I'm not sure why everyone keeps saying "you should instruct, fly freight and then get hired on at a regional because thats the way it used to be!" Well thats bull ****.

I started flying in 1991. I got hired with an airline in 2000. I either learned to fly or taught at three different flight schools in two states, one a major university. Of all of the pilots I met only one went and did single pilot cargo in order to get to a regional and that was because they were unfairly turned down earlier. In the long run, it didn't help them get a better job as they are still doing the regional gig as most in our grouip of friends went on to mainline 121, which is shame they deserve to be here too.

Most instructed until they were hired, usually 200ME was the key and total time ranged from 1000-2000 hours. Except for one who did the SIC Airnet program where you got hired as a SIC on a Navajo, the cargo folks I saw wanted to be corporate or avoid PFT, but in reality they just became corporate. That SIC at Airnet did that program to avoid becoming a CFI and was hired at a regional before becoming a PIC and they had to of course pay Airnet back or something like that. The other cargo I saw was one who got turned down from several regionals before doing cargo and finally get hired in.

Now I think someone needs to introduce into this bill a provision dropping Part 135 PIC cargo in non-turbine aircraft down to less than 1200TT. I think that is overdue.

Personally, I think you should have to be a CFII to get hired as an airline pilot.