Reach out to Airline Employment Prep organizations. That will provide you with the best path to take, based on your experience and credentials.

Good luck moving forward.

 

600 TPIC. Is that as the actual Captain, legally signed for the airplane, or as 'SIC acting as sole manipulator of the controls'? Keep track of both, I looked my legs flown as SIC separately, as some (all?) of the majors don't accept 'sole manipulator of the controls' for their PIC requirements.

Apply to every major. You can always keep applying, and try to go to your personal #1 choice, if you're at choice #2-#10. The odds are one of the lower ranked airlines is probably still a better career choice than your current job.

1900 hrs is probably not competitive. 2500 hrs might be the starting point? Realistically plan on getting hired with more TT than 2500 hrs. The airlines like Part 121 TPIC, then Part 135 TPIC, then other TPIC. Jets > turboprops. 1000 hrs TPIC is "highly competitive" and 500 hrs TPIC is "competitive." SEL TPIC....meh. They don't count that.

I just spoke with a guy this morning. Only flying 350-400 hrs a year in w/b jet. He's pushing 10,000 hrs so yearly TT doesn't matter. But a 2000 TT pilot? Flying 350-400 hrs a year? Everyone flying 800-1000 hrs in a quality job is in the high speed lane passing you. So make job/resume/career decisions that steer you on a path to 5000 hrs/1000 TPIC ASAP. Plot out job choices and the write your future resumes 1-5 years down the road for each job option you have.

Unfortunately those trajectories are hard to get onto, and often don't exist, EXCEPT for the regionals....which is the #1 resume enhancer young pilots can do if they're pursuing an airline career.

$.02.

Good luck.

 

I appreciate the feedback! I’m stuck at that 350-450 hrs a year right now too (if all goes well). I’m in my 40’s and settled with a family in a popular town in Montana which should be easy enough to commute to most West Coast cities for an airline base out there.

My PIC turbine is a mix of Twin Otter ~300hrs, Caravan ~250hrs, Part 91 Sole manipulator Phenom 300. ~50hrs.

I understand the fast lane going by me. I’ve been choosing my family and QOL for the last 5 years over the career (maybe to a fault). Had been told when hired by current company that hours within count for double towards upgrade time of 3000tt and recently had company wide email stating otherwise. I’ve applied to most and interviewed with several of the relevant 135 operators. I think I’m just part of the pack of pilots lacking time and experience.

I’ve reached out to a couple airline prep folks and will see what they have to say.

Thanks again!

 

Not to be discouraging but to show how 1900 hrs stacks up in the market place - two 7,000 hrs guys in another thread. One had 780 (?) TPIC and the other had 3,000 TPIC. The 780 TPIC guy had gone to a job fair(??) and was hired. Not saying the job fair is the deal breaker but it's another check mark. I doubt a job fair would be the difference maker but I doubt a major airline is looking for that resume right now. A regional airline? I would think they absolutely would be looking for your resume. You have experience at weights and speeds that has broadened your experience level. Keep in mind that a 50,000 lbs CRJ-200, with a wing loading of 90+ lbs/sq ft, is a vastly different aircraft than an 18,000 lbs Phenom 300 with a wing loading of 57 lbs/sq ft. But your resume is a great stepping stone to the regional airlines but major airline 121 is a 'bridge too far' right now.

Pursuing the career path that gives you the best odds of making it to the majors often requires pain and sacrifice that requires difficult decisions and choices. How do you take today's resume and transform it into a resume the majors will take notice of? What steps gets you there quickest? None of the advancement is guaranteed. That's the difficult decision point - what's the quickest, amd most likely path, that gets me to what I hope to achieve?

Keep grinding away and pursue the next step up the career/resume improvement ladder. If the majors are your goal, and it is achievable with more experience, regional airlines are the #1 feeder to the majors and are a decent non major airline career. It will also be a resume enhancer, time and type rating boost, to pursuing a top tier Part 135/91K job in the future (mid 50's?) if the Part 121 job doesn't come through.

Good luck.

 

Hello CFI out of SF Bay Area in CA. Looking to go 121 as a second career. Fingers crossed.

 

Hi all! Excited to join the group. I’ve always had a strong interest in aviation and spend a lot of time studying and following the industry. I enjoy flight sims, aviation history, and learning from others with more hands-on experience. My goal is to deepen my knowledge, connect with the community, and eventually take some real-world training.

 

Controversial opinion: once you learn to hover, flying helicopters is easier than flying airplanes.

(Former military rotary guy easing into life as a fixed-wing pilot.)

 

Flying for 30 years. Jumping to a 121 to ride out the career. Happy to be here

 

Glad to join the forum and connect with others in the industry.

I have an FAA ATP and type ratings on widebody aircraft (747 and 777). I have a little over 11,000 total flight hours, including about 7,700 PIC hours on multi-engine jets. My background includes long-haul international operations and 121 flying on the 747.

Over the years I’ve worked for only two operators. I hold a current First Class medical and remain active in worldwide flying.

I joined mainly to exchange ideas, stay updated on hiring trends, and get perspective on career progression options at this stage .

Looking forward to learning from the discussions here.

 

Hello everyone, I’m Faffie, an aspiring pilot from Zimbabwe, currently living in Botswana. I’m very interested in becoming an airline pilot and would love advice on flight training schools, cadet programs, and sponsorship opportunities. I’m eager to learn and would really appreciate any guidance the community can share. Thank you! FaffieA320neo