NYC Pilot

Qatar Airways, Emirates, EVA, all hire RJ pilots. Qatar and Emirates even hire many RJ FO's into heavy Airbus/Boeing aircraft. Pay is good. First Officer pay at Qatar starts around $150,000 annually, tax free. This includes the entire pay package. Basic salary, flight pay, per diem, transportation allowance, phone/utilities allowance, housing allowance, etc..You also get 3 weeks basic salary at the end of each year which is about another $5,000. You will average 14 days off in Doha and have minimum 24 hour layovers on your trips. Some trips even have multiple day layovers abroad. Pilots here average about 70 hours a month. 42 days paid vacation, 14 days sick. Long/Short term disability insurance and excellent medical/dental benefits. You also get an education allowance for up to 3 kids annually. Basically free private school education of good quality. Doha is one of the safest cities in the World. You can walk around with gold around your neck like Mr.T and no one will bother you, even at 3am. The newest/latest types of Boeing/Airbus fleet. Ofcourse, it's not perfect but it's a safe airline with a global network. Apply, go interview, check out Doha, get an offer and then decide once you have an option. Definitely an adventure to say the least but we do it in style. Good luck

Slowmover

I had a regional pilot on the jumpseat out of Mexico City recently. Lives in Mexico, based in DFW. You might try something like that, particularly out of Miami. Or buy a sailboat to live on and move around on it while working for a US carrier.

Excargodog

A multi carrier trans con commute accompanied by Montezuma’s revenge.

Oh joy...

Slowmover

He did it for a girl he met on a layover. Must be a heck of a girl. But to each his own!

PotatoChip

Buddy of mine lives on a sailboat, works for Spirit. Loves it.

Snapshot217

OP, if it's adventure you want, go get it. There are plenty of gigs out there, within your experience range, that will let you scratch the travel itch and give you some stories to tell the grandkids. I've taken a "it's not a race" mentality with my career, seeking out a path less traveled, and I'm glad I have. Sure, seniority is important, but even more so is being able to lay on your death bed without any regrets. If you and your wife want to go live in a far flung destination for a while, that's freakin' awesome, and IMO you should absolutely find a way to make it happen. Go have some adventures for a year (or two, or three), then head back stateside and chances are the hiring boom will still be in full swing.

I second the other posters who mentioned ACMI and ISR; those may be your best routes (although there's plenty of other crazy stuff out there...) Plus, since these are US-based companies you can keep your job once you decide to move back home.

With ISR, on the plus side you will DEFINITELY get to go to some wild places and do some adventurous flying, pay is good, and you can live wherever you want in your off time. Depending on the company you may also get to do long-distance relocations. At my last gig I flew a King Air from the Middle East back to the states via Europe and Greenland; really an awesome experience. Downside is the danger of flying in conflict areas, living on base, the hurdle of getting a secret/top secret clearance if you don't have one already (although many companies will sponsor you), and long time on the road (usually 2-3 months at a time, but then you get 2-3 months off). Companies to look at are L3, CAC, Dynamic, Avenge, Berry, Leidos, etc.

I've never flown ACMI but I have three buddies at Atlas who love it (aside from the ongoing contract circus). One of them lives in Amsterdam during his time off. On any given rotation they're going all over the world and now have heavy types to boot. Two of them came from the right seat of RJs, so chances are you'd be competitive.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info!

cee888

Do you think it's worth trying to get a gig at an LCC in Singapore?

jpncrjdriver

Ccee888

I have ZERO first hand knowledge of Singapore... Knew 2 folks from a OZ gig that went to SilkAir and stayed till they retired and liked it... They went native... Most recently about 3 years ago was chatting with a gent that had left JetStar Singapore to come to Skymark... He Liked Singapore and the Company was okay... His only complaint was the cost of living was very high for the lifestyle he required/desired... That being said when you go expat/contract you MUST setup and save for your OWN retirement unless you want to be OLD and POOR after your working years... So one must factor in not only what you are going to make but how much you can SAVE!!! From what I have read both Jetstar and Scoot are OK but you will not get flush with cash quick or have TOO much time off... Asian carriers generally work you pretty hard and 10 days off in a 30 day period is norm... Give then a look and start the screening... Be it best I can tell if you are NTR you will have to pay for your type... Not cheap either so get ALL the details/facts before you commit... Best of luck...

Kampai

DHC2FloatFlyer

This ^^^^
Who would have known?