Originally Posted by
SongMan
Hi,
I have been out of the forum and recent news for couple years. What is this new law/reg that will take effect people are talking about on various threads? Are Regionals forced to increase the minimums? ATP is mandatory? How would this change the 1st year FO pay?
I am still flight instructing and have 3000 hours TT and only 20 in Multi. NO ATP. I Just can not live off $2000 month pay as I have a family. Is it good time to start looking at regionals? or should I stay put before investing in ATP and Multi time which I still lack.
Should I get the ATP now or wait and have airline such as Skywest pay for it...that is if they still do at that time.
Thanks!
You can read about the bill by googling HR 5900. To sum it up ATPs are required among all FOs by Aug. 2013.
As for airlines paying for the ATP, that's still TBD by each individual company. At ExpressJet, they are still trying to figure out how to approach this issue. Some mention they will not incorporate into AQP (renewal) training while others say they will. If you're looking to be hired by a regional prior to Aug 2013 you may be able to scoot around getting your ATP, however, I'm predicting that most regionals now would rather take the guys with an ATP in hand.
Considering you have 3,000 hours I would highly recommend you get your ATP. By doing so, you open up more doors in the aviation world. Who knows, you could stumble onto something that pays well and is not regional associated. Just my two pennies worth.