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Old 04-07-2006, 04:08 PM
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rickair7777
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Joined APC: Jan 2006
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Originally Posted by Zoomy
How much do most regionals pay? How likely is it that you could one day move from a regional to a major? If so, how many years do most pilots spend on average at a regional?
Typical career path, including costs, salary and estimated time at each step (your mileage may vary):

Earn Ratings (PPL, IR, COM, ME, CFI, CFII, MEI): 6-10 Months full time, cost = $30-40K.

Work as CFI: 1-3 years, $8K-30K/ year

Regional Airline FO: 1-12 Years, $15K-40K

Regional Captain: 2-8 years, $40-100K

Major FO: 2-20+ years, $25K-100k+

Major Captain: $100-250K

Also expect to get laid off at LEAST once for 1-4 years.

Moving from a regional to a major is hard when the industry is troubled (right now!), but a few folks get lucky or have connections. When pilot demand is higher, it can be fairly easy. You often need 2+ years experience as a regional captain to apply for a major.

These numbers depend on many, many variables, including who you work for and the industry health.
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