mx911tom

I don't want to instruct either. I would rather do cargo or drop people until my 1500, do I deserve to fly an Rj?

Packrat

I would rather see you do that as well. You learn a lot more flying 135 freight.

Groundpointfife

You deserve to fly a mainline aircraft, or an RJ at close to mainline pay.

Regional flying, if you can really call it that anymore, is just a way that the legacies have outsourced their own flying to lower costs. Keeping the minimum requirement to become a pt121 FO means that people have to instruct or do cargo etc like you did.

Sure people can list examples of some idiot that violated a bunch of airspace from ERAU, but think about this, at least they did it in a 172 and not a transport category aircraft with paying passengers in the back. So from that perspective it is an argument for the ATP qualification.

BravoPapa

In other words, does a person have 1500 hours of experience, or an hour's worth of experience 1500 times?

adebord

There aren't as many low hour non-CFI opportunities as there used to be. 135 operators willing hire SIC's at 250 were a dime a dozen, now we probably don't even have a dozen.

The landscape has changed a lot, it's more difficult of a path than ever before and perpetrating it really fits the "FU, I got mine" narrative.

Broncofan

I believe your decision making skills should be questioned if you go to ERAU. Spending god knows how much on your flight training when it doesn't mean anything to the people hiring.

SonicFlyer

Yes, I'm sitting at 500hrs and cannot find any work whatsoever (I refuse to do banner towing). So going to get my CFI.

Groundpointfife

What a pity you actually have to work and pay your dues to achieve your dream. How terrible that you might have to go CFI.

Having CFI'ed to get into the airlines, it's not the "FU, I got mine." Trust me, I have watched the industry changing and was flight instructing PART TIME in 2008 when there were NO jobs, and places were furloughing. When the legislation came out suggesting that you would need to meet ATP minimums to work for an airline it seemed dismal, how could you get all of the cross-country time required etc. Since then I have had a change of perspective, and honestly you become a much better pilot by teaching. You will also appreciate your next job more knowing how hard you worked to get there.

"Those that know do. Those that understand teach." -Aristotle

Actually UND, ERAU, WMU etc go into the algorithm, so there is a point value to it. How many points is it idk but it might be the difference between two otherwise equally qualified (flight time, volunteer work etc) candidates. I see where you are coming from, a name on a piece of paper does not necessarily mean the person learned as much as a graduate of a non-aviation school who worked hard (and spent a fraction of the money).

So you can find work, but choose not to banner tow. As you can see from my reply above I get your frustration being a low time pilot, especially when it seems like there are no jobs, but just imagine being a pilot in 2001, or 2008 when there were literally NO jobs, if you had one you were lucky. Remember we didn't just pop out of the womb airline pilots, those ahead of you had to get where they are somehow too.

Also I have very bad news for you if you intend to become a captain for a regional...you are essentially a CFI at times. Sure the guy in the right seat is fully qualified to fly, but it is like having a student (lets say instrument or commercial) they can fly the plane, but there are going to be situations where you will either be giving guidance or on rare occasions taking controls. With all of the movement you are going to fly with guys getting into their first jet, they can do the houses get bigger, houses get smaller, but they will take time to get energy management.

So if you CFI now, you will be better prepared to become a GOOD captain. That's not to say that someone who did not CFI will be a bad captain, but rather you will have already had experience with students.

ItnStln

Great quote!

BravoPapa

There's also another version of that. "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach."