Keep flight instructing or go to regionals
09-26-2013, 07:11 PM
#21
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2012
Posts: 480
Originally Posted by wessidemike
Your post hits very close to home. While I do not have near the time you have, I am on a similar path. I've been out of the flying loop for about 7 years now. I made the bad decision to get out, take my time going to college, and now I'm 31 graduated but with little desire/means to get a desk job. I'm seriously thinking about going back to flying. In fact in about an hour I have a meeting with a local flight school to discuss my options for finishing my CFI. The dilemma is to I take the jump or not. I have enough money saved up (from the last few years messing around as a bartender) to fund the rest of my ratings plus a few tough years at a regional. I wish i didn't have to choose between a more secure future with a boring desk job and a passion which just so happens to be a difficult career in aviation.
It's really, really rough right now. Without 1,500 hours you're not going anywhere, and if you manage to land an interview at a regional even then, you're fighting with guys who have tons of experience.
09-26-2013, 07:30 PM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2012
Position: ERJ
Posts: 383
Originally Posted by chrisreedrules
Get your ATP Multi and Single and one other unique rating (ASES or something) and try and become a DPE.
09-26-2013, 09:11 PM
#23
Banned
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,222
Regionals, while a pain in the ass, are not all that bad.....as long as you go in knowing and are able to endure first year pay and then mid $30k for a number of years...
The pluses are:
good equipment/ advanced avionics
Somewhat decent schedule with seniority
Very good 121 experience in usually really crappy weather
All weather operational experience, deicing, holding etc
Experience operating in the worlds business airports/ airspace
Meet a lot of people who may someday help you out somewhere
Usually pretty good benefits/ medical, vacation etc
Pass benefits
Ability to live wherever you want if you wish
The downfalls are pay
Being on reserve
Commuting
Long hours with many 1 hr flights
And as always the ever present whipsaw techniques... But no career is 100% stable
I started out in the regionals,then went to corporate, then to fractional, then back to 121... Wouldn't trade my time in the regionals for anything. Learned a lot, flew a lot, traveled a lot, met some interesting people and survived
IMO,the people who are most disgruntled are the ones who expected to get hired ( at usually very low hours) be an FO for 2 years, upgrade, and be at a major 2 years after that..It just doesn't work that way for 99%. I didn't work that way 13 years ago and doesn't work that way for the newer generation of pilots hired at regionals in the last 5 years..
The pluses are:
good equipment/ advanced avionics
Somewhat decent schedule with seniority
Very good 121 experience in usually really crappy weather
All weather operational experience, deicing, holding etc
Experience operating in the worlds business airports/ airspace
Meet a lot of people who may someday help you out somewhere
Usually pretty good benefits/ medical, vacation etc
Pass benefits
Ability to live wherever you want if you wish
The downfalls are pay
Being on reserve
Commuting
Long hours with many 1 hr flights
And as always the ever present whipsaw techniques... But no career is 100% stable
I started out in the regionals,then went to corporate, then to fractional, then back to 121... Wouldn't trade my time in the regionals for anything. Learned a lot, flew a lot, traveled a lot, met some interesting people and survived
IMO,the people who are most disgruntled are the ones who expected to get hired ( at usually very low hours) be an FO for 2 years, upgrade, and be at a major 2 years after that..It just doesn't work that way for 99%. I didn't work that way 13 years ago and doesn't work that way for the newer generation of pilots hired at regionals in the last 5 years..
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