Hacker15e

So did the rest of us who have made the jump and did a stint at the regionals. It requires some financial planning beforehand to make sure you can take care of your family during that part of the transition.

With 5 years left until retirement, and a plan to go to the airlines after leaving Big Blue (regardless of if now or then), and with the understanding that employment at the regionals is a realistic potential path to the job you eventually want, you should be preparing now by bulking up your savings account in preparation for those lean times.

Also ensure that your family is on board with the decision, too, because the transition will require some temporary belt-tightening that will impact them.

Just like with all military flying, you can't just have a Plan A in which you step directly from your AD job into a good paying major airline job. You have to have logical secondary and tertiary plans that you could actually execute if your main plan goes awry.

Since you're contemplating getting out *now*, I'd argue that if you don't currently have a financial cushion that you're prepared and willing to burn in a temporary low-paying job enroute to your career destination, you're already behind.

Yes, the regional route is a temporary financial hardship but it is a great way to get where you want to go if you're not current.

If "recession" is your #1 threat, then stay in until 20 and pick up that pension. That is the closest thing to a sure-thing that you're going to see anywhere in aviation and you're in the unique situation to be able to take advantage of it.

That being said, if you decide to stay in you are leaving 5 years of airline seniority, and the possibility of millions of dollars in career pay, on the table by waiting.

That's the bet we all have to decide the correct time to place.