Originally Posted by
fullflank
I can see that you very badly want the answer to be yes. However as I said before, if you want to know what impresses recruiters you only have to look at who they're calling. The people that overwhelmingly being called have the following: PIC time in a 121, crm, multi-crew environment, in a 50k pound jet or large turbo-prop like a dash/q400. Can you get a call without this type of experience? Yes, but if I was giving career guidance to a little brother who wanted to eventually work for a legacy, I would tell him to go mil or regional asap.
The largest aircraft the guy I know who just got hired at Atlas flew was a Falcon 200. No prior 121 time. I also know plenty of 121 guys who applied to Atlas who weren't even acknowledged. Granted, this is freight, not legacy mainline, but its still part 121 heavy.
Not sure about the likes of FedEx and UPS, but it appears Atlas prefers guys with previous freight experience.
Its sad to see military guys having to do a stint at the regionals. What happened to the ex Vietnam pilots walking straight into the majors? It will be interesting to see how Delta treats these guys when they start hiring again.
I agree that a few years in the left seat at a regional checks most of the boxes at the majors, and that's where the majority of the applicants come from, but I won't accept that its the only way in.
If I were an instructor with around 1,000 hours, I would be keeping my options open before signing up for a year of top ramen and dirty crash pads.