Originally Posted by
Out West
That's valid, and in the calculus for sure. Most of my research is going into weighing the slightly slower rate of gaining hours at a fractional vice the QOL issues of commuting to a regional. I can drive to a NJ base as if it were an every morning drive to work; but also have a few options (depending on the regional) for direct flights to commute.
My problem is - I don't know what I don't know. And what I don't know about regional 121 life is somewhere around "everything."
Cool, possibly an EWR or PHL based regional would work.
Originally Posted by
Out West
No doubt!
*Note: all of the below is opinion and based on shady, at best, assumptions based on reading.
It does seem like the reserve life at a major is less of a "beatings continue until morale improves" setup. I'm sure it's not still rosy - but two things. 1) there are many things I've read regarding reserve at a regional that I don't see come up with reserve at a major: junior manned being one of them. 2) the paycheck tends to ease some of the pain (unless you've set yourself up for a wicked commute to reserve. Not sure you can pay your way out of that?)
This is true, although it can depend on the regional. As well as said regional's specific base/fleet. Some guys getting worked (flying a lot) and some guys spending a lot of time at home inverting bourbon bottles.
But listening to a legacy pilot complain about reserve is funny. Especially if their perspective/frame of reference contains ZERO regional reserve.
Originally Posted by
FlewNavy
Its been explained to me that regional training is set up to take pilots with mostly piston CFI work and get them working in a high performance turbine world. In other words...slightly different pace than at a major.
Major airline programs that I have talked with people about assume that you have been flying 121 and know that part of the business and the training can be done at a much faster pace.
There is a marginal probability that a non-current mil pilot will fail 121 training and lose their job and carry a black mark on their record. The assumption (valid or not) is that the probability of them failing at a regional is lower and that will reduce the probability of them subsequently failing at a major.
Going through a few of each, this is ALSO TRUE.
Do mil guys have a problem in training, NOPE. But a legacy's program is set to draw upon an already built foundation of experience.
What a mil pilot has to draw on isn't so much the stick and rudder skill set, they've ALREADY got that. It's more of the learning curve of the civ/121 way of doing things.
Again, it's not some rocket surgery, thousands upon thousands have done it with ZERO ISSUES.
It's just where they have to draw their stengthss from, as in learning something new and quickly, without much time or explaination, etc.