This is almost me exactly! Just add Army helicopters right before "regional Part 121" and it's the same... I will have legacy 121 next, and I will ensure that it happens.

... and that's good to know. Some pilots think legacies will not touch 91/135 pilots; which of course is not true in the slightest.

 

Forgot to Bid hit the nail on the head.
I retired from DL, was lucky enough to find one of the best jobs in corporate, pt 91, making more now (200+) and if I could, I would go back to DL in a heartbeat.
Sometimes it is great being "just a number"
Oh, and the 88 is a fun plane to fly.

 

Words of a very wise person!

I too fly corporate, very good gig and I enjoy the high level of responsibility and that I wear just about every hat one can imagine. That being said, legacy carrier airline will happen in the next 2 years.... I am not going to settle for anything else.

 

I really appreciate everyone's input. And of course - there is not consensus. I knew there wouldn't be, just wanted some opinions.

I'm going to go out on a limb here - I'm worried that I can't get a good 121 job. So far, it's a no go with SWA, JetBlue, and USAirways. Strong recommendations, but who doesn't have that these days! I'm all hung up, concerned that being Part 91 is very unhelpful, even with my prior 121 experience.

I spent 1.5 years out of work/working part-time for terrible wages, being turned down by everyone and their grandmother. Then, I landed this job which is very good, as I said before, so the lesson is you can never give up. Just the other day I discovered a little cord showing on a tire the night before a flight and I nearly threw up before it was over with. Being able to "walk away" ranks pretty high on the list of wants!

Thanks again for the thoughts.

 

this syndrome is very common. When majors are not hiring / furloughing (think 2001 to 2004), all the corporate / frax guys are like "this is what I like, I am here for my career. I am flying new equipment, am challenged with different airports and legs every week, and love it here"

RJ captains are "I make 100K, pick my days off, and have travel bennies, I am here to stay. I am not starting at the bottom again"

CFI's are "I enjoy instruction, and interacting with others. It is very rewarding to share the pleasure of flight with others"

when major/legacy airlines are hiring, all of the above are first to send resumes in immediately

Good Luck

 

So everyone wants to be an airline pilot?

 

Forgot to bid. Best.post.ever!

 

To distill Forgot to Bid to the essentuals,
1. Scheduled time off
2. Little to no (flight related) politics
3. Scheduled time off

 

While I don't disagree with FTB's post, by definition, there will be a lot of guys hoping for a legacy airline who don't get hired. I've been thru many cycles of hiring and known great guys that didn't hired and a couple of s@@t bums that did. Yes, the bums were, and are, a distinct minority of those hired. The "unhired" want a seat in a jet, too and corporates are better than some of the alternatives.

I'm in a small, even unique, business jet operation. Scheduled 13 days off, plus 3 weeks vacation; deal with rude passengers rarely and don't do additional duties except be the safety officer, which is valuable and interesting. Flight planning, maintenance, cleaning (home and away), the "pain" stuff is contracted.

It's the best gig EXCEPT being a DL captain. Or, in my case, an EAL captain

GF

 

Many would like to be one; far fewer are willing to become one. Isn't it the same with the USMC?