Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Yep you're unique all right, and a shoe-in for any major. Don't wait. Apply now.
135 operations will trip over themselves for your airline experience. You've cracked the code.
You know so much about this, without any experience, it's a bit of a mystery why you're asking counsel, when you should be doling it out.
When you apply for that major job, be sure to stop the interview before it starts and remind the panel that you don't have to be there, that you could easily qualify for a better paying job with that airline. They'll hurt themselves hiring you, and probably at twice the salary of everyone else. Good luck with that.
John, I have to disagree with you. This person brings some unique things to the table for a major airline. He may have the contacts to get internal recs from a management type, and would likely be looked at less as a straight line pilot, but perhaps as a pilot manager down the line.
I do agree that the best current route right now is CFI, but that is because being a CFI teaches the instructor a lot about flying that was not learned during his own training. CFII instructing in an airplane with a six pack panel does wonders for situational awareness, a GPS with moving map, not so much.
135 is the usual next step after that, and might be done for the same operator that hired him as a CFI.
Definitely go to a regional as soon as you have ATP minimums, preferably one with a fast upgrade to get 1,000 TPIC.
Joe