How far away are you from graduating? Flying is my 2nd career, and I've been at this for almost 10 yrs. I thought i would be out of the regionals in 5 at most! Most of us believe, and the current events support this, that things are really going to change in the next 2 yrs.

The regional model of dirt cheap labor and whipsaw is not working anymore. So, being young, this could be a great time to get started.

However, the next few years are likely to be absolute chaos as regional airlines fold, and there becomes a struggle between mainline and regionals over their current **** poor contracts. It will likely take you two or three years to get 1500 hours and in that time anything can change. The costs involved in getting all your ratings now will be tremendous, so you better have a way to survive as a flight instructor.

I also hope you are ready to work your butt off, because you will be at the flight school from the early morning to sometimes late at night, and maybe only getting 4-5 hrs of pay. I would say, do your private pilot course part 61 as it gives you more flexibility. But also do your homework and find a school that will let you fly every day. A lot of 61 schools are shoe string operations and are run very slipshod.

In short, it is too early to worry about what regional to go to as in 2 years, the landscape will be very different.