Importance of Flight Currency when Searching for a Job

[Trogdor]

How important is being current in an aircraft when applying for a job at a Major?

Hypothetical situation: Someone who has respectable flight experience leaves his job as a regional captain for a non-flying job to weather the storm of the recession at a place with better pay, schedule, QOL, etc. Then 2013, or whenever, rolls around and the majors are all hiring again. After being out of the flight deck for 2-3 years, would it be possible to be hired at a major? What are your thoughts?

 

[GuppyWN]

Personally, I don't think you'd be able to compete with guys that are "out there" flying on a regular basis.

But hell, I've seen F-teen guys with 1600tt get hired and t-prop grinders with 10,000's hours get turned down.

Gup

 

[bluechunks]

How important is being current in an aircraft when applying for a job at a Major?

It's HUGE, but also taken in context.

If you are furloughed or your employer goes BK, the hiring airline will typically (but not always) take your circumstances into consideration if you can make it past the pre-screening to an actual interview.

If you voluntarily remove yourself from the cockpit the burden is upon you to explain why you are not current. Have you noticed how many major airline applications specially ask for flight time in the past 6 (or 12) months? Hint: they would not ask if they were not interested in the answer.

 

[Lear70]

Ditto the above.

Unless you had a major life issue you had to take care of (dying family member) and you exceeded your FMLA timeline and had to resign for family reasons, I can't think of a GOOD reason you'd leave a CAPTAIN job at a regional.

The question they're thinking is, "Well, if things get rough here, he's just going to bail on us, too, right?" And you'd have to say that's a fair assessment of them to make.

If you were an F/O, you *MIGHT* be able to make that argument but, again, they're going to ask what happens if you decide to do that again with them? An airline wants to hire you and never hear your name again. Period. You come to work, you fly, you go home. You're an employee number, and their job is to hire an employee number who will be a productive, quiet, happy employee for the rest of your time there.

If they have ANY qualms that you'll be anything BUT that, they'll move on to the next person, and you'll likely only find yourself able to get a job flying freight or MAYBE a regional at the END of the next hiring curve, when they're desperate for experience in the seat.

Leaving flying for any reason is very dubiously viewed, unless you're furloughed and couldn't find anything else.

Best of luck,,,

 

[pipejockey]

An airline wants to hire you and never hear your name again. Period. You come to work, you fly, you go home. You're an employee number, and their job is to hire an employee number who will be a productive, quiet, happy employee for the rest of your time there.

Sad but very true! Just an employee number to the pukes in management. Just an employee number who may take command of a 700,000 lb aircraft and all they want from us is to sit there and be quiet! A shut up and do what you're told employee who is not allowed to think for themselves, but merely someone who can only regurgitate the procedures in the companies flight manual and operations manual. BTW, I wonder what would have become of Sully and the rest of them if all he was able to do was what is "allowed" in the manuals. The mindless robots management wants today. The days of hiring people they wanted to welcome as a vital part of the operation are gone. That is set aside for upper management pukes and executives.

 

[clr4theapch]

So is this why when someone resigns for personal reasons they are usually 86'ed by the airline they were working for?? They feel you did it once you will do it again?? I have found that there is NO excuse good enough for a company to consider you again in the future.. even if its been 10 years!..

The practice seems arcaine(sp?) to me and unreasonable consider the myriad of things thsat can happen to somone over their working life.. Assuming the person was in good standing and had a good and valid reason to leave of course..

 

[waveflyer]

You're a pilot- make your living flying airplanes. Or don't and move on.

 

[CesnaCaptn]

Why was this thread moved? A regional captain wants to take a break
from aviation and later apply to majors, and somehow this ends up in "general aviation information?"

 

[imacdog]

If you have a job in this market (especially PIC) and you leave it to pursue a non-flying job then you definitely aren't doing yourself a favor in making a step up the ladder.

 

[Lear70]

I moved it because it's talking about job seeking and related issues. It doesn't have anything to do directly with any major airline or any regional airline per se.

I left it in the Majors forum for 24 hours to get some exposure, then moved it.

That's the forum rules. I don't make them, I just enforce them.

 

[TMMT]

As long as you can show that you are bettering yourself, in aviation or out. I really don't see why the timing of the move would matter at all. So what if you left preemptively, as long as you can make a coherent case of bettering yourself. Which includes job stability BTW. Then whats the problem?

Is this some airline specific union thing, I'm not airline nor union. In Corporate aviation and yes we've hired folks that have been out of the game before.

 

[pilotyip]

the old adage still applies, "It takes a flying job, to get a flying job" been there done that

 

[avbug]

So is this why when someone resigns for personal reasons they are usually 86'ed by the airline they were working for?? They feel you did it once you will do it again?? I have found that there is NO excuse good enough for a company to consider you again in the future.. even if its been 10 years!..

The practice seems arcaine(sp?) to me and unreasonable consider the myriad of things thsat can happen to somone over their working life..

You're missing the big picture.

There's no "practice," arcane, or otherwise.

If you're not current, you're not competitive. Nothing to do with being penalized for not being in the cockpit...but if you want consideration for a flying position and must compete for that job against someone who is current and active, you've got a disadvantage. It's that simple, and there's nothing "arcane" about it.

As long as you can show that you are bettering yourself, in aviation or out. I really don't see why the timing of the move would matter at all. So what if you left preemptively, as long as you can make a coherent case of bettering yourself.

It's not about "bettering" yourself.

It's about being the most attractive to an employer for the advertised position. It's about being competitive. Being employed as a pilot is a big advantage when seeking employment as a pilot.

You don't get a chance to "make a coherent case" unless you get an interview, first.

 

[waveflyer]

As long as you can show that you are bettering yourself, in aviation or out. I really don't see why the timing of the move would matter at all. So what if you left preemptively, as long as you can make a coherent case of bettering yourself. Which includes job stability BTW. Then whats the problem?

Is this some airline specific union thing, I'm not airline nor union. In Corporate aviation and yes we've hired folks that have been out of the game before.

this is wrong. We as pilots don't make the rules- and if I did- I'd want the pilot passionate enough to stay in the flt deck. If you want to make some money on the side and fly less at your company- knock yourself out- but I wouldn't want to hire a fair weather pilot career wise any more than I would want a fair weather pilot, weather wise.

Too many of us have had to nut up during down times to consider the guy unwilling to do the same.

Maybe not fair or smart- but it is what it is- after 9/11- I remember saying to friends- well.... We're going to see who really likes to fly now... If you're goal is a regional or corporate gig- you can get away with some time off- most majors-ESP the well paying ones left- doubtful- it is what it is. But I do applaud you checking your options and being willing and able to do something else

 

[waveflyer]

That being said-
I'd PM Albie- or call emerald coast- they're the experts

 

[pilotyip]

You want to be a pilot you stay in a cockpit. It is 1982, there no jobs, it was as bad or worse than today. I have had three jobs in the last five years. So I start my own business. I stay current in the P-3, ck airman, now hiring starts again in 1985, I am 42, who gets hired, the 35 year-old guys in my reserve P-3 unit, less flight time. By the time my age is again attractive, I have been promoted out of the Naval Reserve flying and the airlines tell me I am not current in big airplanes. So I go to a work for a commuter, it goes out of business and the 1992 lay off period has started. Not being current in anything but a SEL hurt my chances in the late 80's to get on at a major. BTW I am also going to bet the airlines have seen a higher turnover in pilots who dropped out and now want to come back, because if you don't like flying airplanes, this job can suck.

 

[Lear70]

You want to be a pilot you stay in a cockpit. It is 1982, there no jobs, it was as bad or worse than today. I have had three jobs in the last five years. So I start my own business. I stay current in the P-3, ck airman, now hiring starts again in 1985, I am 42, who gets hired, the 35 year-old guys in my reserve P-3 unit, less flight time. By the time my age is again attractive, I have been promoted out of the Naval Reserve flying and the airlines tell me I am not current in big airplanes. So I go to a work for a commuter, it goes out of business and the 1992 lay off period has started. Not being current in anything but a SEL hurt my chances in the late 80's to get on at a major. BTW I am also going to bet the airlines have seen a higher turnover in pilots who dropped out and now want to come back, because if you don't like flying airplanes, this job can suck.

Wow. A post from YIP that I agree with 100%.

I think that happens like what, maybe once a year?

 

[Trogdor]

Thanks for all the insight everyone. That is exactly what I was looking for, real-world examples of this type of thing happening. Don't get me wrong, I am one of those who absolutely loves flying and I would really miss it if I had to get out for a few years, its just the thought of making basically no money for the next three years until things turn around that has me considering other options. Looks like I'll stay grinding it out in the Beech waiting for clearer skies. Thanks again guys.

 

[dondk]

If you look at the industry as it is right now, there are thousands of unemployed pilots. Is someone suggesting those thousands are now completely unemployable? Albeit many are furloughed, so they may or may not have a job if and when they are recalled. Then you have the masses that either the company went belly up or flight department just phased out. Again, all of them are unemployable as well?

As stated, the most difficult issue will be getting that interview. Does that mean it is impossible? I don't think so, things happen, it all starts with the opportunity to interview. Not getting too far off course, may of the interviews in the last hiring spree was less on what you knew (technical or otherwise) and more on who you were as a person. They know you can fly a plane, they were more interested in the type of person you are.

I do agree though, if you take the break, it needs to be worthwhile and reasonable. Taking a break due to family issue's or to enhance your education looks better than taking a break to work at Wally world.

The reason airlines want your last 6 months of currency? They don't want to have to retrain you to fly in instrument conditions. Ironically, at one company I worked for, they hired a guy who was current. VFR current, he had not flown instruments in years. It took him 15 sessions in the sim to get his proficiency back. So, being current is subjective at best and a astute recruiter knows that.

 

[Lear70]

No one's saying they're unemployable.

What we're saying is that, compared to someone who IS current, the airlines are going to give preference to the guy/gal who stuck with it and stayed current versus someone who VOLUNTARILY bailed when things got rough. This has been proven time and time again.

The furloughed people with recall RIGHTS are a completely different story. The airline HAS to retrain those pilots. If it takes 15 sim sessions because they are completely instrument non-current for 2 years, well, that's the price the airline pays for furloughing someone. Too bad, so sad, airline eats the $6,000 per sim session.

The people whose carriers went under who went non-current? Yeah, for the most part, unless they're carrying a Letter of Rec from the CEO or V.P. of Flt Ops? Yeah, they're going to get passed over in favor of the RJ Captains who are current and qualified. It's just the way the recruiters work. Always has been...

Once the pool of experienced RJ Captains has dried up (and that's going to be a LONG, LONG time), they'll look at the 2-3+ YEAR non-current pilots more, but again, the stigma of VOLUNTARILY leaving a flying job for a while is pretty bad.

But like the previous poster said, don't take my word for it. Give Albie a shout over at Emerald Coast. He'll likely answer your question free of charge, and you won't get a more accurate assessment of hiring issues.