Main Line Future Requirements
 

I have a thread going about commuting and I was starting to think about how strong the flow really was for Envoy. I get that you don't have to interview, but I see it one of two ways.

1. The demand will be pretty strong for everyone in a few years and the main lines will have to either lower their requirements for entry or perhaps start hiring FO's with just SIC time.

2. The industry will suck ass and we will all be in the same boat as 08 again, in which case the flow will be worthless.

So I guess my questions are, am I seeing this correctly and if not, what do you think the requirements for a main line will be? I am working on a degree and will finish for my own satisfaction, but there are lots of guys I know that are not even bothering with it, hoping to god that the demand is high enough that they won't be needed.

Anyway, just some brainstorming. So far all the help has been great and I sincerely appreciate the time some of you have taken to help me. This feels like a really big decision between Skywest and Envoy.

The mainline/legacies already hire lots of regional FOs, especially the LCCs.

Whatever you do, finish your degree. It will open many more opportunities for you with quality companies. Preferably you're majoring in something completely unrelated to aviation that you can fall back on during a furlough. Everybody is printing money right now, but airlines are incredibly unstable and go through constant boom/bust cycles. Always have plan B and C in place.

Could not agree more- Get the degree.

Finish the degree. The flow should be the back pocket option for anyone at a WO carrier.

Dude, you exhibit the classic signs of the millennial generation. All these threads have been answered many times, many times. Just search. I want it all right now or preferably yesterday. Nobody here, unless their dad is a mainline CA, had their initial plan workout in this industry. It is totally unpredictable. So many things have to right for you to endup where you're dreaming about now.

Don't look at it from the point of view of what will get me to mainline, you will be miserable. Enjoy the journey, look at it from the point of view what will make you happy today not some theoretical flow. The flow is only good for the guy that is flowing next month not you. So much will change, go for the airline that you actually want to fly not because they promise something.

Make yourself as marketable as possible. Upgrade and get some PIC time. Work with the safety department, or teach ground school/sims for a little bit, be a mentor, be involved in something. (If you have military flying, that certainly counts!)

The majority of the people at our company that are going to legacies all had "extra" things on their resume. Having a college degree, 6000 hours, being a captain, and having a clean record is what half of the regional pilots have. If you want to stand out, show them that you are something different.

You may get hired without anything else, but for every "normal" person that gets hired without anything extra, 10 people with extra things will also get hired.

If you want to fly for someone, beg, borrow, and steal to get there.

If you want to be happy, buy or rent a sailboat, go sailing in the sunset with your S.O. and enjoy life. Life is too short to be miserable.

To be fair, I have been at this a long time and I certainly don't appreciate the tag that I am acting like a certain generation. I received my first CFI/CFII fixed wing in 1997, worked at it hard and then 9/11 hit, pushing me out for several years. I then worked all the way back up to a CFI in rotorcraft, opened my own tour business and had that taken away by 2008. I am now back current again, with all the needed ratings and to be honest a little gun shy as this may be my last chance at 38 years old.

I was very polite and simply wanted to some advice as I don't know that I can afford any mistakes. While I agree that the journey is great and very important, it can be derailed easily, as has happened to me several times. I was told long ago to seek the council of those that have been or are going through something to avoid the pitfalls they may have suffered.

As for the search function, I did use it, but lots of the info in them is either buried, not timely anymore or the conversation had devolved into something altogether different.

Thank you for your reply.

Don't thank him for his reply, he's just bitter and taking it out on you as a keyboard warrior. Many people are on here for information, and having to deal with those who only troll to make them feel bigger while they live in their mom's basement is a detractor, but doesn't take away from the fact that you can still get good info here.

Do the degree, period. For you, not for the majors. You'll thank me later.

Military has an advantage at all the majors currently, so you have to overcome that with something like community service or a management position. Seek responsibility in your current (or future) company so you stand out among your peers.

Good luck in your pursuit of the "Golden Wings". They exist. And they are becoming easier to obtain every month.

Thank you very much for the advice, it is taken to heart for sure. The degree is for me and me only, if it happens to help out great, if not well I still have the satisfaction.

There really is no way to know what the perfect path is with the airlines. Outside of graduating from the Naval Academy with a 4.0 GPA, flying fighters off of a carrier, and then going straight to Delta, it is very uncertain.

The best thing to do is to be good at what you do, be professional, market yourself, and network. Your path will likely not be clear, but be ready to jump when the time is right.

You're welcome. And when you're trying to put it all into perspective, just bear in mind that there are at least 15,000 (or more) regional pilots with applications in ahead of you and me, who all have more hours than us, and are great pilots (just ask them, they will tell ya!).

Seriously, you have to somehow make your resume rise to the top. Being a pilot with hours is NOT the way to do that. Be smarter than a pilot.

Wow, that really does put it into perspective. To be honest, I would be fine retiring as a regional pilot, I just want to fly for a good company. Thanks again HighFlight, been most helpful.

If you think you might end up retiring at a regional i would go with SkyWest they are a great airline and they have a base in PHX and LAX. They pay relatively well and fly for 4 different airlines so they are as stable as a regional can be. Networking is huge to make it to the majors. If you do end up having to commute, its a perfect opportunity to talk to people in the flight deck. Thats how inran across a chief pilot at United that helped me get my job there. It has its benefits.

This advise is worth repeating.

It will provide more than than satisfaction in this business.

Everybody I know who doesn't have it is working on it.

Best case they'll be bitter that they got hired about eight later years later than their college-grad peers. Worst case things slow down a bit, and they're stuck at the regional.

Majors jobs, especially legacy jobs, are highly sought after, highly compensated, low stress, respectable white collar jobs with lots of time off. The people you're competing with are not the nose-picker sitting next to you in the RJ. It's the fighter pilot with the weapons school patch, the LCA with the masters degree, the captain who runs a charity on her days off. People who don't have degrees are automatically in the last resort bucket for all of the best jobs.



Flow can bypass the degree requirement, assuming the flow keeps flowing. If you absolutely can't/won't get the degree, better sign up for flow.

Its never a popular subject on the forums, but truth is, there are many factors involved with hiring that can not be acquired or trained. Some things you are literally "born with."

Never take "advice" from someone who doesn't know how to spell it!:eek::D