Rotorcraft to Airlines.....
08-07-2016, 06:13 PM
#1
New Hire
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Posts: 4
Rotorcraft to Airlines.....
Good evening folks
I am at a fork in the road right now with the career path i wish to pursue and need some insight from people in the industry.
Started off with rotorcraft back in 2010 when I was pretty fresh out of high school and I loved every moment of it. I earned a commercial with instrument rating and was close to a cfi checckride when i ran out of money. The bad economy hit our flight school hard and i decided to save money until more jobs opened up. Fast forward to this spring when i started A&P school as a backup plan to my flying dream. Will graduate in spring of 2017.
As a noob in the flying world and approaching 27 years old, i would appreciate any advice for what the best path to becoming a pilot in the airlines would be. I am considering giving up on rotorcraft because of the low pay and how rare jobs are becoming. I plan on looking into acquiring a cheap Cessna 150 or Cherokee 140 to save some money through the training process. I am very goal oriented however with still trying to pay off rotorcraft flight school i do not anticipate this goal to be easy.
Thanks for the advise. It is appreciated
I am at a fork in the road right now with the career path i wish to pursue and need some insight from people in the industry.
Started off with rotorcraft back in 2010 when I was pretty fresh out of high school and I loved every moment of it. I earned a commercial with instrument rating and was close to a cfi checckride when i ran out of money. The bad economy hit our flight school hard and i decided to save money until more jobs opened up. Fast forward to this spring when i started A&P school as a backup plan to my flying dream. Will graduate in spring of 2017.
As a noob in the flying world and approaching 27 years old, i would appreciate any advice for what the best path to becoming a pilot in the airlines would be. I am considering giving up on rotorcraft because of the low pay and how rare jobs are becoming. I plan on looking into acquiring a cheap Cessna 150 or Cherokee 140 to save some money through the training process. I am very goal oriented however with still trying to pay off rotorcraft flight school i do not anticipate this goal to be easy.
Thanks for the advise. It is appreciated
08-10-2016, 08:37 PM
#2
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2015
Posts: 51
In my opinion your best bet would be to get your fixed wing ratings. Commercial SEL and MEL. Then Get your CFI and instruct in order to build time. Once you have the required FW time for an ATP (1500 total, 250 FW PIC, 25-50 Multi, etc.), a regional airline will hire you and give you the ATP checkride during training. This is an expensive route prehaps if you went to a school that provided ratings with a degree it might help.
The other option is the Military. Cheaper, but you'll owe about 2-3 years just for training, then depending if you go active duty or reserve you'll still owe a lot more time. It may be 10 years before you can apply to an airline.
The other option is the Military. Cheaper, but you'll owe about 2-3 years just for training, then depending if you go active duty or reserve you'll still owe a lot more time. It may be 10 years before you can apply to an airline.
08-14-2016, 03:41 AM
#3
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jul 2016
Posts: 75
Cranny1234,
You already have a great background in aviation. Your fixed wing ratings are all add-on's ( this is what I did when I had a Commercial/Instrument Rotorcraft only), and if you can scrape together enough money to get your CFI, you will learn a lot as you give dual instruction. You can go anywhere in the country and find work as a CFI or FAA Part 135 SIC on a turboprop with 500 hours Total time. As you work through your ratings, you will meet people and form your own opinions on what kind of flying that you want to do. I think you will be highly competitive for any jobs that come along with your ratings and your A/P. I left behind my dream of flying helicopters for a living almost 30 years ago and I have never looked back. Flying for the airlines has not always been easy, but it is the best flying job that I have ever had. One of my best friends and I always talk about our career choices that we made 30 years ago, and we agree my choice to go fixed-wing was the right one. Your mileage may vary. Best of Luck.
You already have a great background in aviation. Your fixed wing ratings are all add-on's ( this is what I did when I had a Commercial/Instrument Rotorcraft only), and if you can scrape together enough money to get your CFI, you will learn a lot as you give dual instruction. You can go anywhere in the country and find work as a CFI or FAA Part 135 SIC on a turboprop with 500 hours Total time. As you work through your ratings, you will meet people and form your own opinions on what kind of flying that you want to do. I think you will be highly competitive for any jobs that come along with your ratings and your A/P. I left behind my dream of flying helicopters for a living almost 30 years ago and I have never looked back. Flying for the airlines has not always been easy, but it is the best flying job that I have ever had. One of my best friends and I always talk about our career choices that we made 30 years ago, and we agree my choice to go fixed-wing was the right one. Your mileage may vary. Best of Luck.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Past V1
Regional
61
01-22-2009 07:17 AM
