aero550

No, I never became a CFI and I never finished college. I can't say that's the best way to go - It's just worked out for me, so far. Not having a degree concerns me a little and I take an occasional stab at going back, but it's hard to focus on it with work and family swirling around me.

I was 24 when I started the charter co-pilot thing. And again, I was very lucky to be brought on with only 400 hours and it was only because they knew me pretty well. I definitely recommend getting the CFI to keep the hours churning away if nothing else comes up.

And as birdcage says, don't discount the airlines, as well. They are very cyclical and appear to be poised for an upswing in the near future and your timing could be right.

StrackAttack

Birdcage, thanks for the info. I have thought about doing frieght as well. I really dont know much about the different routes to build hours, but from what i have heard, it sounds like i would get more experience by flying frieght than a regional. It sounds like you were really in the right place at the right time, if you dont mind me asking, how old were you when you started flying and what airline do you fly for?

StrackAttack

Aero how old were you when you started flying, and how did you build up your hours to get hired on at the charter. Also i have also been wondering, what would you reccommend to build the multi engine time? Thanks

EK Birdcage

Sent you a PM rather then putting my resume on here..

flight_intl

Hi all, I have questions similar to StrackAttack, and since you guys gave him such fantastic advice, I thought I might ask them in this particular thread...

I'm 21, and have had my PPL for about 3 years but am still very low time. As the saying goes, life got in the way and my flying, sadly, fell by the wayside. Like Aero550, I only got about half way through college. In fact, I originally went to ASU to take part in the Mesa Pilot Development program. Last minute I freaked out. The free spirit in me was worried about "locking in" to a career so young. Following this was 2 years of Def Leppard circa 1984 style collegiate activities that I wholly regret these days.

I'm ready to go back to flying now. It's part of me. Part of my soul. But to be honest, these forums have scared me a bit. Union woes, burocratic nightmares, cockpit politics...do these things exist in the corporate aviation world?

Do I go back to ASU and do the MPD program (despite all the horrible things I've heard about Mesa Airlines)? Do I go back to school, finish up, and at the same time accrue the rest of my ratings? Are the regionals a viable path to corporate flying?

I currently work for a major aviation trade journal, and think I could use the connections I've made to make progress in the corporate world if I worked at an FBO while finishing up my ratings, so I'm glad Aero brought up that option.

Just looking for a clearer picture...

aero550

Yes and no. Union woes don't really exist in corporate flying, other than the fractionals, but they are a little more like airline than corporate.

Bureacratic nightmares can occur in larger corporate flight departments, but it's not the norm.

Cockpit politics can happen anywhere that more than two pilots are on the payroll, sometimes even when there are ONLY two pilots on the payroll. That's just a fact of life, but shouldn't be an excuse to stay away from the job. It's usually manageable with a little communication.

The road to a flying job, whether it's a corporate job, regional, major, etc. can be done so many ways, it's hard to say any particular way is the best. Personally, If I had it to do again, I'd finish college with a degree in something other than aviation, like business or something, and finish the ratings at the local FBO.

The regionals are probably the quickest way into a professional flying job with as little flight time as possible, but you need to be prepared for a hard road financially and QOL-wise.

I would just keep my eyes and ears open while you're working on the advanced ratings - something may spark your interest in a certain direction and form your path for you. If you know you want to fly, I can't imagine you not having an idea of what type of flying you really want to do. That should be your guide.

flight_intl

I think this comment touches on the heart of the matter. I guess I, like a lot of people early on in the aviation career journey, are just looking for some affirmation. Somebody to say "yes, you're right, do it that way" or "no, that's totally wrong, do it this way."

I do have an idea of what kind of flying I want to do, and I have a pretty good idea on how I want to go about doing it.

Thank for the advice, aero, I appreciate the perspective.

The dude

I'll echo what the "don't leave out the airlines" guy said. I grew up with a corporate chief pilot for a father so I speak with a lifetime of corporate experience. There are good corporate jobs out there, but there are A LOT of bad ones too. The airlines can be great if you're lucky (I have been). I'm 26 and an RJ captain. Not very many people that age Captain an aircraft that size in the corporate world. The money's OK and QOL is great if you live where you're based.
My advice, don't worry so much about planning your career and just fly as much as you can and when the opportunities arise decide what's best.