Why guess? The birthdate you put on the application will answer that question definitively.

 

Yeah that would be a hint also.
Like I said a theory.
Didn’t have my morning coffee.

 

SWA would be the flip see if that. The new hires are generally older and many in their fifties with great success in training.

When I was a CK pilot at my last company the new hires before I left were older with lots of $100 hamburger hours. They were a challenge and the training footprint skyrocketed.

I was a high time pilot the last time I got hired. Couldn’t get a call from DAL, busted the hogan, got invited to AA a week before Covid. I fill all boxes completely and then some. I do think being a high-time RJ pilot can carry a stigma with it, and enough anecdotal support doesn’t help.

But the flows at AA are in that category as well and seem to do fine.

The pilot pool is going to get competitive and the HR antics are going to go away and carriers will hire the best pilots presented to them as they can.

 

Thanks everyone. I forwarded the comments and gave some encouragement. Not sure if it will unsettle the happy where he is stance, but that’s up to him.

 

were you military or civilian track? I would assume he was talking about civilian RJ pilots. FWIW During my time at a regional, myself and most my friends there averaged about 700 hours a year. most the military pilots I have met, especially fighter pilots, don’t fly nearly that much because their job involves much more than just flying.

on a similar note to you, at the regional level, the 2 50+ guys we had in my class (1 mil and 1 civ) seemed to struggle a bit, however the people in the same age at DL new hire (2 mil and 1 or 2 civ) seemed to do fine

 

Cannot speak for D, but birthdate was nowhere on my app. When I submitted paperwork prior to interviewing, all birthdates had to be removed. As a previous poster mentioned, however, not hard to deduce from work history and when I’m submitting college dates from the 90s🤔

 

One thing the regionals have been good for is conditioning GA and military pilots alike to the airline environment. Regionals are geared more to starting with the basics and building to 121 standards while the majors expect a higher level of experience and proficiency coming in.

 

same here

-apc filler-

 

Hey, the major airlines LOVE 50 year olds. Start out at the bottom of the pay scale , never do work their way to the top, all they are risking is the cost of a type rating which is what? $15k or so plus 2 months training pay? That’s scarcely a huge amount of money or much risk - which every regional takes with every 1500 hour (or less) CFI they hire. What is the average cost per flying hour for the 15 years it takes for a couple of 50 year olds to retire at age 65? Now what is the cost per flying hour for a single 35 year old to provide the same 30 years of flying? Do the math.

The first two old fogies are going to be under 12 years on the pay scale for all but a combined six years - most of that as an FO. The 35 year old will be above 12 years on the pay scale for 18 years - most of that as a CA.

THAT difference more than offsets a couple of training events. H€||, the difference in the DC in the younger guys 401k contributions alone the last few years would pay fir a few type ratings.

and if they are military retirees, with TRICARE covering most of their medical expenses, a federal pension, and no history whatsoever of union activity, most companies can’t get to them fast enough.

No, older pilots are a good deal for the airlines economically.

 

That all makes sense and most would agree. But that hasn’t been the experience for the average high-time RJ pilot.