Being hired as a first officer for an airline

[waveflyer]

yeah- i'll bite too-

some airlines want glass/fms time- but not at the expense of Turbine PIC- especially SWA- they have a hand flying culture- get comfortable with that- even after RNAV goes full up- they'll still value it- better to be a captain of a 1900 than an FO on a 747, much less an RJ- don't ever get shiny jet syndrome- Get the PIC, then move up the airplane size/tech ladder- Keep the learning curve high- Getting stagnant and stop growing is a hard thing to explain in an interview-Never lose sight of the end goal- it's not about ego- It's about the QOL and Paycheck and being a good employee-

 

[Beaver79]

Do you drink Wild Turkey?

Jack Daniels only....the cleansing drink of the gods.

 

[Sandhawk]

Many moons ago as a Lear FO........One of my pax on a charter flight was a CAL DC10 capt. We were shootin the breeze while waiting for the rest of the pax to show up. We got to talking about working for the airlines and he asked me what the best major airline was to work for? I replied, I don't know. He said that the best major to work for is the one that hires you !!!

(unless of course you were hired by Useless Crashways)

:smash:

 

[Whine Lover]

Like flying itself, an aviation career is unpredictable at best and something that is meticulously planned knowing full well it won't in all likelihood work out that way.

There are ups and downs, storms and periods of relative calm, turbulence, smooth air, deviations and malfunctions, cruel twists of fate and seemingly God given gifts all wrapped up in what eventually becomes your "career".

You wind up where you wind up, sometimes close to what and where you planned sometimes so remotely far away that you wonder how the hell you got to where you are.

If you're lucky, very lucky, you'll get 20-30 years of having a shizload of fun flying something, somewhere, for somebody and you will have made a decent living at it.

If not....well, like a fool, you'll bounce from one crappy airline to the next always trying to get the brass ring while getting hurled off the merry-go-round repeatedly.

Never giving up, not knowing when to quit really, you will endure years of misery, poverty and constant upheaval.

Or you will finally get smart and get out of aviation and join the "Real World".

Nah.....


YKMKR

 

[waka]

Jack Daniels only....the cleansing drink of the gods.

I'll be fine with that only if you don't refer to JD as a bourbon.

 

[NEDude]

Was talking with a CAL 757 captain while jumpseating a few years ago and he told me his story about getting hired.

When he got out of the Air Force he put his stuff in with every airline that was hiring. One of his best friends got hired at Eastern. A couple more at TWA. I think one got PanAm. He sat around with no calls for a bit, until a crappy little start-up called PeopleExpress gave him a shot. He got a lot of crap from his friends as they were flying for the "big boys" like Eastern and TWA. Well flash forward 20 years. TWA, Eastern and PanAm no longer exist. PeoplExpress gets bought by the devils Texas Air Corporation, even more turmoil ensues, and by the early 2000s this guys is sitting as a very senior 75/76 captain at one the most financially stable and well respected major airlines (no comments about contract stuff here CAL guys - we know how things are over there right now). All of his buddies have had to re-start their careers several times at places like Midway, Vanguard and numerous other carriers that are no longer in business.

The moral of his story was that the airline industry changes a lot over 20-30 years. The small crappy start-up today may be merged into a large global carrier 20 years from now. A major player today may not exist in 20 years. Go with the first "big" airline that hires you and ride it out as long as possible, if you are constantly chasing the "dream" job, that "dream" job may be constantly changing as well.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

One thing I learned about aviation: A successful career has nothing to do with hard work and determination. It has everything to do with timing and good luck. Some senior captain flying international routes on a large aircraft may end up out of a job when his airline tanks and end up as first officer to some young kid on a RJ; a kid he helped teach how to fly or mentor. It happens.

So, carry a rabbits foot with you.

I'll agree with you on the timing and good luck, however hard work and determination are an integral part of that. The guys that rely on timing and good luck are the crappy lazy ones. The ones that work their butt off to ensure they are in position to have timing and good luck are the cream of the crop. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't... as we all know.

 

[Booker]

Forget being hired as a first officer...How can I be hired as a captain?

 

[CapnVegetto]

To become a successful airline pilot you:

1. Kiss a$$
2. Get EXTREMELY LUCKY
3. Get to know people that can vouch for you.

It's ALL about who you know. Your qualifications mean precisely NOTHING. If you have someone high enough up pushing for you, all you need to do is meet the minimums.

It also helps to be a minority or have a pair of boobs.

 

[Linedriver]

Why would you want to get into this industry now?

If I had spent as much money, time and effort on my own personal business instead of being an airline pilot, I wouldn't be driving a 8 year old truck with a 160,000 miles on it or living in a 22 year old, 1450 ft house.

Seriously. I fly with captains all the time and not one wants his kids to do this.