Worked for regional? Majors wont hire?

[Wankel7]

I was talking with a retired airline pilot (Retired bout 6 years ago)and he said that is how it works. If you worked for a regional the majors tend to not hire you?

To me that sounds wrong.

However, is there any truth to it?

Wankel

 

[Capt. Tex]

pass that pipe over here bro.....

 

[350DRIVER]

let me hit it after you tex.....

 

[Wankel7]

I really have no idea where he heard this. It is really weird.

Wankel

 

[FN FAL]

All the guys I know of that got jobs at nationals like SWA and Midwest, flew 135 or 91.

 

[flx757]

I think this "retired airline pilot", who retired about 6 years ago, has lost touch with today's reality. A large number of pilots hired by the majors (when they were hiring) had experience at regional airlines. If you look at the airlines that are hiring (or will be soon), such as SWA, AirTran, ATA, Alaska, Frontier, etc...you will see that they continue to hire a certain percentage of their pilots with regional airline experience at some point in their careers.

I would put very little stock in what this "retired airline pilot" told you.

 

[Wankel7]

All the guys I know of that got jobs at nationals like SWA and Midwest, flew 135 or 91.

That is intresting. Maybe there is a part truth to it?

Wankel

 

[DorkProp]

Yes, totally true if you ignore all the pilots from PSA who have gone to every major and national in the country. In the last year I have personally known PSA guys who left for Alaska, America West, Southwest, FedEx, Air Tran, jetBlue, and ATA. Probably others that I've forgotten.

 

[kevdog]

Keep passing that pipe.

 

[FN FAL]

Yes, totally true if you ignore all the pilots from PSA who have gone to every major and national in the country. In the last year I have personally known PSA guys who left for Alaska, America West, Southwest, FedEx, Air Tran, jetBlue, and ATA. Probably others that I've forgotten.

Yes, I know one regional pilot that got on with fedex mainline. He had one year in the right seat at mesaba. But he also retired from the airforce with lots of time instructing in the tweety bird.

I also know two guys that made it from chico express to ATA in a flow through. ATA is a Major.

All the guys that I know that made it to SWA and MidEx, came from Spirt airlines or the 135 and 91 world.

I work for a Regional, if you want to call FedEx feeders FedEx's regional. I fully plan on making my PIC time count towards the next move up.

And that is what we are talking about here. If you don't have the PIC time, you're going to sit at your regional till you do have some.

Take a look at your competion, all regionals have jets, all fractionals have jets, lots of corporate flight departments have jets, government has jets. Your competion for major airline cockpit jobs has a lot of PIC experience, types and jet time. Some have heavy jet time. This concept that you are going to just go to an aviation university, graduate, waltz into a regional right seat with 250 hours, have mom and dad buy you a 737 type and then move on to the majors after a year or two of SIC time at some regional flying a CRJ is just bunk.

First of all, which major is hiring? Second of all, everybody that is working, is looking for that move up. You think all those guys that had class dates cancelled with majors after 9/11 are just going to admit defeat and go find some non flying job, to politely get out of your way, so you can have a shot at it?

There's lots of pilots with jet pic out there, lots of guys with types and lots of guys with PIC time.

I met a guy after 9/11 that had his AMERICAN class date cancelled with recall rights. It was shortly after that, that American announced their big layoffs. I doubt his recal rights count for sh!t, but his experience before getting his interview and class date was FRACTIONALS.

There are many ways to skin this cat boys, and being a regional pilot is one way to get to the majors. Just remember, them guys is loving all you regional guys taking food off of their table and setting the model for lower wages and less benefits, so don't expect them to forget about that when you show em your resume and your only claim to fame is working at some place like Mesa for the past couple of years.

During this slow hiring period, I am pounding out a Bachelor degree. I suppose after I am done with that, if I have to buy a citation type, or 737 type to tamp down my 7,000 total pic, 1,800 multi pic and 2,500 turbine pic, that will just have to be.

 

[LJDRVR]

Your retired friend is probably remembering fifteen years ago when the "commuters" operated smaller piston and turboprop equipment. back then it was common for "commuter" pilots to go get some jet time at charter or corporate operations in order to make themselves employable at the major level.

Those days....are OVER. Regional pilots now operate aircraft at least as large and sophisticated as anybody. (Though not as much fun as the Learjet ) Having operated a swept-wing, two-pilot, EFIS/FMS equiped jet, today's regional pilot is just as competitive in the marketplace as anybody. In fact at certain operations such as AirTran, even more so than their 135/91 peers. Regional airline pilots also have more opportunity to meet and make friends throughout the industry. As a result, when looking to make the jump to a major, he or she has many more people to call on who have seen them fly. By comparision, the average 135 pilot, has only those coworkers who've gone on to the majors to solicit. (I've only had one jumpseater on the Lear in five years.)

If you are looking to decide between the regionals and charter, (True corporate is much more difficult to break into
than the majors.) make your descision based on what type of flying you like to do and in what environment. At the regionals the equipment is newer, you fly more, the jets weighs more, (Important if you like JB) and you have the ability to walk away from the jet a few minutes after the shutdown checklist is complete. On the negative side, the pay at first is horrible, you do the same flying all the time, and you do a lot of hotel living.

Charter on the other hand, features better initial pay, tons of variety, few overnights, (I had 20 last year, not including recurrent.) and the chance to do some cool things. (Like getting paid to sit in Cancun for five days the week before Christmas) On the down side, fewer hours, life on the pager without a schedule, sociopathic management, less structure, and sometimes less than superlative maintenance. Of course, there's a lot of variety out there on both sides of the equations, the PROs and CONs I've listed are just the average ones, your mileage may vary.

The only true advantage for a professional pilot at the regionals that I can see, is that depending on which one you choose, you've got a job from which you can retire. The same cannot be said of 99% of charter operators. If money is no object for the next few years, go to a regional. However, if you're the kind of pilot that can bring structure and discipline to a vacuum, and enjoy the challenge of odd-hours, old jets and missions that vary from LGA during push, to rural uncontrolled night NDB circle-to- land, to South American mountain airports at three AM with bad weather, then charter's the way to go.

At the end of the day it's YOU and what you bring to the table that will determine if you are flying for a major. Anyone on either side of the equation that tells you that their path is the best is full of it. Apples and oranges. Except AirTran.

 

[RichardFitzwell]

I was talking with a retired airline pilot (Retired bout 6 years ago)and he said that is how it works. If you worked for a regional the majors tend to not hire you?

To me that sounds wrong.

However, is there any truth to it?

Wankel

I think this retired captain was talking about a unwritten rule that mainline wouldn't hire from their respective regional feeder.

When I was at Trans States (mid '90s), TWA went through waves of hiring from TSA. They would hire pilots for a month or so then stop for a long time. I also remember something about American and American Eagle doing the same.

I guess it had to do with forcing added training costs on a regional partner.

 

[bobbysamd]

I'll toke off that pipe, too . . . .

Your retired friend is probably remembering fifteen years ago when the "commuters" operated smaller piston and turboprop equipment. back then it was common for "commuter" pilots to go get some jet time at charter or corporate operations in order to make themselves employable at the major level.

(emphasis added)

I know that time well. Even fifteen years ago, a very typical first step after flight instructing was the commuters. Next step was the majors. As examples, back then, America West picked up a lot of Mesa pilots. So did United. I had a friend who was at Mesa for a time until Airborne picked him up. Mesa was operating an all turbine fleet of Beech 99s, 1300s, 1900s, Braslias and one or two Caravans.

The commuters were regarded as a great springboard for the majors back then. What was different about the commuters than today is a great many of them operated under Part 135. Their aircraft had fewer than nineteen seats, so no FA was needed. Some, like Mesa, operated a number of flights under VFR as wx permitted. Mesa operated its Caravans between PHX and PRC single-pilot. It had to operate the Brasilias under 121.

No, your retired airline friend is wrong, like so many majors types who are oblivious to the world of professional aviation outside their own tight cloister.

 

[jetexas]

There are instances where a major will not hire you if you work for a 'particular' regional..such as Eagle to AA (happens rarely)

Other than that, I have seen lots of FO's and CA's go on to majors from the regional I work for.

 

[Wankel7]

Thanks for the input. I can definaltly see where he is coming from when that was said.

Wankel

 

[FlyingSig]

My Delta newhire class had 1 CoEx, 3 Comair, 2 ASA, 1 Mesaba, 1 TWA, 2 Mesa, 1 DHL, 1 Spirit, and 9 Military (only 1 Marine ) ... all the regional folks were Captain's at their respective airline.

The newhire classes in front and behind me had a similar mix.

 

[Auto-throttle]

Some of these super-old dudes are REALLY REALLY out of touch with what's going on with recruitment.

During the hiring frenzy of the 90s, AT LEAST half the pilots hired were regional guys.

 

[Mugs]

Not officially. But haven't you guys had a large percentage of pilots get on with ATA over the years?