Originally Posted by
Kimchiflyrice
Hey, All.
I’m having issues. I did most of my training at ATP and was going through a lot of personal stuff during that time. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and I was involved in a major car wreck. Excuses aside, I failed 5 checkrides throughout my training.
I’ve recently hit my 1500 hours and have found it incredibly difficult to get a 121 job. If my application doesn’t get rejected, I do in the interview. 5 failures is a lot. Above average. Most fail 2. This is not a reflection of the pilot that I am today. It’s been 3 years since my last failure, but still an issue.
I suppose I am here out of desperation. I need advice because the rejections are hitting me hard and I don’t know how to move on from here. Being an instructor is great, but it takes a toll on me and I’m at the end of my rope.
If you have any positive suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Check ride failures are never a good thing; and, they are especially troubling if you have had more than one - for all the reasons that other posters have mentioned earlier. Having said that, they happen. Most pilots out there actually have had at least one throughout their training or even professional careers. Once they happen, there is not much one can do about them other than learn from the experience and move forward. So do that. Keep it in the past, learn from it and move forward.
As far as career and future jobs go, most agreed that you will have a difficult time securing a career at a top tier airline and they are probably right. But, not certain. Hiring is entirely dependent on the labor market which defines the quality of the pick airlines get from it. If guys with backgrounds like yours (no offense) are what is left for them to pick out from than they will take what they can at that time. The way the market is moving in terms of the so called pilot shortage, you just might get that chance somewhere down the line. Maybe not exactly with the legacy carrier, but second tier company or a regional probably. You can still make a very good living as a senior captain at a few of those places.
As for now, apply at every single regional or corporate outfit out there and take the offer if given one no matter who it is or how much they pay. Shape up in your training and let the time pass so you can explain it as something that happened in the past and you learned from it.
Keep moving forward and don’t give up. Good luck.