Do regional airline pilots like their jobs?
 

Hi!

I am a new character on this forum. For the last year or so, I've found it to be an interesting resource in my quest to figure out what it is I want to do with my life. I'm a college student (20yrs old) whose mother was a flight attendant for United for 38 years (1964-2003). It's fair to say that I've been an airline/aviation addict since I was 12, as the only other love in my life has been politics (and I don't want to touch that field with a ten foot pole). In two years, I will have my bachelors in political science and am considering adding a minor in finance.

I've always wanted to be in aviation and in a pilot capacity since I was 14. However, I'm extremely reticent to go through with all the training and bleak compensation outlook for the first few years while working in a very cyclical industry. I don't know if the Armed Forces is a real option considering I'm just about too late for ROTC. Additionally, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 4 and have taken medication for it up until a few months ago (though my grades haven't suffered when I went off the medication - in fact, slightly the opposite). I don't know if that history precludes me from an airline pilot career as well.

I suppose I can boil down my questions of all you experienced pilots in the regionals to this:

1. Is it worth it? And I suppose one has to take into full consideration compensation, quality of life, and "love of the game".
2. What is the best route to become a pilot for a 20yr old going to college (which will incur me no debt...scholarships and a decent in-state program)?
3. Will ADHD or a past history of medication (such as ritalin) preclude me from becoming a pilot?

If this post is at all redundant, I do apologize. It's my first one, so go easy on me :)

Hey there,

Not to fear. I myself had ADHD when I was younger (I'm now 22) and I took both Ritalin and Adderall. But I stopped taking it in middle school. I now hold pirvate ASEL, IFR, and am working on private glider. After that I plan to go onto commercial glider and CFIG at least.

Now that being said, the medications for ADHD are not permitted by the FAA. That's not a problem since you're not on the pills anymore. Here's what you do: when it's been 6 months since you stopped taking the pills, you go back to your psychiatrist and get a letter stating that your condition has been effectively "cured". For a disorder like ADHD, which never actually goes away, that would probably mean that the symptoms have been surpressed and you have normal personality functions. The FAA doctor will then be able to issue your medical, as long as you present a good image to him.

As for the airlines, most won't care. They just want you to have a class 1 medical and pass a basic phsyc test.

Personally, when I went for my first medical it had been like 3 years since I took any medication, I was NOT in any sort of therapy, and had no real symptoms of ADHD. So I never even mentioned it to the doctor. Plus I was only 16 so it's not like I even knew that half the medications in the world are banned by the FAA (something that is serious overkill).

II'm taking an antianxiety medication right now, but I've fallen in love with glider flying and it may be years before I even want to go back into powered flying. Remember, these things only prevent you from holding a medical. It does NOT preclude you from doing types of flying that don't require a medcial. For me that's the thrill of glider flying.

Hope that helps.

Hey and welcome! I dont think the ADHD stuff will cause too many problems, but you might want to check with an AME to make sure. As long as you are off the medication and functioning well without it, I wouldnt think there would be too many problems.

As far as the regionals go... I'm new to the regional side, my first day of training at an airline starts in August, so I cannot speak on behalf of the seasoned guys. I can tell you that flying is always something I was passionate about since an early age and I wouldn't do anything else. I started when I was 17 years old, got my ratings, did the college thing and flew skydivers on the weekends to build time. Now things are gearing up for the regionals. The path I have taken to this point was completely unplanned and for a lot of people it is like that.

The only advice I can give you is that yes, the airlines are cyclical, however the demand for pilots has picked up and should remain that way for a long time (probably years). Your quality of life will improve slightly as you get more seniority with an air carrier, but you certainly must have a 'love of the game' to stay happy with it. As for the cheaper routes, visit your local flight school and stay away from the big name schools (they charge a lot more for essentially the same product). Take some flight lessons, get your private pilot certificate and decide if this is the path you really want to take. If it is and you love it, dive right in. A typical career progression is get your ratings, instruct for a while to build time and learn more, then go to the regionals. You can also opt for different paths other than instructing like pipeline inspection, banner towing, flying skydivers, aerial tours/sightseeing, etc. Good luck and fly safe!

Got some more info for you. To not bore you any further I'll put them in bullet form:

-Get a 4 year degree in something other than aviation. College must be a higher priority than flying. Never skip class to fly, etc. For me that's meteorology. I chose that because I'm a science geek, it's highly applicable in aviation, and it's very interesting.

-Work on some non-flying career. Even do it full time for a year or two, and fly on your days off. You should then be able to find a way to do this job part time while being an airline pilot. The airline life provides alot of days off (usually) so you'll have time to have a side job. Many pilots do real estate, but you can do alot more than that. For me I'm planning on working in the environmental consutling field. Some day years from now if I ever find myself qualified and desiring to be an airline pilot, I would still try to do some work on the side for an environmental firm.

Pay for your training as you go and NEVER take out loans and collect debt. This may mean having another full time job for a little while and living with your parents or roommates. Just pay as you go through your local flight school or flying club.

Here's a website to answer all of your medical questions. There are numerous topics and I believe some of them you would have to pay to find out the answers. In any case, it's better to hear it here and then you can judge for yourself. If you're going to do it -- do it fast and get a seniority number as this means everthing.

Throw this in your bookmarks. It's a great resource. Good luck to ya!

http://leftseat.com/

I've been in the regionals for 7 years now, and I can say that all of this is excellent advice. Take it to heart and follow it! I kick myself everyday for taking the 'quick' way and getting an aviation degree. Do not do that if at all possible, even if it means it will take longer. You MUST have a backup plan. Don't take out loans, it takes so long to make decent money in this field that going in to high debt isn't justified. I cannot believe how many people I run into have debt running $70K plus. I just cannot comprehend this! Anyway, best of luck.

Thanks everyone for the advice that you've given; I'm very much appreciative of it. I must say that those airline "academies" do very much to promote a sense of urgency. Whether that urgency is real or inflated is something that I've debated, as it would be preferable to get on with a regional A.S.A.P. It makes more sense, however, to have that urgency tamed by the reality that a $24k/yr job should not have a $60-70k debt load attached to it. Bankruptcy isn't much of an option, either.

As for my degree, the field is political science. Truth be told, I find it to be completely useless except for the fact that it is a degree. It is something to get you in the door with a firm should aviation not work out. I do enjoy it, however, and that's also of relative importance. Looking back, I wish I'd majored in finance. Then again, I think I'm too young to be kicking myself in the arse for that *mistake*. It is a bit late in the game to switch to finance because the credit requirements would keep me in school for about 3 more years.

Once again, thank you for all your posts. I do appreciate it.

Even if you think you are too late for ROTC and you might like to fly in the military still talk to the Recruiter on campus. There are two year scholarships available. Hey, it's free flight training and pays a lot better than the regionals.

UPT through the Air Guard is always an option, an old CFI of mine got picked up to fly F-15s.

Army Warrant Officer is a great way to go as well and fixed wing opportunities are available after your first RW assignment.

Check with the Navy too. My senior year at Riddle I got a recruiting flyer to join up for Naval flight training and get college costs paid for. Would have done it had I not already been locked into the Army.

With all, make sure you can pass the entry medical befor signing on the dotted line. And keep in mind that Uncle Sam can change the contract at anytime without consulting you... well, they consult you about changing the contract when you first sign but it is lost in the 20 pages of very small print.

If you've got military questions check out the APTAP forum and Air Warriors Forum.

My regional job kicks a$$.

The urgency thing really is overrated for someone as young as yourself. Once you get to a regional you won't have the money to fly for fun for a long, long time. If you go the more traditional route, you will have the opportunity to see and do things and meet people you won't in the airline world. The fast track is like getting drafted from college straight to the big leagues. It would seem to be the best route but you miss out on a lot of learning and life experiences along the way. Other than the hope for good money when you get to a major(hard to find these days) the journey has been the best part of my career so far. The airline gig can be a great thing, but work is called work for a reason. I can't tell you how many cities I've 'been to' where I've never set foot outside the airport. It ain't the same as jumping in your Cessna for hop around the patch or going to get the $100 hamburger. There's a lot of BS to deal with at times along the climb up the ladder. If you don't love it(flying), you will not be happy.