jrb1027

Hi my name is Jake, I cant remember a time when i haven't wanted to be a pilot my dad took me with him flying when i was only 8 months old (of course i don't remember) i have never considered any other job i have just known that i was always going to be a pilot. I am 18 now and i am at a crossroad, i am in the process of getting my privates ive only logged 4 hours so far but so far i love it, but i am scared im not going to get a job with a major airline till im in midlife. I have read what all it takes to get to a major airline and it seems like a lot. I looked at the regional pay scale and needless to say it seems to be extremely underpaid to me. I mean how am i supposed to survive on 20000$ a year. Another thing that worries me is that i wont be able to have a steady marriage, I say this because my instructer is almost 40 and he works for mesaba and has been there for like 12 years or so (hes not a captain he said that he would have to be on stand by and he can wait a little while longer and someone else will have to be on standby for him he lives about 250 miles from his airport and he dosent want to move) he is not married and still lives with his parents, basically i dont want that to be me. He tells me 9/11 completely screwed pilots. I basically want to know what you guys think, is there a future for a pilot these days or should i change my major before i go too deep. I have always heard you want to do a job your going to love but if the money is not there i just dont see how. Please reply thx, jake. ps i am going to be attending indiana state university in the fall of 2011 for professional aviation

etflies

You're still young, with plenty of time to have a career and make it to a major if you work hard. Worrying about not getting a job at a major right now is wiping before you poop. Finish your degree and your ratings, build quality time, be it instructing, small corporate flying, pipeline patrol, 135 freight doggin or however and get on with a regional then become proficient in the 121 world. Upgrade, and then worry about a major. Never let the idea stray from your mind, though. Another option is the military. They have what I would think is the world's best training, and you get to do some flying you wouldn't find anywhere else. In the military, you will be an officer first and a pilot second. There is no guarantee you will get a pilot slot, either. If you do, it may be flying helos and not fixed wing. A military pilot can certainly give you better information than I can on this.

You have valid concerns, but again, as an 18yr old, 4hr private student you have more pressing issues to worry about. I have an uncle who has been flying for a major for almost 30 years, he has been married to my Aunt the entire time, they have one of the strongest marriages I know of. That being said, this job is extremely tough on your personal life. It will take a special kind of woman to stick by your side. Personally I've been up front about my job and my career aspirations with anybody I've dated.

Pay at all levels of this job is far below what it should be. That aside, the regional pay scales are particularly atrocious. 20k for first year pay is terrible, the schedules are tough on mind and body and generally you won't be treated well. There are a lot of people who will tell you to get comfortable at a regional because moving on to a major is/will be impossible. I don't think it is impossible, but difficult, yes. Plan to be at a regional for several years before even having an opportunity to move on. Don't believe what you may hear about a "pilot shortage." There are too many variables to accurately predict where hiring will go down the road. The majors are staring at a LOT of retirements in the coming years, with age 65 finally coming into effect but rising fuel costs, outsourcing of flying to regional airlines and several other factors can all affect what happens. 9-11 was terrible for our industry, but age 65 was arguably as devastating to growth and hiring. Couple that with the recent recession and you have a perfect storm of bad news for pilots. Upcoming retirements, changes to our outdated and downright asinine rest rules (if they ever happen) and (hopefully) future growth of MAINLINE flying (i.e. NOT outsourced to regionals) gives potential to jobs being available at the majors. I should add that the more I jumpseat with majors (thank you all for the rides!), the more I hear them talk about coming for RJ flying, or they want "their" flying back. I couldn't be happier to hear this. In the short term it may harm my job potential but if it means more jobs and more flying at the mainline level, I'd be a fool to not support it and hope they get it.

As far as a 12yr FO at a regional, that is not unheard of, but is uncommon. At Mesaba? Its likely his choice. The upgrade there is not 12 years. According to this website the most junior Captain is a 2007 hire. Mesaba is currently merging and integrating its seniority list with two other carriers, Colgan and Pinnacle. Upgrade times will change but we are terribly understaffed right now. Down the road, who knows? By the time you're ready to jump into the circus that is our 121 world it may be an entirely different outlook.

As far as majoring in aviation? I wouldn't. Study something outside flying, and get your training on the side. Have a degree you can use outside of aviation should anything ever happen and you decide to/become unable to fly as a living any more.

All that being said, I love my job. I work with, for the most part, awesome crews fly an old, tired but fun to fly airplane and can't imagine doing anything else. The pay, work rules and company could be better but thats life at this point. I knew that going in. I try to focus on the good and look at what I can improve and how to do it. I had a chance to vote in a contract and help make a small difference along side my fellow pilots and hope to have more opportunities to improve the collective QoL as my career progresses.

My apologies for a rambling answer. I hope this gives you some food for thought. Focus on learning the basics, becoming a safe and proficient pilot and take things one step at a time. Looking toward your future is wise, and considering as many aspects as you can is important but ultimately you won't know if this job is for you unless you do it for a while. Listen to the others on here, take the good and the bad and weigh it all carefully. Remember that whining and complaining is a time honored pilot tradition, particularly on these boards so try not to let it get you down. Best of luck, and come back with any questions you have!

AbortAbortAbort

I think etflies covered everything pretty well, I'll only add one thing:

Nobody on this board can remotely predict anything about this industry in four years. Period.

Don't major in aviation like et said...major in something you can fall back on. Nobody cares what your major was or where you went to school in aviation, just that you have a degree for the majors.

Take any flying opportunity you get and find a woman that'll go through hell for and with you and this career can be anything you want it to be.

tortue

While pursuing aviation I highly recommend pursuing an additional area/expertise as a backup and also as a way to keep yourself employed during any period of time when you aren't making money.

There are a variety of other career options that you can pursue without getting into investing years of education that would be a good skill set to have.

globalexpress

www.thetruthabouttheprofession.com

Read that too.

jrb1027

Thanks guys for all your input if its not to personal would you guys mind telling me where you work and how you got there. Also you mention having a different major, would i minor in aviation, and what would be a good major for a pilot.

DustyRoads

The airlines don't care what your major is, they just want you to have a 4 year degree in something. Major in something you would enjoy doing. Backup plan B. I've seen guys in their 40's get furloughed and go to plan B, such as school teacher.

etflies

I'm an FO at a regional, I got here by going through training outside of my college courses and majoring in management. After I graduated the economy was in the crapper so I instructed, and found a part time gig flying a Seneca II for a small business in addition to instructing. I made as many friends and connections as I could, and eventually when my current company started hiring again I applied and someone was kind enough to walk in my resume. I got a call the next week from the hiring department and here I am.

SkyHigh

Jake,

I think it is important today to go into aviation with a back up plan already in place. Do not get an aviation degree. Study something that is unrelated and has a good chance of providing a living should you need it like Accounting or Business.

No one knows the future however the trend in aviation over the last 30 years is not all that good. I personally believe that it is unlikely that things will get better. If I were you I would get your private license and change majors to something worthwhile. Hold out hope that aviation will be in your future but prepare for the worst and you will be alright.

Skyhigh

rickair7777

1. Get a degree, but not in aviation unless it is aero engineering. If you are seriously considering aviation you need to look at your major from a very practical perspective. Some folks talk about self-fullfillment, which is great if you have a trust fund, but if aviation is going to be your fulfillment then you need a major which has real-world income potential to serve as a backup and supplement to aviation. Aviation, as you have noticed, will probably not pay the bills for ten years. You also have to be concerned with furloughs, bankruptcies, and medical issues...unless you are REALLY lucky you will experience some or all of these, it's only a matter of when.

An ideal major for a pilot would involve a technical skill which is generally in high demand, is portable, and can be done part-time. Pharmacy, physician's assistant, nursing, accounting, computer programming are good examples. Also military reserves works well with an airline job (but not so well with corporate aviation).

You could also do auto mechanics or something like that, but that won't punch the 4-year degree ticket required by the major airlines.


2. Get your PPL, fly around a little for fun. That will help you decide if you like enough to pursue a career. Still not sure? Get an instrument rating, see how you like that.

3. Get a job in the real world. See how you like it. Some pilots who have never had a 9-5 job complain about the airline lifestyle, but those who have had a regular job tend to be more satisfied with airline schedules.

4. Do your research on the current state of the industry at that time, and make an informed decision.