Leave of Absence to go to a Regional
 

I am in a good paying job outside of aviation and getting ready to leave to a regional.
Instead of resigning, I am thinking of taking a Leave Of Absence, 3 months is the maximum allowed, I could maybe extend it to 4 with vacation time.
This is just in case something happens in training or I discover that this really isn't for me (but highly doubt it).
Is this option legally possible? Do I have to disclose this to the airline?
Appreciate the insight.
Thanks!

Probably a good idea, don't give up your day job to go to a regional. Go for a few months, get it out of your system and then go back to your life. If you enjoy flying, join a local flying club and fly on nice vfr weekend days. if you are a CFI you can trade BFR's and IPC's for free or reduced charge of aircraft.

Well, I may not be able to "get it out of my system" :)
I have delayed this switch for a while and I got to the point where it is now or never. As for your idea of joining a club, that's how I built most of my time over the years (in my own aircraft) but it doesn't seem enough...

While I completely recommend against leaving your current career for a regional, if you MUST do it, taking a leave of absence is a good idea if it is a available option. Training is generally around 2 months long and another month or two on the line enjoying life on reserve should give you a taste of regional life, which should be enough to help you make a decision. Also, if for some reason training goes south, you have something to fall back on.

Two other pieces of advice.
1. If you like where you live, pick an airline that is based there. Commuting sucks.
2. Avoid airlines that have any kind of "term commitment". You shouldn't have to promise to work anywhere for any certain period of time, especially if it turns out to be a really crappy airline, which most regionals are.

In conclusion, flying is a great hobby.... And should be kept that way.

I think it is a very wise idea. Don't pay much attention to the naysayers, finding out for yourself is the only way to be satisfied one way or the other.

You are under no obligation whatsoever to inform the airline (or any other employer) of your situation (Leave of Absence.) I would also suggest that informing any airline that you're on an LOA from another job, would probably significantly hurt your chances of getting hired.

Never a bad idea to have a back-up plan in place...

I am in your situation and will basically be doing the same thing. I have 18 weeks of vacation to burn and I plan on using as much as needed to make sure I get through training. I've been out of 121 flying for 13 years and, although I'm fully commited to returning, I have no delusions that it will be a cake walk to get back in.

Yes, I like where I live and don't plan to move. The problem is then, only Envoy has a large base here and I really don't know if it is an option right now.

Thanks for the words on encouragement!
I have been thinking about this long and hard and the LOA is the best option I could find, assuming it is approved.

One thing to consider is that ALL the major airlines now have contracts in place which allow them to use 76 seat regional aircraft. Almost all of ASA/XJT, Eagle are 50 seats or fewer. This applies to many of the other carriers too.

There is going to be a big shake-up coming as the transition to 76 seat aircraft occurs and as some of these regionals go out of business. XJT is losing about 50 aircraft by year's end. You are getting in during a time of much needed optimism in this industry, but also great upheaval. UAL lost 200 + million last Q while Delta made 200 million. There could be a substantial shrinkage in the regional airlines as the 50 seaters are retired. I think this summer is going to be chaos even more than usual.

Just some things to consider before jumping in right now.

I disagree strongly, or rather I will say that your new employer might disagree.

This kind of thing has been tried before, and I know a guy who got fired from a major because he was on vacation from his regional when he started at the major. His intent was to try to protect his seniority in case training went badly.

The problem was that he didn't tell his regional what he was doing...he was basically working another flying job while still employed there, which is an airline no-no.

The major also may have felt that he wasn't sufficiently "committed" to his new job. Whatever.

I've heard of at least one regional which actually has a contract clause which allows a pilot who flunks out of of a major to get his job and seniority back automatically within a certain period of time (a few months, long enough to complete IOE). This is a great thing, and would require no disclosure on your part since it's not an active measure which you took, or fraudulent. It's just kind of there.

But in this case I would either be 100% sure the airline doesn't find out (might be tough since dates of employment are one of the few things companies willingly disclose on reference checks), or make sure both parties know in advance what you're doing and are OK with it.

Otherwise you're taking a chance.

Yes, but...he's not taking an LOA from another airline, it's a non-aviation job. I can see how it'd be an issue if his employment check was done, though...

So, there may be an issue...the airline may run an emloyment verification and find out I am still employed at my desk job, then what?

The best time to look for a job is when you already have a job.
Are members actually suggesting that looking for a job while you have another job is a problem? :confused:

Interestingly enough me and a couple of others I know are seeking the exact opposite. LOA from the regional to do something that will pay the bills without serious QOL sacrifices. Wanna trade? Funny how perspective changes depending on your viewing point.

In my eyes, nothing. As long as it's not another commercial flying job, you're good to go. Nothing says you can't work a desk job on top of your flying job. I highly doubt they would ask you, but if they did, just tell them you're going to work there on your days off.

Who cares? Do airlines get mad when you have a second job? They can't prohibit you from having a non-flying job.

No, the potential issue is starting a new job while on LOA/Vacation from the previous job. Intent being you can go back to your old job if you wash out. This can be a problem if the employers are not aware of what you're doing.

I actually think it's a good idea, given the high failure rate in some training programs.... as long as it doesn't get you fired from the new job.

If both employers know the score and are OK with it, no issues.

The problem would be one of honesty/integrity. Does the previous employer expect you to come back? The new employer might consider it dishonest if you took a new job without resigning from the old employer.

Like I said, I know of one guy for sure. He was fired from the major after they had a conversation with the regional. The regional then fired him too, because his LOA reason was "family issues", not "starting a job at a new airline".

People get burned all the time by playing this sort of game in aviation. Like I said, it's a great plan if everybody's OK with it...but I wouldn't recommend trying to BS an airline.

The only thing I'd be worried about is if the airline calls your non-airline employer to do an employment history verification. You might have some tough questions to answer from your current employer.

That said, given the instability of this industry and the admittedly small (but real) possibility of a training bust, the OP's idea sounds do-able to me.

Great idea. My desk job is a boring engineering job I really have enough of.
Afterburn81, would be happy to trade :)

My logic in using vacation days before resigning from my current job:

New hires are now required to attain a type rating in the aircraft that they are hired into. Back in the day, we could literally throw the gear for the guy in the left seat in the sim, fly a few single engine approaches and get tossed out to the line for IOE. This is no longer the case...newbies are now expected to be captains before they leave Flightsafety. This new rule is great for the pilot profession and for the flying public, but places a heavy burden on new hires.

Having a back up plan is a great idea. I would keep it to yourself though. No need to put any doubt into someone hiring you as to how serious you are about this. -- some might think it shows a lack of confidence, or that you'll just quit after the first bad day or two.

The first 2-3 months though at an airline can hardly be enough to judge what the next 5-10 years will be like. Training status is a world of it's own, as is being on reserve, and then finally a line holder. FO versus CA makes it a different job as well.

Thanks all for the feedback!
Here's another question. I may have the option to keep my medical insurance with my present employer for the duration of the leave. After that I would need to switch to the airline's plan. Is that possible?

Your plan is a very good plan, hopefully you can get all of the 4 months of leave because you are going to need every bit of it to make an informed decision.

I know you said that you "highly doubt" you will feel this isn't for you, but I guarantee you as time passes you will second guess yourself and your decision. You are going to be treated worse than you have been treated by an employer before. You are going to be around people who are constantly angry and if you hang around them long enough in the crew room I can virtually guarantee you will join in their misery. Your wife/family will tolerate this for a short time but will grow to hate your new life because you are never there. Your wife will now wear the pants in the family, she's the top earner now. All your money will go towards hotels, crashpads, and airport cars if you don't live in base. Don't get me wrong, you will be in the honeymoon phase for a few months or a year with the jet flying, the new uniform, etc..

With any kind of luck timing wise, you will make it out of training in 8 weeks without any delays between segments. Then you have your IOE. You are going to be in month 2-3 before being released to the line, and even then you'll be on reserve and who knows if you will even be flying.

This business is filled disillusioned pilots. Disillusioned “A feeling that arises from the discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be, commonly held to be stronger than disappointment especially when a belief central to one’s identity is shown to be false.”

Like any job, there will be an open enrollment period. The exception to the open enrollment period is major life events like starting the new job, getting married, having a kid, etc.. Open enrollment is usually in the beginning of the year but I suppose its up to every company to decide on this period.

So no, you will need to make a decision on health care right away.

Based on my understanding of Obamacare health insurance portability *should* allow you to enroll outside of open enrollment in the case of certain life events...one of which is loss of an existing insurance plan. But obviously that would raise the question of why did you still have insurance with your old employer anyway?

AFAIK, healthcare benefits do not begin for 90 days at many regionals. So he proly will not have to make a decision right away...

Leave of Absence to go to a Regional
 

You have to disclose it, here's why. When listing you're previous employment they're going to ask for a start and end date, when your new airline verifies employment chances are they'll discover the discrepancy. This type of thing has ended badly for a lot of people.

Just be up front with them and they'll let you know if it matters. Most are so desperate in sure they'll work with you as long as you're not deceitful.

I know pilots hired in December just now getting IOE, how do you assure you can get hired and through training in 4 months?

You make good points. I guess it's easier for me...I own my own company, so I am my own employer of record for the past couple years.

Although, come to think of it, my soon-to-be airline employer has not called me to verify my own employment with myself ;)

That may come much later. Don't be surprised if that call doesn't come till your well into training. No point in conducting any background investigation until you at least show up for class.

I shall be sure to give myself a good reference, then...:cool:

Good point! But I was thinking about an answer like: I still provide engineering consulting on my time off. What would be wrong with this?

Nothing. Lots of fo's work part time to avoid dying from starvation.

When I was employed at a 142 school they got really testy when the PRIA and reference requests started coming. The company looked at me differently.

As for self employment, I left the 142 job in February and have done freelance work while interviewing and waiting for a class date (In addition to a pilot, I'm a safety consultant and freelance author). Two airlines required statements from my clients that I was self-employed and a freelancer.

Nothing. If your LOA and continued employment is related to that, no worries.

What you don't want is an airline reconciling employment dates on your background check learning that your previous employer thinks you're still a full-time employee.

You don't want the airline to think that you're gaming the system...it raises the integrity question.

It is possible that some or most regionals simply won't care at this point. But I wouldn't try it with a major.

Well, it was a good idea but at this point I may just quit to remove any risk.
I can disclose to the airline about my previous employer: start date=X, end date=present. If they ask why "present" then I could say I still do some consulting on the side. But the regional airline could find out that I am still a full time employee and that would not be good!
A major? No way I could even think about such a plan!
Plus, I cannot tell my existing employer, you know what I am going to try an airline gig if things work out, well bye bye, if not see you in 3 months!

Are you a w2 employee or a 1099 employee?

W2 ...full time employee, not a contractor. 1099 would have been easier.