rickair7777

Immediately after CPL, impossible. US airline pilots can no longer fly with a CPL, you need an ATP (which requires 1500 hours unless you graduated from university programs or the military).

Most folks work as CFI's to get to 1500, then go to the regional airlines. There are a variety of other paths, but that is the most common and probably quickest.

Regional airlines all pretty much hire folks right at the minimum (1500 or whatever ATP mins apply). There is a pilot shortage at that level.

Getting a major airline job will require more experience, typically acquired at the regionals or in the military (although there are other, typically longer paths).

"Safe" job status is hard to define, but the conventional wisdom assumes that once you reach 80% global seniority at a major you probably won't be furloughed during a "routine" downturn. How "long" that takes is hard to say, depends on growth and retirements, but maybe 3-5 years right now.

Regionals are harder to predict, they are not very stable. In some cases regionals have hired in a downturn while majors furloughed. In other cases entire regional airlines were shut down overnight.

Like I said most folks bound for the airlines do the CFI => regional path.

Aviation is very a much a "who you know" business. Airlines and corporate/charter/bizav are different worlds so if you know which path you want to follow, it's better to focus on that so you get experience that's more directly applicable to future jobs and meet people in that industry.

You can switch between the two, but it's a bit harder (going either direction). Obviously the basic flying skills are very similar, but there are a lot of differences in the day-to-day job.


Yes, plenty. There are also many airline jobs which have an "on call" option (but you still get paid). Many major jobs might as well be part time, with full time pay.

Do some reading, it's all here on these forums in various places.