Two part question here: I am a 750 SIC at regional level currently. 1700 TT. Under 24 years old.

1. Has anyone been applying below the required mins (I don’t have 1000 turbine and no PIC)? I don’t want to hurt my chances by applying too early but I also want to get the heck out of here. Any success?

2. What sets a good “low-hour” applicant apart from the others?

I am new to the process of getting picked up by a major as you can see.

 

No such thing as hurting your chances by applying to early. Apply and let United know your interested as soon as possible. Low time pilots have been hired before but they were well networked and attended everything they could to get face time.

Your time is deffinently low and I wouldn’t get my hopes up but crazier things have happened. Good luck! Good things come to those who set a goal and work hard for it.

 

"Just a couple more hours of Turboprop time and I am out of here for the Majors"




I would apply once I met the stated minimums. (Follow directions and shows you can read an application).

Next I would focus on Upgrade. How fast I can make that happen. SIC time is worthless. College degree? If not then make sure you get that finished.

Apply early and apply often.

 

^^^^
All great advice above.

IMHO, no point in applying now. I would, however, be ready to apply the day you hit 1000 turbine and then keep updating on a very regular schedule.

And also assuming you have a 4-year degree, and also assuming your GPA was not 1.5....

Network, network, network. Establish and maintain career mentors. Not just for the next job, but for the next 40 years.

Those in a position to help you can spot a phony kiss-a$$ a mile away and young pilots wanting to get to a major are a dime-a-dozen. However, you’d be amazed by the support that a sincere young pilot can receive. Everybody who “made it” was once there themselves and many enjoy helping another pilot climb up the ladder.

Also note that human nature has not changed for several thousand years and in the so-called “real world” the really low time guys (and gals) that get hired know, or are related to, somebody. It can be as simple as leaving a positive impression with a recruiter at a job fair or the result of extreme nepotism as the son of a chief pilot.

It’s the old adage, “If you don’t know who has the inside track it’s not you.”

This does not mean you have to be so close to the manger of pilot hiring that you exchange Christmas presents, but knowing somebody that can make an introduction to somebody who knows somebody can make all the difference in the world. It’s almost amazing how small the aviation community really is and these informal networks have been in place long before you were born.

 

Ready to "get the heck out" after 750 hrs 121 time is not the message you want to send to anybody, especially here.

Enjoy the ride a bit, get some experience. I don't think it really ever hurts to apply but I would wait until mins. And unless anything changed, no PIC required.

 

Unless you are in a special protected demographic, no one is even going to know your application exists. United uses a computer algorithm that racks and stacks all apps in the system. They then invite by pulling off the top of the stack. The only way to get more visibility is to have more points. To get more points, you have to have more than 1700TT and 700SIC. It isn't going to hurt your chances. You are just wasting your time because there is a nearly 0% chance you get called if your app isn't competitive, which it isn't.

 

I don't hold that against him/her......The regionals suck ass. I get what your saying but wanting a better QOL and pay is nothing to be ashamed of.

I could barely support myself let alone a family and everyday I showed up to work I was kicked in the balls. I applied to every single airline when I got out of school. Of course only the regionals called. I continued to update my apps every week to every Major, LCC and ULCC until United called.

 

I wouldn't really worry about it. They always call you when you least expect it anyways. In my opinion at 750 sic you should still be in the honey moon phase. Learn to like what you're doing now.

 

Mostly true, but TPIC isn't the be all/end all like it was from our era.

In this brave new world, pilots without TPIC can enhance their qualifications/resume/app score in a myriad of other ways.

As mentioned, networking/F2F contacts with recruiters/job fairs/taking a collateral position within the company (safety/CRM/GS, etc)/a M&G if possible and volunteering like crazy.

Granted, non TPIC pilots aren't being hired in droves, YET. But compared to the pre 9/11 and 2007 "summer help", they ARE being hired in greater numbers than hiring eras past.

And usually the above items listed are the common denominators.

 

With 700 hrs you're ready to get the heck out of there? How do you think Captains with 5,000, or 8,000 hrs, feel? And they know a heck of a lot more about flying, the industry, and leadership than you do. I'd recommend relaxing and learning to be better at the job. That will be the bedrock that you can use to improve your resume that might lead to an earlier than expected opportunity at a major airline.

You can apply at any time. After a break of x weeks/months you're no longer an active candidate.

DL said the lowest time guy they hired in 2016 had 2,050 hrs. So it doesn't hurt to start applying now. Keep in mind the average civilian guy had 6,937 hrs. You are years away from that. And at AA the under 30 new hires was 1.4% of the last 500. Youngest 5% was 33 and younger. Consider that the typical guy has 5500-7000 hrs, a couple of type ratings, is a 121 CA, and your odds of getting hired are very low. Improve your resume through steady development and experience and the process of making yourself better will make you more competitive.