But I read in this forum you had moved on to Alaska after Horizon. Maybe misread it.

Don't worry, I am not at Horizon. I am a jet driver and the upgrade time at my airline is less than a year now as of last week.

Like I said before, I appreciate all opinions, especially ones who have done it before.

I am sorry Horizon was a disappointment for you.

 

SkyHigh brings up some good points. But it's just as important to point out that the majors aren't the be all, end all for everybody. Some pilots (myself included), choose jobs that don't make the big bucks or have the "glamour" of other jobs, simply due to lifestyle and other personal choices.

In the end, each of us has to evaluate their goals, desires, and family needs. For each of us, that will be different. There are plenty of folks out there that choose to remain career FOs. According to some of the rationalizations that SkyHigh has tossed out, they are "failures" in their career. By my line of thinking, as long as they are happy and can care for the needs of their family, who are we to judge them?

Choose to go to Horizon because it's what you want at this juncture in life. Make sure you research every potential employer and make your choice accordingly.

There's a reason why QX has long upgrades and stagant flow- they are one of the best regionals to work for in terms of QOL, equipment, challenge of flying, and pay.

 

Good point. I flown some charters too so I know where you are coming from. If a job makes you happy than it does not matter whether you are flying for Legacy carriers or one of the regionals. Each to his own.

It is good to have a goal though as long as you realize when to toss it out and start a new one that is realistically within your reach.

I like getting balanced opinions.

Good luck to ones going to Horizon. I am not. I am sure in the end it will all work out for them.

 

I couldn't agree more with Skyhigh. However, Josh make some good points too.

Horizon is a career killer but your circumstances at the time of hire might make it worth it.

 

Why is Horizon a "career killer"? Let me ask this to each out there... Define "Career".

To get us started- here's the definition from dictionary.com:

For the sake of arguement- let's just use the third definition for our conversation, which goes back to success in the profession. Does being an airline pilot with a chosen airline count as success? Does that airline need to be a major? How about only being a 737 Captain with a major? Are you successful then- or do you actually have to be a wide-body captain?

How about me? I fly a 7 passenger jet with no-APU on mostly short hops to the same regular 5-10 destinations. I don't make 6-figures, but my income pays the bills. By some standards, I'm not as "successful" as others, yet many airline pilots that I know would take my job in a heartbeat.

Success is in the eye of the beholder. (Insert company here) works for some people. For others it might just be a stepping stone. For even more, it might be a hell hole, not even worth considering when you're sending out resumes. One man's career is another man's stepping stone.

Life is what happens while we sit and plan what life is going to be.

If you can't readily adapt to the constant changes of life and aren't willing to bend a bit in your expectations (as well as make the appropriate attitude and course corrections), you're a heck of a lot less likely to succeed (in any industry or career).

 

There is no perfect airline for everyone!!! Everyone has their own goals and what is important to them. One reason QX is nice is I don't have to move 6 states to upgrade. Have a friend at Express who will have to move from EWR to ONT after two years of being an FO. (Gee just after a few years nice and comfy and now its time to move. A Skywest buddie in DEN that will have to go to ORD for his upgrade. The list goes on! You can commute yes, but I live 15 minutes from my airport, like where I live and believe it or not I am happy. Im almost done with my 1st year and am got a coverage line with 17/35 days off. Just had a Northwest capt come back from his 9 day trip for 4 days off. That sounds great?

 

Well said peoplemover. Most guys forget about quality of life and get caught up in chasing a big airplane with a big paycheck.

 

Pilots love to loose themselves in the adventure and "fun" of an aviation career and often forget that a career is also a business venture and needs to be evaluated as such.

The cost of training, experience building and education requires one to seek a satisfactory form of return in order to justify the price of entry. If you are comfortable with earning less than the neighborhood mail man after spending a fortune to get there due to the convenience of the job then you really are doing yourself no favors.

Moving and sacrificing is no fun but it is required if your intentions are to make an actual living and hopefully to eventually prosper as a pilot. The time to do that is while you are young and unattached. We are all duty bound to push to the higher level.

The other guys are your competition and they are upgrading in RJ's and fighter jets. If you allow QOL issues to numb your motivation so early in your career then you might as well concede yourself to a life of regional mediocrity from the start.

SkyHigh

 

When you are young and new the perfect airline is the one that affords an early upgrade in preferably an RJ. Anything less is handing over the advantage to the other guy.

SkyHigh

 

You're a little on the far side of cynical, SkyHigh. By your estimation anybody who stays at a good regional like Horizon till retirement has failed. Mind you, our senior CRJ drivers are pulling down $120k/year. Unlike other regionals, we're not an RFP away from extinction. For someone who wants to live in the PNW and not commute, Horizon makes a lot of sense.

Now, I agree that a lot of people who had plans of going to the majors ended up as lifers at QX, so I guess you could say it was a "career killer" for them so far as stopping their advancement in aviation. I wonder, though, whether it was the long upgrade that did it, or simply their priorities changing as they passed into new stages of their life.

For me, going to a major is still a priority. After 3.5 yrs at Horizon, I'm looking at 3 to 4 yrs more before upgrade, and that's pretty incompatible with my goals. That's why I'm making the jump to Compass next week. That said, I really enjoyed my time at Horizon and wouldn't change it even though it slowed down my career a bit.