Just the outsider here, but if you have children, the more immediate question is what will you tell them, 7 years from now, as a RJ F/O making 36k that they can't go to college or the prom? There are thousands of guys stuck in FO positions going nowhere! The number of "heavy" captains is in the hundreds--I've known only one or two 747 captains among hundreds of airline captains.

It was easy when I was 23 or 24, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, I owned was transportable in a Ford Pinto. No wife, no kids and I joked that I was the "low cost" pilot. Shift to house, family, middle age and all the risks and downsides become much vaster. Just consider starting an aviation career now, failing even for reasons beyond your control, say another 9/11 blow, and then starting over AGAIN. I, like any good pilot, is seriously conservative with risk.

Don't get me wrong, I love my current position, I have an opportunity to fly new business jets just about everywhere, but starting out is tough. I am, flat-out, lucky to be where I am, every time I needed a job, I had friends, commanders who were ready to lend a hand. I never had a serious resume, just call, " hey, I'm looking for a job, any ideas" type of deal. Damned lucky, get friends and then get some more.

The best deals are situations where you can grasp a chance outside of the regionals. I recently flew with a guy who turned an office position into a pilot position at a charter operator. He was a pilot with limited experience, but worked, insisted and won a chance in a biz jet. That way avoids the logjam of the regionals, gives you a chance to earn reasonable income, no commuting. But those chances are made by luck and hard work.

Everybody is at regionals, get somewhere else, where you might stand out, someplace where flying skills aren't the ONLY criteria to be judged by. Use that "other" life experience to stand out from the crowd.

GF