Blast, if my grass were as green as you, I'd be the envy of all my neighbors. Thanks for telling us how it is before you've been there.

OKAY...if airlines are HIRING guys with 250-450tt, WHY not apply and take the job. If they are willing to take the reponsibility of teaching a low time guy, that is their prob.
TO all the ppl who think low time pilots in a jet is bad...WHAT would you guys do in the same situation? I am 99.9% sure you guys would take the job instead of being a CFI

Did you read my post? It's a question of attitude. Also going to the regionals and getting a CFI are not mutually exclusive. Do both. Get your CFI by the end of your sophomore year of college, work like a dog (tow banners, deliver airplanes, charter, sight seeing, ext), and graduate with a respectable resume in any hiring market.

The idea of sitting around on your a$$ and not getting all the experience you can while you can just because you temporally don't have to is pure garbage. If you can get on with 300 hours by all means go, but don't let anyone hear anything that resembles a sense of entitlement pass your lips. Be humble, learn, listen more than you talk and you'll be fine.

i am not just talking about myself. its like when ever a topic comes up with a low timer getting a job...there is always somebody older saying something negative. Regionals are hiring low timers, not majors. I talked to a NWA CA who retired in 04. He was hired with less then 400hrs. No one is trying to act arrogant. All i did was ask a simple question from switching from a "okay" regional to a more respectable where their are higher chance of getting on with a major. The thread started off fine, but towards the end it turned into CFI(with experience) vs a low timer.

No one is saying don't take the job. But most of us 'old timers' would have apps out while working on our CFI or trying to find another time building job because it's the practical thing to do. Why are you worrying about how to get to your next regional before you've been to your first? Not everyone will get to FDX, UPS, or SWA. Just like not everyone will get to SKW, XJT, or RAH (pick your flavor of the month). Seriously man, you have 400 hours...it's good to think ahead but the next challenge, getting the first airline job, is a much higher threat to be focused on right now.

Reminds me of the song "Flavor of the Week" by American-HiFi.... Shows how much of a low timer I am .....

It's just because their mad that they didn't get the same opportunity as we have. So they had to bust their ass doing the whole CFI thing for a couple years before they could go to a regional. And they want us to do the same...
And i'm sure if i were them and had to get 1500hrs before i could get hired on with a regional then yeah i'd probably feel a little resentment as well...

I'm sorry if you understood it that way but that wasn't my intention at all. I was simply saying that the material can be learned, CFI or the new commercial guy. That's all I was expressing.


ThreeGreen - You're right, everytime this topic comes up it turns sour. Why so much negativity towards a low time pilot getting hired at a regional? Have you guys that feel negativly towards low timers flying RJs had a bad experience with them at one point? If so, please share your story so the rest of us can get a better understanding of why you feel this way.

But this forum constitutes a fraction of the pilots in the industry and as I've seen, it's consistently a few that express distaste towards this subject. I have yet to meet a regional, major or cargo pilot face to face that doesn't say "Go for it!" After all, one of the major reasons for even going to a regional is to simply build up time and gain experience. I've never said that CFIing isn't a better route, it is; but I can't understand judging ones' ability to fly over the internet, regardless of time, because I just simply haven't flown with them. But I certainly won't be doubting anyone's ability either. This should be a place for encouragement in addition to everything else it is.

Wrong. It is because we were once 250 hour pilots as well. At the time we probably felt we were prepared for the airlines, and wouldn't learn anything by doing steep turns and traffic patterns all day long. Only after about 500 hours of dual given did we realize how totally clueless we were at 250 hours.

Being a CFI was the most valuable aviation experience I've had. I learned more as a CFI about human psychology, situational awareness, working ATC, command decision making, severe weather, and dealing with the unexpected than I did during all of my flight training. Anyone can run a checklist and learn callouts and profiles. It's the stuff you can't learn in a book that has everyone else concerned about low time pilots.

"It's just because their mad that they didn't get the same opportunity as we have."

Not really, but the above post says it better than me...