rickair7777

UA and DL yes. But few and far between. Absolutely apply early, it shows sustained interest and you might get very lucky.

But don't plan your life around it.

"So you're sayin' there's a chance?"

Omega 3

Appreciate the feedback. My concern is doing all this, and be one of the guys who take ages to be called (from reading on APC, it seems there are a lot of qualified people stuck at the regionals waiting for the call, like 123494 mentioned). No way to know until I try I guess.

Maybe I might have a better chance at JetBlue, Spirit, Allegiant and etc with my experience..

rickair7777

The people who are stuck are either "stale", lazy or both.

It's entirely possible to become "stale" due to bad luck and circumstances and in fact quite common for my generation. Get stuck in an RJ for 10+ years at a company with no other types, so you have one type, no recent training events, and no easy way to change that (golden handcuffs).

You can avoid that by avoiding regionals with single type aircraft, that way if you get stuck for five years due to unforeseen circumstances (likely personal vice industry in this climate), you can "refresh" yourself with a new type when needed.

The bigs clearly prefer "career progression" over stagnation, so as long as you strike while the iron is still warm, and have a degree and minimal background issues, you should be fine. Keep moving (logical moves that you can explain), the more types the better (but don't push that to the point you fail a checkride you didn't have to take).

You already have some diversity of experience that one-trick RJ ponies will never have.

TiredSoul

All of this ^^^

aviatrix28

I am in the same situation, but in Asia -- heavy international experience, 0 TPIC, college degree, not qualified for DEC with 0 121 time.

I invested on the ATP-CTP and FAA conversion ~$10,000 hoping I could go to the legacy I want to work for (Hawaiian) without passing through a regional. Unfortunately, I didn't get invited for an interview.

I'm now considering 'Ohana since they have a guaranteed interview program with HAL, I can network, and I'll upgrade to captain there sooner than I will where I'm at. My main concern is what moving from a heavy jet to a turboprop will look like on my resume.

I think the investment can be worth it if you plan on applying to all the majors/legacies and want to wait where you are until they call. However, if you're set on moving ASAP, as another poster mentioned, upgrade time in a regional is quick, you could go that route and have them pay for your ATP-CTP & conversion. In my case, since I'm set for HAL somehow I wish I went straight to 'Ohana months ago when they were hiring, had them pay for the conversion, and started building 121 time to upgrade.

The instructors that handled my simulator sessions for the conversion were current and former captains at another legacy carrier and offered to write LORs which I declined since I'm set on HAL/living in Hawaii and I didn't feel it was right. I mention this because maybe it can be a good networking opportunity? I can't really say since I didn't accept their offer and the only airline I applied to is HAL.

This is just an opinion from someone in the same situation as you, but has paid for the ATP-CTP & conversion. I'm still trying to figure it out as well.

JohnBurke

Or maybe they have their own reasons, not the least of which is that they're happy where they are.

Your comments remind me of a young buck I spoke with years ago. I suggested he go to an ambulance operation at the time, flying a MU-2. He said no, he didn't want to do that. I asked why.

"Because everyone that goes there ends up staying. They lose their ambition."

Translate that from someone who really had no clue about life in general to an observation that people who went to that operator were happy, and decided to stay where they were.

Not everybody curtain-climbs until their fingers bleed.

rickair7777

In the context of this discussion "stuck" means wants to leave but can't.

If you don't want to leave, then you're not stuck. I knew plenty of regional lifers who were not stuck.

sigler

I'm in a very similar situation to yours, except that I got upgraded a few months ago and now have some TPIC time. While better than not having any TPIC time at all, it's still not Part 121 so I'm not really sure how much it's worth.

I am in the process of moving back to the US and as soon as that's logistically possible for me, I will try to get on with a regional. As much as I think we have a good chance at JetBlue, Spirit, etc, it will take us a LOT longer to start racking up TPIC time and in the end that's what we should really be going for if a legacy is our goal. On the other hand, if we end up not getting called by a major, it is a lot better spend the rest of your career at a place like JetBlue than at a regional. So you'll know if you made the right call about five years from now....

As far as pay goes, my mindset is similar to what someone else already posted above- pay will suck for the next 2-3 years, but oh well. After that either a major will have worked out or I'll (hopefully) be in the left seat at a regional.

Good luck.

Rama

When you are sitting in the right seat and look over at the PIC, it seems like the same job with a little more experience or seniority.
When you are sitting in the left seat, you miss the lack of respnosibility and pressure that you had as an FO.
The grass is always greener no matter where you are.

thomaskies

Excuse my ignorance, but how does the experience flown in an Intl airline (lets say on the same type) does not count towards the FAR 121-time requirement?