CPAtoPilot

Hello everyone. I will be starting my private pilot training soon and have been researching a career change to becoming a pilot (currently a CPA). A couple questions:

1. Quality of life: I've read some things saying that as an airline pilot you're typically away from home for 4 days at a time and home for a couple before restarting the cycle. Is that pretty standard? My wife and I are likely to have children in the next 2 years and I'm not sure how that would work.

2. Pilot shortage: I see stuff all over the internet about the "pilot shortage". My question is would my timing still be good regarding job openings? Based on finances I would think I would be around 5 years away from being able to hit the ATP minimums and apply to a regional. I don't want to start pursuing this and five years from now there is a pilot surplus.

Thanks for the input!

rickair7777

Schedule and QOL varies between airlines, equipment, and most importantly seniority.

Generally...

Regionals have the worst QOL (and pay, and benefits), which is why you don't want to stay longer than necessary.

Second-tier majors are better than regionals, legacies + SWA/FDX/UP are best of all.

I think most of us try to get to 18+ days off/month. Break even for me is about 15 days off.

They will still be hiring, but I'd get started sooner if you're going to. Peak hiring at the majors will likely arrive in 4-5 years, so you'd want to have a couple years and 1000 hours under your belt at a regional prior to that.

Seniority is everything, if you're going to do it, get on with it. It would be better to get hired at a major and then have a big wave of folks hired AFTER you...

MadmanX2

There are other options in aviation besides the airlines. Corporate and air ambulance as well as others.

My buddies in the corporate world spend 10 to 20 nights a year away from home.

Air ambulance guys spend every night at home, unless working night shift then you might be flying all night, and be home all day.

The pilot shortage is in qualified pilots are in short supply today.

TiredSoul

I happen to like the split lifestyle.
Get antsy when I’ve been home to long and the wife will give me the sideways look that I’ve messed up her schedule for long enough.

Lots of different jobs require split lifestyles:
-Military
-anything Maritime
-oil and gas industry
-Transportation

It’s not for everybody.

bamike

What's your motivation to do this? If you're trying to get out of busy season there are easier ways . I would not do this if I was planning on having kids in the next two years, especially when you factor in the pay cut. If I was you, I would get my private pilot at a local flying club (much cheaper than a school). If after that I still wanted to change my career, then I would consider it. Right now it is way too early to commit for someone in your position.

Regarding a "pilot shortage". Just go online and read articles about pilot shortages from the 1990s that never materialized. There will never be a shortage in the US, there may be one in Asia. Congress will likely extend the H1B visa program to allow for foreign pilots (European most likely) to come here if there is ever really enough of a shortage. There is already an E Visa for Australians to fly for US airlines and the regionals are using it. If a shortage develops, Congress can expand that to other nationalities. Too many variables for someone in your position to go "all in".

CPAtoPilot

I'm not in public anymore (former Big 4) so no more busy seasons for me per se .It's something I've always had in the back of my head but thought it was far fetched for some reason. I agree it's to early to commit to a career change right now. I plan to get my PPL and instrument rating and see if it's still something I want to pursue. I figure I'll still want the PPL even if I change my mind on the career path. QOL is probably my biggest concern. Being away 4 out of 6 days will be a tough sell to the wife.

CPAtoPilot

What is your current position and what was your career path? For me being in Philly, my best route appears to be Piedmont to AA. Does QOL/nights out of town change at all given that I would be living in base? Thanks!

Sliceback

QOL is better if you live in base. Much better than commuting.

If those four days of work started at 2100 on day 1 and ended at 0600 on day 4 would you call that four days or two days plus?

Turns go senior. But it’s an o dark 30 wake up and you’re gone all day for 10-12 days. Ten days is 20-30 meals missed. If you take the easy two day trip you ‘work’ 14 days, with 7 overnights, but only miss 21 meals at home.

Three day trips to Europe? Five all month? Leave home at 1500 on day 1 and get home around 1600 on day three.

Your days off are O F F. No phone calls. No texts. No meetings. No reports. No deadlines.

JetBlueNewb

You're getting great advice here. Lock down your family situation and make sure it's something you're really wanting to do. Good news about being a CPA is maybe you can make some money on the side here and there as you train. If your family life is in order, you can make it through and probably succeed. If you have a crap family life and QOL is suffering you will struggle to move keep a clear head during training and eventually when you're working (especially with a kid or two popping up).

Have you flown at all? Can you get a Class 1 FAA Medical?

dhc8guru

Another thing to factor in is if your family is able to relocate to where you maybe based. Also, is your family flexible to easily move if you get bumped from your base?
(Not sure how much of that goes on anymore). If not, are you willing to commute? I can attest that commutting can really suck. I wasted two days of my time off just commutting. Three days off and only one actually being home.
Not to mention sweating being able to actually get on a flight. I had seniority on USAirways and most of the times the flight were full and I would have to sit jumpseat.

1500 hours in five years is not unrealistic with unlimited financial resources. Your looking at 25 hours a month to get the time in. My experience was, I never knew anyone who could pull that off. Weather was always a progress killer. Granted once you get past your instrument rating, weather is less of a factor. But if your instructing students, weather issues factor back in.

I don't know what to say about having kids. If your wife doesn't work and is fine with you being away a lot, you should be OK. Even then having a newborn with one person caring for them can be real rough. Once they get past three, and are out of diapers, the work load goes way down. Neither me or my wife could have done it alone.