Originally Posted by
FlyHigh423
I am curious, how long do you think it would take to get from being a co-pilot on a regional jet to being a captain flying a 747 all around the world? I know the road between the two will be very rough with furloughs, crashpads, and stress but I am strongly determined to become an international pilot! So, what do you think? about 30 years??
I know there have been a lot of answers here and I'll try to keep mine short.
It depends. It depends on how motivated you are, who you work for and where you want to work.
Want to be a B747-400 Captain at Delta - that will take a while, as it's a senior airplane. At least 25 years once you get hired at the company.
Want to be a B747 Captain for Cathay Pacific? If you know your stuff and fit their mold, it can be a few years. (really - a friend of mine is scheduled for upgrade after being there 3 years, and they do interview regional FOs).
Want to be a B747 Captain for Kalitta? Recently, it was a year upgrade time there. I upgraded there in 1.5 years, and that was after the upgrade class was postponed. But the schedule is tough and the hours can be long.
Delta's schedule is probably similar to Cathay's, which is somewhat nice when you're flying the widebodies. Kalitta's schedule is a lot different, and to some worse.
In short - (wasn't I going to keep this short? ;-) - keep flying and don't worry about wanting to fly a specific airplane. Decide what kind of lifestyle you want and see who has that lifestyle.