Look at the "Airline Profiles" link at the top of every APC page. That will list bases for each regional (large regionals, ie Skywest are under the Major-National-LCC category). Then google VR squadron locations.
There are a variety of east-coast regionals which probably have junior bases within train-range of Mcquire. I'm pretty sure one has an ORF base.
Skywest has several bases in SOCAL within driving distance of NASNI and Mugu.
Mesa has several bases on HI, and I think those may be junior as mainlanders typically don't want to go to the islands on Mesa pay. Not sure I'd recommend mesa for any reason though.
You'd have to ask on the regional forums which specific bases are junior.
Originally Posted by
hindsight2020
Guard/airline double commute? Eh, no. Commute to a Regional? Eh, double no.
x2.
Originally Posted by
hindsight2020
My plan of action, if I was in your shoes? I'd do SELRES only, max volunteer [bum/trough] on that end and wait to get hired at mainline. If money through that avenue is not good enough for your accustomed standard of living, I'd do a pedestrian job for the money and stay current via SELRES, and wait to get hired at mainline. I'd still vote for troughing though.
All the dudes I know who did what you're about to do have quit the regional anywhere between 6 months and 7 years. The 6-month guy commuted to RSV lines at ASA; ended up costing him money to go to work. Alas, he ran out of money and temperance in 6 short months, decided to save his marriage and family. Ended up getting an ART job. He's applying to the majors on this wave last I heard, 10 years later. The 7-year guy actually had the seniority to upgrade to Captain for years and purposely never did, citing QOL reasons {aka junior CA schedule at a regional}. He simply made more money troughing than as a regional FO, and had he upgraded to regional CA he would have had worse QOL for the same money than troughing in the SELRES. In the same timeframe he acquired all the TPIC he needed to apply at majors so as to forego the regional, so he straight up quit.
That should tell you enough. 121 SIC is chaff, especially at 30 bucks a pop.It's your life though. Good luck.
All true, but you have to ask yourself how bad do you want a major airline job? The applicant screening systems are mostly going to computer-based grading where you get points for checking boxes. The more boxes, the more points and those with the most points get an interview. How many boxes can you check?
If you're not dying for an airline job, you could reasonably wait out a couple years as a bum and then hopefully things will pick up a bit more. But if you go for the major job early and aggressively you could find yourself at the front of the wave with QOL, equipment transitions, and upgrade coming fast and furious.
Also troughing may or may not be a viable long-term option depending on federal budget shenanagins, although VR probably isn't going anywhere soon...they'd have to reel in forward deployed forces before they can cut the log tail.
You can always take a regional job, get a few hundred hours online and then drop a lot of mil leave until you have some seniority.
Also do have turbojet time? If not, you may want to focus on C-40 if possible (or look for an RJ, vice turboprop regional job).