Some life perspective for the young guys about making career choices.....

Gotta get this out....need help making a SOLID decision, think of yourselves as pilot career coaches, but banter is OK. A sincere thanks for the sincere answers. Moderators, feel free to move if its in the wrong category.

Woke up 40 yrs old and not living the dream, 3000TT, 1000 PIC Jet, X-mil fighter, UAL intern 1998, current sim instructor, good pay north of $80k, home nightly. However, like everything, there is a down side; just treading water, career stagnation, horrible up and down schedule, old before my time, same thing day in and day out, absolutely no chance for career advancement, foreign clients, 101 different SOPs, honestly....it's a nightmare.....blood from a turnip!! Most are miserable but have accepted their fate because they can't afford to leave the job.....depressing as hell.

My goal: RT seat legacy lifer, but have to get back in the air, get current, build more total time. NO to 135 flying again. That leaves an 80% pay cut and a regional job which I am fine with.

Question is WHERE, WHO, HOW LONG to meet the goal?

 

Go for it!
I am a 9 year RJ capt at chq. I turn 41 next month and my goal too is rt seat legacy lifer(specifically UAL, hopefully). RAH would hire you in less than half a heart beat and from there, just getting current I'm sure you would be prime for legacy apps. I've got 6k plus turbine pic(9k total) and I'm starting to waste away. Turbine pic isn't gonna matter in the not so distant future.

 

Are you near anyone's hub? Obviously a short stint at a regional will get you headed in the right direction. Might as well make it tolerable by living in base. You probably won't be around long enough to upgrade so just consider QOL and equipment (glass, FMS, etc).

 

Thanks fellas.....looks like Eagle for DFW. App going in!

 

Apply to JB. If it isn't sold out, they have a Vets in Blue coming up in March. ID do that way before a regional. Only take roughly two years to make up your pay...by then you'd be to a legacy :-)

 

XJT has DFW also. However, right now it is expressmess. Deal with it if you want. Not saying other regionals don't have problems, but this is getting out of control fast. We need new management that will acknowlege and take action to fix the problems. To get other management out of their positions.

 

Thanks....had no idea anout JB.

 

jetBlue and Virgin America are more steppingstones to the Majors as opposed to career jobs.

 

My suggestion is Corporate.

Corporate ops seem to love the sim instructors.

I wouldn't wish a regional job on you.
I shiver just thinking about it.

 

Sage advice. for this gentleman. I don't pretend to have OP's qualifications, but in corporate you run into people that like to have a military guy around. More often than not it seems like some business owners enjoy being able to brag about having a military guy around. Military men are known for being able to quietly handle business, and even go above and beyond. The prior military corporate guys I know simply make sure everything is ready. Clean, serviced, maintained aircraft, paperwork, receipts, tax documents to the company accountants and so on. Most people just don't roll up their sleeves and RUN the flight department.

I know the OP said his goal was to be a legacy right seater, but flying 400 hours a year for a company that adores you and has you home almost every night is great.

Plus, with corporate, sometimes you can take significant others or children along on company trips if there are empty seats.

I've flown a couple to the caribbean so they could get on a friend's yacht. They let me bring a friend, and paid our expenses to hang out for a week.