Originally Posted by
Vidra
Luv2Rotate is spot on with his observations. But the point I want to emphasize is that you WILL be able to apply everywhere in a little over 1 year (except maybe Spirit if they keep their 4000 total time minimum requirement) if you stay put until reaching 1000 turbine PIC. However, your King Air PIC time is NOT counting towards the new 121 captain minimums required since August, 2013. Generally speaking the 1000 hours 135 PIC has to be in a type rated aircraft--such as a jet--where an ATP is required for 135 operations. With this in consideration, no matter what regional you go to you're looking at needing 1000 hours 121 SIC time before upgrading (2-3 years).... then an additional 600 hours PIC (1-2 years) before you'll have the 1000 hours turbine PIC. So that's anywhere from 3-5 years in total before you can apply to ALL companies IF (and that's a big if) you upgrade immediately upon reaching 1000 hours 121 SIC.
I don't forsee Delta/American/United adding the 1000 hours multi turbine PIC back to minimum requirements for applicants. In fact, I anticipate just the opposite happening..... Southwest/Fedex/UPS/Virgin, etc. will likely drop that requirement in the near future to follow suit with the big 3. But at the end of the day you gotta look at it like having a backup plan. Things change fast in this industry and while I don't think 1000 hours turbine PIC in a King Air is gonna light anyone's hair on fire, it WILL make you insurable to hold a captain's spot on turbine equipment.
No doubt 121 is the way for you to go but the big boy jobs will still be waiting for you when you finally head over to the regional of your choice. And if all the hype about the legacies/majors/lcc's hiring FO's straight from the regionals is true (and becomes even more common), then you will be sitting nice and pretty in that regional right seat (all while having made more $ flying the King Air for an extra year). Either way you're likely to end up at your career destination job at roughly the same time, but one way you'll make a little more money and undertake less risk than the other.
This numbers are way off. Go to the first regionals that hires you, move in base, pick up open time, you will fly 900-1000 hrs a year.
Flying in a King Air PIC will not make you marketable as flying in a CRJ in any seat. Same goes for a light GA jet. The minimum requirements are just for rare particular situations. Something is minimum, something else is your competition. Competitive minimums are still 6000+ just about anywhere.
Finally, by going 121 ASAP you will fly with a bunch of guys going in the same direction, before you, and they will get you an interview faster then you can by yourself. You don't want to be among the last ones hire in the hiring spree, because you will be junior forever.