Regionals? Cargo? Where to go?

[CaptO'Brien]

I am currently a Flight Instructor with 600TT 95Multi and I want to take advantage of the job market while it's still hot. I am looking into going to work for the regionals but i have also heard of cargo being a good way to work my way into a major (doesn't have to be a major that is US based).

What is the best route to go? Cargo? Regionals?....something else?

I would like to get out of the flight instructing before winter because my pay/hours will go down drastically...So is there something i can do right now that will get me on my way?

Some things that attract me to the regional side of things are teh travel benifits and the planes you get to fly with the upgrade times falling like crazy lately....

Thanks in advance for your advice..

Capt O'B

 

[Princedietrich]

Well, right now you've got the qualifications to get in the door with just about any regional out there. Since I didn't go that route personally, I can't recommend one over another so I will allow more learned individuals to comment in that regard (but I do know that you'd be wise to avoid GoJets). Just be prepared for a rather pitiful paycheck that first, and quite possibly second, year. But you'll be racking up the time in a jet.

You've also got the qualifications for 135 SIC, but you'll be a little more hard pressed to find a company that'll hire you. Most 135 ops like to bring in folks with the PIC numbers, but there are some out there that will bring you into the right seat and "grow" you into a PIC. You just have to look. You can rack up the time in anything from a piston twin to a jet depending on the company.

Don't be ready to completely write off being a CFI just yet. Depending on what market you are in and what school you end up with, you can live like a king as a flight instructor (and I don't mean John and Martha). You won't be in a jet, and you'll be lucky to get into a twin, but you're still getting times towards 135 and ATP mins.

Cargo is the way I went. The lifestyle is a night and day (literally!) difference from the regionals. The upside is that the boxes don't complain, but your piloting skill level will skyrocket due to the hardcore conditions that you may encounter. Just be prepared to fly something that isn't quite so purdy and new as an ERJ-175.

Also, don't commit yourself solely to getting to the majors. Keep an open mind. Who knows, you might decide that another path like corporate or charter would be for you. I started out wanting to get on with a legacy carrier flying the heavy metal. Where I ended up is VASTLY different. You should definitely shoot for getting your numbers up to the 135 IFR PIC minimums and the ATP minimums. Once you have those, there will be all kinds of doors opening up for you.

Cheers! :beer:

 

[CaptO'Brien]

Thanks for the advice....Can you name some good 135 companies?

I have heard of Gojets from other friends in the regionals and i have already decided to stay away from them and mesa.

The reason i want to jump ship from instructing is because my hours i am flying will go from 100 per month down to less than 50 a month when the snow starts to hit and the cancellations start to roll in...so even the small pay cheque at a regional will be more than i will make here in the winter.

Would it be wrong to come to a regional with 600TT and start to fly and build hours towards my ATP from there and then decide on whether or not to go cargo or regional? Or does it look bad to have 600TT with a bunch of SIC time?

Also i know its early to think of it, but i am thinking about upgrades to captain...some regionals are dropping their upgrade 2 years..What about 135? Cargo? Corporate?...I am not trying to be a captain in 6 months or anything, i am just trying to set myself up where i can be somewhat happy with a day off (i work 6 days a week 12 hours a day instructing) and maybe some free travel for the next couple of years until i move on to the next thing (major, corporate,...possibly put my post secondary into use and work for myself..never know)..

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice!

O'B

 

[Alamanach]

Don't be ready to completely write off being a CFI just yet. Depending on what market you are in and what school you end up with, you can live like a king as a flight instructor (and I don't mean John and Martha). You won't be in a jet, and you'll be lucky to get into a twin, but you're still getting times towards 135 and ATP mins.

Tell me more about this. It looks like I'm finally about to restart flight school in a big way, and I think I'd really like to be an instructor. I know most pilots instruct just to build time and move on, but I think being a flight instructor would be just about the best job in the world-- you're meeting new people all the time, you're teaching them something that's a lot of fun, you've got an excuse to study everything even remotely connected with aviation, you're always around the airport, and you're flying just about every day. Seems like it would be a blast, if you don't care one way or the other about jets.

And you're saying it's actually possible to make good money at this? What kind of market/ school do I need to look for?

 

[SPilot]

And you're saying it's actually possible to make good money at this? What kind of market/ school do I need to look for?

There are some large colleges that pay well, but mostly if you become a career instructor at some of the large international pilot factories, that train Chinese and other foreign students, you will make alot of money. It doesn't usually have an annual increase like the airlines however, so you'll likely top out at $45-50,000.00 if you're doing it full time. Most places pay you by the flight hours, with rate increases as you become a more advanced instructor or stage check pilot in 141 environment, but you wont be having a schedule with more pay/less flying after being with the company many years. You will however, after having been a CFI for two years, be a more valuable asset for the company, training CFI initials.

Look for west coast pilot schools...they pay the most as far as I have seen advertised. Avoid Florida, where instructors are like ...just everywhere.

 

[wrxpilot]

Avoid Florida, where instructors are like ...just everywhere.

Actually, we're hurting for CFIs down here too. South FL anyway...

 

[time builder]

I'd strongly recommend being an FO before becoming a captain. You can get 1200 hours as an instructor and go in to part 135 cargo as a captain, but honestly, I learned a lot more about flying in hard IFR from flying in the right seat with an experienced captain than I did from instructing.

Cargo can be a good route, more money, PIC time and better pay in many cases, but it can also be dangerous. Know what you're getting into.

 

[belchfire]

Personally I would recommend a degree in Law or Engineering and getting a job where you can afford to buy that Cessna 140 that's for sale and fly for fun, when and where you want to...and make more money...or keep instructing on the side on weekends to keep you hand in it.

The long term career prospects for this industry got disembowled with the retirement plans during all the bankruptcies that only made CEO's lots of money.

Right now pilots seem to be in short supply but one islamic nutjob or a nice financial downturn will tear this house of cards up like a hurricane in Orlando...

Something like a career you have to think long term. There never was much in Aviation that was long term and with the end of defined retirement plans there is basically nothing.

In May of 2000 I was trying to explain the furloughs of the 80's to a starry-eyed youngster like yourself. He kept assuring me from his heart that everything was different now and that could never happen again. Yeah? While on paper pilots have taken about a 25% pay cut since 2001 if you factor in inflation it's closer to 40%. CEO's on the other hand have gotten their golden parachutes.

Choose wisely...