Three Green, I posted this a few months ago. Something for you to think over.
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If I taught you how to play golf, could you beat Tiger Woods?

They can "teach" you until they are blue in the face, but until you gain some "experience" will the lessons sink in.

Part 121 airlines don't spend alot of time "teaching" flying skills. They will teach "profiles" and expect you to know how to fly.

Are you a systems expert? You'll have about 10-12 actual class days learning systems. You then have to show "adequate" knowledge in those systems during an oral exam. Along with systems knowledge, you will need to rattle off memory items and limitations, without missing ANY!! Throw in a performance problem and some weight and balance and you now get to go on to the next step.

After 8 Sim sessions, if your instructor signs you off, you now get to demonstrate your flying abilities during a check ride.

Push back, normal start procedures and taxi to the runway. 6/6/6 takeoff, don't forget to make sure the centerline lights are on . Takeoff, do some steep turns and a couple of stalls. Program FMS to intercept a radial or join a airway. Get vectors for an approach, at this time you might discover a hydraulic failure or a generator is offline. Not a major issue, if you've seen it before. Now you're attention is wandering as you brief the approach. Oops "what was the heading to intercept?" now your late intercepting the inbound course, a few hundred feet high, and you don't remember if you've finished the checklist in the QRH, you still with me? Oh, well the autopilot is on and it will help me, right? Well you're still high and can't figure out why this damn thing isn't working. You continue, never quite get configured, on speed, by 1000ft, but you continue anyway. Here comes the missed approach. What were the call-outs again? Go miss into a hold. Can't quite figure out the FMS and why is the plane turning so hard to the left? Oh my, we lost and engine. More checklists, and I still have to try and fly this thing. Good news, bad news. City vehicle has run into the localizer. It's now out of service, but we can offer you the VOR/DME to runway 18R, would you like that sir?

Now you're reaching your saturation point as you need to perform a single engine, non-precision approach with multiple step down fixes. Talk to me goose:) No auto pilot on this one. Must be hand flown as per the SOP, you remembered that right? All this time your seat fill Captain is just sitting in the left seat, quietly, while you fumble along. Did we finish the checklist? check single engine landing performance? what flaps settings will we use? what speed will I fly? boy my leg sure is getting tired.

Suddenly the Sim stops. You're thinking that was nice of the examiner to give me a break right now. He leans over and hands you a pink slip and says to call the training department in the morning to schedule additional training. He points out several areas you missed while you were overloaded during this exercise.

Moral of the story. Keep instructing, build your hours, fly night cargo and gain some experience. When the time is right, you will know.

Good luck in your career.
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You're entitled to your opinion and perspectives just like I am mine, and I respect your opinions. You don't have to respect mine or like what I have to say, I have no problem with that.

I'm not telling you how it is or anyone else for that matter. I'm just sharing my perspective, not a narrative of airline lore. I'll probably be high and dry of the forum by that time. I'm on here because I simply don't have anyone else to talk "airlines" with at the moment and I enjoy the discussions ya'll have. Captain Blastboy will be vacating the forum before you can say "Ciao" (Aug 8th to be exact). So start counting the days down. ;)

My UPS client has heard your name and seems to remember meeting you at one point while he was on the -8. Not sure if you flew that bird. We also checked out your article together. :D


Flaps 9 - My brain hurts after reading your post. :p

My brother was the English major, I'm just a pilot :D

"My UPS client has heard your name and seems to remember meeting you at one point while he was on the -8."

I was never on the 8 except for about four months ago when I was forced to company deadhead on the jumpseat SDF-ONT and my back hurt for three days.

"Captain Blastboy will be vacating the forum before you can say "Ciao" (Aug 8th to be exact)"

Buh bye...

You should really listen to Flaps 9, he tells it better than I could.

"I'm just sharing my perspective"

There's really nothing wrong with that. As long as the perspective is known as coming from someone working on his CFI. That means a lot. Saying ones background is meaningless when posting at this site is misinformed, I think. In fact, the admins have restricted some folks from posting at the pro-forums who aren't pro's. So, your background does mean something here. A guy could hide it, and claim to be something less than he is, but it could eventually bite him in the buttocks....

So, after your new life begins on Aug 8th. Be sure to let us know how things are going.

Where would you like to live?

If there is a regional that fits you lifestyle and location/base then and you need more time for them, wait for more ME time. You'll need the total time to upgrade anyway and don't worry for a nano second about "the poor regionals" and the business they have to run. That's their problem and they deserve it.

I can only hope that some of the lower tier regionals fall apart and go under with the pilot shortages they are experiencing. Starting with Ornstein's and then my own! I can hold out on strike for a long long time! "STFD"

I jokingly asked him about jumpseating on the -8 with him and said something similar to that. LOL That's hilarious! By the way, do you ever to the ONT-CAE runs?? Just curious as that will be my ride to and from SoCal and South Carolina; once I get on with my first CASS participating air carrier, of course. :p

HeHe! More like a minor chapter of my life. Looking forward to it, nonetheless. New life began when I got married. :D