I really dont know if this is the right place to post this so please bear with me and move it whereever you think it should belong
Intro
Graduate Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Class of 1987
FAA Com SEL MEL IA
FAA CFI CFII MEI
FAA BGI AGI IGI
FAA ATP Written (1993)
2840 TT/1500 MEL/100 BE200
Last Flight 1996
Flight Experience in Europe as well as USA
Languages: Greek, French, English, Arabic, Fluent
Italian German and Spanish (Good enough not to get lost)
Last flight 1996
First Class Medical : Will apply and receive as required and when required

When I thought that I was set to join the regionals as a FO back in the late 80's two things happened
Eastern and Panam closed shop and I had a family
This resulted in my having to compete with 25000+ very qualified pilots for the same position I was applying for and I started a family
As some of you may know, back then, it was really hard to put food on the table with the very low pay and the horror stories that were being told about working for the regionals at the time.
I, therefore, opted to uproot and move to Europe and the middle East to seek employment.
Now, 19 years later, with the boys having been set on their way (21 and 25), and having heard of the restriction imposed by FAR 117, the general Pilot shortage, new requirements for R-ATP minimums from 14 C.F.R. § 61.159 and § 61.160. why is it that I am having a hard time getting interests from Regional Airlines?
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one
Any ideas?

 

I'm sure if your last flight was in the last year and not 2 decades ago that would likely help. Have you applied to all of them? I know if I was out of the cockpit for almost 2 decades it would be very difficult for me to start back up in a 121 training environment. Perhaps you could get current again, maybe even start instructing until you started. Obviously your ATP written isn't good anymore and you'll have to go thru the CTP course. Most regionals don't care about that though. I know Mesa will hire anyone who doesn't have a bad enough criminal record that they can't get into Canada. Literally anyone. I think the others are the same way.

 

Am I reading that right that "having a hard time getting interests from regional airlines" means you have applied to multiple regionals and not gotten called for an interview? I used to do hiring and interviews for a 135 op before and saw resumes like yours and these were why I would have not considered it, "pilot shortage" or not:
1. 20 years out of an airplane means you could have basically no idea what to do in a modern glass, RNAV/FMS/GPS airplane ("could have" is the key word, the recruiters don't know).
2. You don't even have a medical and haven't sought one in presumably close to 20 years.

Go get your 1st class medical (It'll cost you an hour and a $100). Go get a BFR and an IPC. Last I looked I'm pretty sure 60ish hours in the past 6 months is either required or preferred. I have no doubt that there are regionals overlooking this at times, but you have to prove that you have a fighting chance of passing their training regime and IMO the bare minimum to do that is to be flight current and ideally instrument current.

Get the medical and BFR to get called. Get the IPC to not wash out once you're hired.

 

Forgot to mention. I do have a medical. It is now a 2nd class.

 

Go to airlineapps.com and fill out the profile. You can then target the companies you are interested in. You can target one airline for free or pay a fee (somewhere in the $60 range) and target multiple airlines. Be advised that if you choose to target one airline for free that when you go back to target another airline you have to complete the entire application again. If you pay you fill the app out once. There's a page toward the end of the application that says "compare my app." You then choose the company and it will compare your qualifications against the minimum required for that company.

For your info the pay still stinks at most regionals but is starting to get better but that is a relative term.

Good luck!

 

But you are not flight current, correct? And you have submitted some applications already?

Keep in mind, the wash out rate is continuing to rise as regionals continue to hire people who are not ready to be there. I was in class with a guy who hadn't flown for 10+ years other than a VFR skydiving job. He was excited to be there and seemed to have the idea that the company would get him back up to speed on instrument flying. They sure put in the hours, but after multiple repeats in the sim and 50-100 hours of IOE they cut him loose.

It's not all about getting a call, make sure you are ready for training. Don't leave it to the company to make the determination if you are ready! In their desperation they will hire you anyway and just fire you later if you aren't keeping up!

 

I agree with a lot of what was already posted. I imagine there could be concern about your ability to pass training in a timely manner after so long out of the cockpit. Twenty years is a very long time to not use the technical knowledge you learned and also not maintain the motor skills. Plus, as was pointed out, you're dealing with learning a lot of new technology as well as regulatory changes.

Something that wasn't pointed out is that long periods out of aviation make an employer question your dedication to a flying career, particularly since you abandoned it for so long. How do they know you won't bail out on them after a brief period of time after they've wasted resources on hiring and training you? You're a little late to the party.

Reading between the lines from your posting, you're probably about 50 years old and you haven't flown since you were about 30 years old. Yes, you could probably get current and might be able to get hired by a regional, because they're getting more desperate for pilots now and your lack of currency is less of an issue than it would be in other times. But why would you want to do that to yourself unless you have no other career options? (Didn't you find a good career to support your family for the past 20 years?) At age 50 and with your lack of recent flight time, you'll spend several years at a regional with low pay and poor working conditions before you'd even be considered for hire at a major. By then you're in your late 50's with only a few years left before mandatory retirement at 65, if your medical even holds up that long. Quite a few pilots get disqualified before then. The majors may not touch you with less than a decade to work for them and even if they do, you'd spend your entire major career at probationary or 8-year or less pay as a First Officer, maybe on reserve with little control over your schedule. Remember, the airline life is 24/7/365 -- no weekends or holidays. And seniority is everything at the airlines. When you're eternally junior, it's not much of a life, even if the pay is decent.

I don't know what your other options are, but I'd think twice before going down this path in my 50's. I'm probably a little older than you and can't fathom just starting out as a regional FO at my age.

 

Maybe the guy is free as a bird and looks at is as a new adventure.

Good luck sir! If this is what you want to do, it is certainly possible. True you'll need to get back into the game, but that shouldn't be terribly difficult in this climate. Start where you can and work your way up just like you would if you were 25 and not 50. By the way, the comment about the Majors not hiring guys in their 50's is bunk! They do it all the time.

When I was a regional CA I flew with a hand full of FO's on their second career, well into their 50s, who always toyed with being a 121 pilot and just had to go for it. Enjoyed them greatly, and they did a fine job.

And as far as the "commitment to the career" worry. Sure might be a bigger hurdle to get an interview, but once you do, you'll have a fair chance of satisfactorily explaining your reasons. If you're likable, prepared, and presentable you'll probably get the nod, and if not then, keep trying, it will happen for you, no doubt about it.

 

thank you Sulkair for your understanding and the vote of confidence.
where there is a will there is a way

.

 

eraualex I did not intend to come across purely negative and I hope you didn't take it that way. The first part of my posting answered the question you posed about WHY you might not be getting called back for interviews. And actually, under much different circumstances, I also had a brief period out of the cockpit (although I was still working in aviation) and I was surprised how much explaining was asked of me when I interviewed for a cockpit job again. But in the end, I did get the job. Just be prepared for that. So I do understand your dilemma, on a personal level.

The second part of my answer was just to challenge you to think again about what you're taking on at this phase of your life. But if you understand the downsides and still make an informed decision to go for it, I wish you all the best in your endeavors.

As for the rebuttal to my claim about any possible age discrimination, I stand by my statement as to what I've personally observed in the industry in almost two decades. I don't want us to paint an inaccurate picture for eraualex as to what he can expect from a career stand-point. And I did not say emphatically that the majors will NOT hire a pilot in their 50's! None of us know what the airlines will do for sure. And standards do continue to evolve as demand has grown and attitudes have changed. There was a time just a few decades ago that anyone over age 30 was "too old" to get hired at a major.

However, I did say I believed there MIGHT be a poor chance of getting hired in the age 55-65 window. I did not say 50's but said "LATE 50's". While I've observed many pilots get hired in their 40s and even early 50's, I can't say I've seen ANY pilots get hired after age 55 at my airline or any other MAJOR. And with his lack of recent experience, he will likely need to spend at least 3-5 years at a regional building more flight time.

That's just my personal EXPERIENCE, not SUBJECTURE, so stating what I have observed and am trying to pass along to someone on this forum doesn't make it "bunk." If you want to disagree, there is a way to do so respectfully without trying to tear down what someone else is contributing to the discussion.

Also, a *MAJOR* is not a *REGIONAL*. I was talking about getting hired off the street at American, United, Delta, Southwest, etc. I can believe you saw pilots get hired late and stay at the regional level. I never said he couldn't get a job in commercial aviation or at a regional airline. Eraualex might find he can get hired at a regional and never move up. I was just trying to prepare him for that possibility and give him realistic career expectations. If he's okay with that possibility, then by all means he should go for it!