark, the best aviatior from flight info." You need a reality check. Not everyone that's a regional pilot is a 1000 hr. wonder. I paid my dues, and still am. Find somewhere else to vent your 59 year old airbus drivin' problems.

 

[Regul8r]

No1pilot2000,

Don't listen to these guys, they don't know how lucky they have it. These 50 people represent a VERY small portion of the aviation community. I say go ahead and pursue aviation. But why take the long road? As an aviation consultant and self appointed expert, I know everything there is and everything to come. If you sign up for my program, I can take you from No Time to your ATP in 2 weeks, regardless of your age! But I will need a downpayment of $75,000 to get you started, so don't delay and act now! Your Aviation Dream is just around the corner!