Realistically-how long from Private to right seat for Southwest?

[RUNNINHORN]

The last two guys that were balls out training at SWA had to take a lateral transfer and made the AP News Wire.

so whats your point?

 

[mcjohn]

Dagnabit MarineGrunt! Havn't you seen any of my posts!? You're making me jealous here. Runninhorn has 18 hrs and 74 posts and he gets all the goods!
Seriously though, that was some killer info and I wish you'd of written it about 3 years ago for me.

Somebody send this guy some money for his services! (I sure as hell don't have any.)

 

[RUNNINHORN]

I dont know if this will help you but I thought I might as well chime in.

In 1990 I soloed a Piper Warrior after 15 hours on my way to getting my private pilots license. In the summer of 2000 I was hired by American Airlines and Delta Airlines.

However, I wouldn't describe me ever going "balls to the wall" Well, maybe when I was flying for Continental Expess I did.

my definition of "balls to the walls" training, is training that is very focused, goal-driven and motivated to complete the tasks at hand in a timely manner...........

 

[RUNNINHORN]

Dagnabit MarineGrunt! Havn't you seen any of my posts!? You're making me jealous here. Runninhorn has 18 hrs and 74 posts and he gets all the goods!
Seriously though, that was some killer info and I wish you'd of written it about 3 years ago for me.

Somebody send this guy some money for his services! (I sure as hell don't have any.)

ive got more than 18, just havent updated in quite some time...........

 

[9GClub]

MarineGrunt,

Just wanted to say that I appreciate what you said about your commitment to your wife and kids and the priority they hold in your life (even over flying). That's becoming rare these days, and it's good to hear.

-9G

 

[mcjohn]

Here's my 2 cents. Try to stay as out of debt as much as you can while your going balls to the wall. Most people who go balls to wall have to finance which allows you to fly everyday but go somewhere affordable (forget about the Florida flight academies). IMHO each rating is a license to learn. Get each as quickly as possible. I can see some folks disagreeing with this approach but it'll probably keep you out of poverty in the long run. Here an example of the bottom rung of affordability that I think is just fine:
http://www.shebleaviation.com/index.html
BTW you pay those prices straight up before training and that's it. No gimmicks.

 

[mcjohn]

MarineGrunt,

Just wanted to say that I appreciate what you said about your commitment to your wife and kids and the priority they hold in your life (even over flying). That's becoming rare these days, and it's good to hear.

-9G

I second that emotion! Wife comes first or you should have never gotten married.

 

[joe_pilot]

Ok, ok, this is a serious question. If a person was to go balls out training, that already has their private and working on their instrument, "guessing" how long would you say, how many years, could right seat be attained for flying for southwest?

Four years and six months after I got my intrument rating I was hired at a regional. I could have been there faster, but I am one of those 'sickos' who enjoyed flight instructing and did that for a couple thousand hrs and then flew freight for the same. I was very lucky, though. I worked at a busy flight school AND freight company. If I had taken the earliest upgrade available, I would have SW minimums after about three years here, so call it 7 years to SW's mins. Another three for competitive mins, so about 10 years. But then again, I'm in no rush to upgrade.

Just my $.02

Good luck.

-JP

 

[A Squared]

No kidding... Southwest accepts FAR part I definition for PIC?

So if you're a type-rated first officer then your legs (~50% of total time in the aircraft) could be considered PIC for the purposes of a Southwest application?

No, that would be the "part 61" definition of PIC. The Part 1 definition of PIC means you are the real, no $hit, buck stops here, PIC

 

[FN FAL]

so whats your point?

The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.