This is not the worst climate by a long shot, entry-level hiring is still happening (vice furloughs) and there's still going to be a lot of retirements over the next decade (just a lot less than the recent crazy times, that ship has sailed for sure).

I agree it would have made a whole lot more sense to make this move 3 years ago.

 

I didn't say it was the worst hiring climate ever. I said it was one of the worst, and it absolutely is. Hasn't been this bad in over a decade. And I am not just talking about Regionals. There are very few CFI jobs available right now. And traditional very low time pilot jobs like running checks at night don't exist anymore. Less jobs available for a lot more pilots who fell for the "pilot shortage" advertising scam from the pilot mills.

 

Except it’s those majors hiring off the top that have a ripple effect down through the regionals - particularly the wholly owned and/or those with some version of flow. And most regionals are at or near the size allowed by the scope of the majors they feed.

Certainly the FAPA major hiring stats are not the be all or end all of commercial aviation, but every expansion or retirement at those majors certainly ripples through the whole industry to some degree.

 

I definitely don’t feel broken. Here is some more background on me. I have flown for the past 24 years. I started the year of 9/11. Tough year. A couple years prior i started training in martial arts. I loved teaching martial arts so much that i decided to blend my two loves, aviation and instruction. I love teaching. Over the past 18 years I have learned a lot. Never had the desire to upgrade to the airlines as my wife had a good paying job and I was satisfied with learning. I taught 13 years from one school only to be limited in my opportunities by my employer. I moved flight schools and found a new growth spurt with Tailwheel. Again still growing. I have instructed for them for 5 years now and have been found wanting more. I am the assistant chief CFI. I teach a lot of IFR. To the point I am able to see the big picture and would like to see it from a grander scale. I need to continue growing. This coupled with financial harder times, I am now in a position to see there is limited future with my flight instructor career. A close 787 pilot mentor of mine whispered in my ear “airlines”. It just made sense. That’s was last fall. I soon earned my multi rating, completed. My ATP CTP, took my written along with loading up Airline Apps. I would love to find a 135 job. To get things moving. What do i choose to do with my CJO. What if they come around 10 months in and say lets get started. What then?

 

Depends; always the correct answer.

Depends on what you want to do. Depends on the economy, the industry, your personal situation, your other options. Depends on whether you've signed a training agreement or bond for the place you're working. Depends if you have upgrade opportunity where you are at the time, and how that stacks up against your conditional offer.

It's always good to have options. Right now, your CJO represents a possibility of a future opportunity, kind of like a coupon. They do come with expirations; employers purge their lists, they start over, they decide anyone not hired by a certain date must re-apply, and so on. It happens. If you have a conditional offer, keep that, don't advertise it, and if it turns into something more in the future, consider your options at the time.

I've interviewed places before and didn't get called back for the job for a year and a half, up to eight years or more. Circumstances change. The company that stopped hiring today and for the forseeable future might have a reason tomorrow to begin hiring in earnest. When that happens, it's best to be ready, like waiting for the right wave to surf. One doesn't sit on the beach and wait; one has to be in the water, on the board, ready, watching the waves closely. In aviation hiring parlance, that means staying current; flight current, and current on the industry trends; who's hiring, what's happening. Stay current on your knowledge for a written test; many places use the ATP questions. You may have an ATP, but keep studying the material. Know charts, regulations, etc. Stay current on instruments, decision making, weather, etc. Be ready not just to apply, but to pass.

Today's best opportunity may be tomorrow's ho-hum. Keep applying to multiple places. Don't consider the current interview or CJO to be one-and-done. You may have many more interviews yet to go. Target companies. Research what applicants have been asked in interviews, the patterns of their simulator rides, company culture, trends, aircraft, revenue, leadership, etc. Get a tailored suit, and it's wise to invest in interview preparation, and a resume review.

A number of years ago I spoke with an up-and-comer about his possibilities and suggested a busy aeromedical operation. They flew high performance airplanes, and a great culture, an excellent reputation, and the pilots were happy. For that level in the industry, the pay was on par, and good. The up-and-comer said he didn't want to go there, because everyone he knew who had done that ended up staying. They stayed, because they were happy with the job, and the lifestyle. It suited a family life, it was home nearly every night, had predictable shifts. I don't want to go there, he said, because those who do are too satisfied. They lose their ambition. They stop striving for something else. I'm paraphrasing. He kept his applications in at the big boys and waited, while others flew their butts off, stayed current, gained skills, and were active and sharp if and when a call came for an interview .

You don't have to lose your goals or ambitions, and you can stay current, gain experience, ratings, hours, and skills at the same time. Keep applying. Keep updating applications. If The big shiny airplanes aren't available, hire into a smaller, possibly less shiny airplane. Overlook nothing.

There's nothing wrong with flight instructor on a resume. Most of us have been, or are instructors. Assistant chief, or chief is even better; it looks good, and is good. Keep adding qualifications. Aircraft types, operation types (135, utility, etc). Don't discount temporary jobs, seasonal flying. Corporate flying won't hurt. Neither will 135. Be a company instructor somewhere. Get a check airman letter. Look at instructing positions with Flight Safety, or Simuflite. Hiring has slowed in pace from what it was post-pandemic, but hasn't stopped, despite what some think. If your'e not seeing it, you're looking in the wrong places. Look in the right ones, and apply to everyone.

 

Not necessarily. Even when every Legacy was hiring 2000 a year combined with the majors hiring right after COVID, it was still tougher for an entry level pilot to land a Regional job then it was from 2016 though 2019 when the Legacies were hiring a lot less.

 

I know you’re not broken.
I know that and everyone reading your question knows that.
Future employers don’t know that, they’re just looking at a resume and wondering why you didn’t move. They are the ones thinking if you can pass a type rating.
One day you can ask my how I know.

 

To the OP:

It's simple; apply everywhere that is hiring into anything that gets you MEL time. If that means starting out for a small 135 outfit in a 310, do it. Then go from there...

...135 Turbine (preferably) MEL SIC and upgrade.
... Part 91 corporate gig (if you like that niche or find a creampuff one).
... 121 Regionals or LCCs.
... then your 121 Major/Legacy.

It all else fails, go to AK; there are always flying jobs.
If the airline gig is your goal now, go for it, good luck. Your timing and earnings/QoL desires may mean to end up staying at a 91 gig making 150K because it fits your needs, or being a Regional lifer; not bad things, just perspective.

If I had to wager, if you want to be at a Major or Legacy 121 outfit, I'd say you're honestly looking at 5 to 7 years before you're interviewing at a major/legacy.

 

Honestly, getting to the majors is not an absolute goal. I would be content if regionals was as far as I go. Of course time will tell that. I am currently putting out applications as much as possible. I am on biz jet jobs trying to find anything with sic time. I’m not being picky. 135 or 91. It doesn’t matter where I start. As long as I start. Many of the application requirements are pushing 500 hours multi or turbine time. Both of which I don’t have.

 

Been there, done that trying to get the twin-turbine time..

Back in the mid 1980s I was flying C-207s and C-402s in bush Alaska, interesting flying for sure but the winters were long and dark,
Took a short vacation on St. Croix in January, saw a nice looking Twin Otter on floats at the city docks in Christiansted Harbor.
Walked over to take a closer look and asked the ticker agent if they needed pilots?
He said, yeah we are desperate for a co-pilot but nobody has a twin seaplane rating…
Told him I had such a rating in my pocket. (Picked it up the year before at Jack Browns Seaplane base in Florida for fun)
The ticket agent called the boss immediately and I was hired on the spot, no interview or resume necessary.

Long story short, 6 months later I had 500 hours twin turbine and twin seaplane time and lots of fun doing 16 takeoffs and 16 landings
a day. 2 days on, 2 days off, 96 hours per month.
The company folded but we stayed in the islands and I flew Twin Otter Captain for 1 company, DC-3 Captain for another while living
on a sailboat and cruising the islands on days off.
A few years later I got the I itch for big shiny jets and got hired by Evergreen, DC-8-73 F/O.

Moral of the story, things can happen fast if you are prepared, flexible and ready to jump.