Originally Posted by
elcidflyer04
I currently fly for a corporate flight department. We have a 182 w/G1000, a G58 barron, and a king air 350. I fly the 182 and the barron. When things turn around and people start hiring again would it be worth it for me to move to a job with the regionals. I know the pay sucks. But I think it would be fun to fly for an airline, at least for a few years so I can build some jet time. Is the QOL that horrible? On a normal week how many nights are you away from home? Just currious.
It can be a fun job, but are you prepared to commute across the country to a crashpad living with 12 other pilots so you can sit on reserve 5-6 days on with 1-2 days off per week? The pay does suck as well, could you be content with the above schedule making around $20k-30k/yr? Ready to be an FO for 5+yrs before upgrading? Will you be ok with commuting/moving to a new base whenever the airline decides to close your current one?
It sounds like you have a decent comfortable job in your hometown. I would stick where you are even when the airlines start hiring. Jet time in an RJ isnt worth much if you plan on getting back into corp aviation in the future. Focus on your networking in the corporate world and find an entry level corp jet job if you really need jet time.
The payoff in the end as a senior mainline CA isnt nearly as sweet as it used to be. Gone are the days of $300k/yr, working 10 days a month, and having the admiration of everyone. If you get hired in the next 'wave' of hiring I would bet on being at a regional for the majority of your career. The pilots who are currently flying left seat at regionals are the ones who will have a small chance at making it to the mainline carriers when things pick back up.