Regional Pilots, Worth it?

[Luchini]

Most of the responses appear to be extremes from both sides. Some love it and some hate it. Doesnt appear to be very many in betweens.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Most of the responses appear to be extremes from both sides. Some love it and some hate it. Doesnt appear to be very many in betweens.

A survey would tell all:
How many pilots with more than 5 years in the industry:
Love it, Hate it , Indifference
How many pilots with less than 5 years in the industry:
Love it, Hate it, Indifference
I think my Indifference is turning to Hate it after 6 years in the industry, don't worry all you wanna-bees, you can have this mediocre-at-best job soon enough, just remember keep telling yourself "that sunset/sunrise sure is kool", then write a quick narritive onto something, take it home and place it into the phone,electric bill instead of the usual check(that probably bounces), and wait for the disconnection of services. Kool does not pay the bills.
PBR

 

[CHQ Cpt]

5+ years at CHQ, I love the job. I make than my buddy who is an engineer and a year younger than me. I usually have 15 to 17 days a month off, fly about 85 hrs/mo, and haven't missed any house payments or beer calls even with my 401(k) maxed out. This is a job you HAVE to be able to work your life around. If you can't, and not everybody can, don't do it. You have to LOVE flying airplanes and be able to tolerate the same crap at work everyone does. It's kinda cool leave EYW make it to ELP in a day with other stuff in between...

 

[Luchini]

Are all reginonals as bad as pilots say they are? Are there any regionals you pilots that dont like your regional carrier would switch to if you had a chance? Maybe its not the regionals you hate but just your current employer.

 

[AAsRedHeadedbro]

I've worked for a regional carrier for 13 years and, for the most part, have loved it. I can not imagine any other line of work. Personally, my wife and I have adapted to the airline schedule of 4 on/3 off and accept it as business as usual. I was hired in 91 - right at the beginning of the airline downturn of the early and mid 90's. Life was pretty rough for quite a few years. Frequent base and equipment displacements resulted in many years of commuting and the pay was poor. Thank God my wife worked because our dual incomes allowed us to own a home with a pool in the Ft. Lauderdale area of Florida. Through all the hardship, though, I still loved the job, at its core. I flew with great people and really enjoyed myself. I did not get into this business in order to get rich. I got into it because I loved, and still love, aviation. It is in my blood.

Obviously things have improved for me over the course of my tenure here. I'm flying the EMB-145 out of the LAX base, which is only an hour's drive from my home in south Orange County, although I could be fairly senior in the CRJ-700 in ORD if I chose to commute (which I will not do if given the choice). I'm on pace to make 80K this year. My wife is on pace for 60K and therefore we have no complaints financially. Therefore, I'm happy. Yes, I am.

 

[Luchini]

How much a month can one expect to receive in diem each month? How many hours can one expect to fly each month? Are the 4 day flight schedules boring or not?

 

[miles otoole]

Great post AA.

 

[wheelsup]

Can anyone from a younger generation chime in? I'm on track to make it to a regional around the age of 24 - not the lowest age person I know, but I'm not a career switcher and haven't seen the high wages other people have seen. No wife, no kids. Just a serious girlfriend .

Long term goal is to go to ASA or comparable regional and go to Southwest/Delta...and before all the naysayers chime in - I know southwest has been hiring - and I can't see the majors NEVER hiring again.

~wheelsup

 

[ILStoMinimums]

Can anyone from a younger generation chime in? I'm on track to make it to a regional around the age of 24 - not the lowest age person I know, but I'm not a career switcher and haven't seen the high wages other people have seen. No wife, no kids. Just a serious girlfriend .

Long term goal is to go to ASA or comparable regional and go to Southwest/Delta...and before all the naysayers chime in - I know southwest has been hiring - and I can't see the majors NEVER hiring again.

~wheelsup

Not NEVER, but not for a LONG TIME.

 

[Anais Nin]

Yep..........you and everyone else out there!!! You think you've got it made until you start getting your resume out there and realize everyone is in the same boat as you are, and you're nobody special. It's a painful lesson to learn, and all for the chance to make squat wages! This job is not glamorous! It's just another blue-collar job!
And a tip, keep the girlfriend exactly that. Dont marry her, she'll start expecting you to be making much more than you will and it goes down-hill from there! Another tip....have a backup plan. This industry is way too volatile.

Can anyone from a younger generation chime in? I'm on track to make it to a regional around the age of 24 - not the lowest age person I know, but I'm not a career switcher and haven't seen the high wages other people have seen. No wife, no kids. Just a serious girlfriend .

Long term goal is to go to ASA or comparable regional and go to Southwest/Delta...and before all the naysayers chime in - I know southwest has been hiring - and I can't see the majors NEVER hiring again.

~wheelsup

 

[On Your Six]

And just think, after 5-10 years slaving it away at a regional, you can return to the right hand seat at Jet Blue and earn $37/hr as an E190 FO!!!!! What a great industry!

 

[miles otoole]

Can anyone from a younger generation chime in? I'm on track to make it to a regional around the age of 24 - not the lowest age person I know, but I'm not a career switcher and haven't seen the high wages other people have seen. No wife, no kids. Just a serious girlfriend .

Long term goal is to go to ASA or comparable regional and go to Southwest/Delta...and before all the naysayers chime in - I know southwest has been hiring - and I can't see the majors NEVER hiring again.

~wheelsup

Go to Chamiqua, PSA or Mesa. I believe the upgrade times are around a year. 25 years old flying as a CA making around 35K ain't too shabby. 3-4 years there and off to WN, AWA or who knows in 5 years. The big complainers seem to be the folks who are pissed they went to COEX/EAGLE, et al., and are still sitting in the right seat after 4-5 years. They did it the hard way, so should you.
That, or take a trip to Thailand and get the jewels snipped.

 

[Anais Nin]

a CA making around 35K ain't too shabby.

Oh yes that is shabby!!!!!!! It's awful! I'd rather have 'em snipped than make that as a Capt.

 

[miles otoole]

Oh yes that is shabby!!!!!!! It's awful! I'd rather have 'em snipped than make that as a Capt.

After one year? In this economy? Still making MORE and working LESS than a MD resident who has much MORE education and is MUCH MORE in debt with a MUCH HIGHER wash out rate. Put it in perspective, brother.

 

[KingAirKiddo]

Go to Chamiqua, PSA or Mesa. I believe the upgrade times are around a year. 25 years old flying as a CA making around 35K ain't too shabby. 3-4 years there and off to WN, AWA or who knows in 5 years. The big complainers seem to be the folks who are pissed they went to COEX/EAGLE, et al., and are still sitting in the right seat after 4-5 years. They did it the hard way, so should you.
That, or take a trip to Thailand and get the jewels snipped.

$35,000 a year as a Captain on ANY jet aircraft is pathetic! Grow a brain, pal.

Please tell me that your entire post was an attempt at sarcasm

 

[ILStoMinimums]

$35,000 a year as a Captain on ANY jet aircraft is pathetic! Grow a brain, pal.

Please tell me that your entire post was an attempt at sarcasm

Unfortuantely I think it wasn't.

 

[AAsRedHeadedbro]

We are worth what we can negotiate and, unfortunately, we are our own worst enemies in that regard.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

I agree. That sucks big time.. I make more as a KA F/O go figure..

 

[propjockey]

Disclaimer: To any who read my earlier post, it probably wouldn't have sounded so negative if I weren't flying with someone with a slight people skills deficiency this month. When the days go by like weeks, it really has a way of sucking all the joy out of this job.

 

[nonstop]

1. Yes.
(2.) No.

 

[aewanabe]

Go to Chamiqua, PSA or Mesa. I believe the upgrade times are around a year. 25 years old flying as a CA making around 35K ain't too shabby. 3-4 years there and off to WN, AWA or who knows in 5 years. The big complainers seem to be the folks who are pissed they went to COEX/EAGLE, et al., and are still sitting in the right seat after 4-5 years. They did it the hard way, so should you.
That, or take a trip to Thailand and get the jewels snipped.

Uh, check the payscales again. I don't think even MESA pays that low for a jet captain... I don't think any of the three have 1st-year captains. I'm on pace to make captain in 20-22 months here at "Chamiqua".... and I was NOT promised that in my interview (they told us 3-5 years). However, our pilot group has grown by almost 80 percent since I was hired, AND attrition above me has taken away almost 8 percent of the list above me. So I wouldn't tell anyone hired at CHQ now to expect that quick an upgrade. BTW if I upgrade while I'm still on 2nd year pay my pay on the 135/140 (our lowest) would be just under 50K.

Now to answer the original question: Yes, I love the job. No, I don't think I'm paid enough for it, in either seat. Is it worth it? So far, yes. I'm one of those who believe while I'm here (CHQ or the Regionals in general) I need to do what I can to leave the job in better shape than I found it. Both in QOL and Pay. We'll see if I still feel that way in 5-10 years.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

PBRstreetgang.

You're at SkyWest, right? Granted, I don't fly the RJ, but looking at the bid packets, average line values in SLC have been hovering around 87 hours/month with roughly 300 hours of monthly per diem. Do the math with 3rd year FO pay and it equates to somewhere in the neighborhood of $43K+. Everything else in your previous post I agree with. QOL is hard to come by in the regional industry and I certainly don't see any major improvements coming in the future.

Right, 5+ years, for every 87hr line created there is a 78hr line elsewhere, unless we are in the expansion mode, that never stops. If you are in a domicile that is feeding the expansion, expect 85-90hrs. and 10-13 days off.
"$43k" do the math, don't have to, my taxman does it for me. maybe you should put the kool-aid cup down paddlejet jockey! Between transition, recurrent, pcs, and any other numerous ways to reduce my pay the company may employ. Try reserves with 30-60hrs of flying assigned right out of transition. Those hours areby agreement lineholder hours, not "reserveswhohavenoworkrules" pseudo lines. Sorry to rant, cant find the "pipe", nor the koolaid cup either! Here it comes!
PBR

 

[AAsRedHeadedbro]

Wow! PBR, your posts give me a chuckle . I never thought I'd see the day when a Skywest pilot would openly complain about anything!

It's amusing to watch you two go back and forth.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Hey,
I do not drink the kool-aid, and I lost my pipe(crack, mk 1 mod 0). There are plenty of us non kool-aid types, who see the erosion of our quality of life slipping, and corporate profits increasing, all the while the new crop of kool-aid drinkers come in and swill the frosty, icy kool-aid and say "wow I have hit the big time, this is the best part time job I have ever had" You will note most of the "Pot of gold at the end, of the rainbow" are newer to the job and are still driving the tacowagon 120. The others are hard core kool-aid drinkers and cannot quit. Even while the company gives them multiple 3 hour airport productivity breaks, followed with training on days without comp days in return. Jr manning without regards to family life. ect. ect. ect.
PBR...