Ok, I will reply to the posters (blastboy, KDUA, trackpilot) who want to get hired at low time.

Now that I think about it, I really don't mind that you get hired with 250TT. In fact, that would be great for me. There are several reasons.

• First, you will be allowing me to upgrade before you. If you have 250TT, you will have about 200PIC max. The ICAO minimums for upgrade (which most regional airlines use) are 1500PIC (Second in command time counts as 1/2 hour per hour of SIC time). And I think no matter what, you need 250hours of actual PIC time. So I will flight instruct for a year (make more, learn more, and be home everynight) while you go to a crappy regional airline. After one year (lets assume we log 750 hours a year average), we will both have 1000TT, but I will have 750 more hours of PIC while you will have that 750 hours of SIC.
  
  I go to a good quality regional, work there for two years, then upgrade (I would have plenty of PIC and SIC combined). You will have 2500TT, but only 200PIC. So take your 2250SIC time divided by two, and that equals 1125 towards the 1500. Add your 200 of actual PIC, and it looks like YOU CANNOT UPGRADE. You still need 175 hours. 50 hours of that needs to be actual PIC. Looks like you are going to have to go out and rent a C-152 for $70/hr X 50 hours = $3,500. Then you need to get 250 hours of SIC ontop of that. That means you will spend four more months are First Officer, while I am Captain (making more money and building that turbine PIC time (the stuff that actually counts)). All the while:
  I will be making more money because I went to a quality regional while you went to a crappy regional.
  I will have better working conditions because I went to a quality regional while you went to a crappy regional.
  I will have upgraded sooner because I went to a quality regional while you went to a crappy regional.
  There is nothing special about being a regional FO. I would rather flight instruct. Being a regional captain is what counts. And I will get there FASTER THAN YOU!
  .
• There is a good chance that you will wash out of training with only 250TT. That is why 30-50% of TSA's pilots are washing out. Not because their training is necessarily more difficult than other places. It is because their low time applicants don't have the experience. So when you and I go to apply for another airline, I will have an easier time because you will have washed out of training once and I wouldn't have.
  .
• "If I taught you to play golf, could you beat Tiger Woods?" See post #55 for more great explanations.
  http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...t=11328&page=6

I can't understand some people on this board. They are trying to get ahead by doing two things:
1. Skipping college
2. Going to a regional with super low time

But in the end, your quick shortcut will only hurt you in the end. It is like two 18 year olds. One goes to work for Safeway making $8 an hour. Hey look, I made $15,000 this year! The other goes to college, doesn't make anything for 4 years, but ultimately makes MILLION(S) of dollars more in his career because he went to college. Not to mention the best time of his life.

Same analogy goes for trying to get on a regional with low time. You initially think you are taking a shortcut, but as I explained above, it will actually take you longer to become captain, AND THAT IS WHAT MATTERS!!! Plus, the problem with chasing a quick upgrade at a crappy regional is what happens if hiring slows down. The only certainty in the airline industry is UNCERTAINTY. If you hold out until you have 1000TT, you can go to a good quality regional. If hiring slows down or you get stuck there, you will be at a decent place for several years. If you chase the low mins at TSA, you may get stuck there for years!!!

But hey, if you really want to chase that quick upgrade, you will be doing ME a favor, not you.

P.S. "Me" in this post referred to a fresh 250TT pilot for comparision purposes.