Not knowing anything about where you live or your career goals, I would say that there are better choices out there right now. But then again, not having to commute is worth its weight in gold and both those companies have historically had pretty decent work rules.

Jebus...get some more time first. Lets say a year from now, you're out on your arse for one reason or another. Economy is in the toilet (trust me, it will be) and now places are requiring 1000PIC for an interview. Where will you be? Just a scenario to think about. Oh, and there are a lot of guys that do online classes but they do take longer and sound like they can be a pain sometimes, but thats just what I've heard from people I've flown with, no first hand experience.

I know jumping into the airlines is very attractive right now, but you're young. Slow down and enjoy the ride. At 21 you should be getting hammered at college parties, waking up in strange places next to people you can't remember the names of. Gotta have a base for all those crazy stories you tell over a beer on the overnight.

 

for sure man, stay in college. I completely agree with the guy above. If you really want to fly that bad, teach on the side while going to school. Maybe get on flying part time charter or something till you graduate. I took a full load of classes(real ones, not online), flight instructed full time, flew part time 135 in a baron and partied real hard. Don't be one of those aviation dorks that doesn't have anything else interesting about them other than flying airplanes. Finishing college will make you a more rounded, interesting person. You can't get that experience anywhere else. You won't regret it and if you stay in school and teach you'll have plenty of time to go to whatever regional you want when you're done with school.

 

Well I can tell you this much... If you work for AE (as I do), when you hit the 250 TT with 50 Multi you can walk into an interview and will start training within in months... I have know atleast 9 people that have done just that.

Is that the best idea? Not in my opinion.

My dollars worth is this:

Get the 4 yr degree. Everyone needs one. If nothing else it looks good on paper.

CFI during college, I wish I had done this. If you can find a FBo that needs a MEI. Intructing will build decision making skills, along with many other characteristics a good pilot will need.

DONT take out loans for your flight training. Pay as you go. I made the mistake on taking out two loans for training. I regret it every time I send good ole Sallie May a check. It may take a bit longer, but by god I swear you will be better off for it.

Now as to your airline choice:

AE, is whom I work for. I am not a pilot for them as of yet, Come November that will change. I can speak for the company as a whole and I know a bit about the pilots.

The QOL and Pay at AE are on par. The Head Ups here at AE are generally good people, and Dispatch is a pleasure to work with on most occasions. Now the big big big turn off for AE is the 6-9 yr upgrade time. If you plan on flying for a regional for a long time then Eagle may be the best choice for you. HOWEVER, if you plan on moving elsewhere within the next 5 years, then you may want to look at somewhere like CHQ. The key to moving up is TT and PIC time. You will get alot of SIC as a Eagle FO, but at a place like CHQ, you can make CA in as little at 14 months. I am not saying CHQ is a good place to work, but i can say that the pilots I talk to on a regular basis from there seem to enjoy the company and their jobs. Trans States is another low time short upgrade regional... Again, I work their flights here in BNA, but I dont know much about them.

All in all, Eagle is a good choice. Stable and generally reliable. Yes were are going through a spin off from AA... But I can tell you from senior management here at BNA, Dont expect much to change. There is some inner political struggles going on that has nothing to do with Eagles future as an airline.

The other thing to think about is Bases.

Where do you want to live?

For me, I will commute out of BNA. I already have a house in Nashville, and BNA is an easy commute.

Eagle has Domiciles all over. But if you wanna fly an ERJ you will end up in ORD. You might get DFW, but dont count on it. Everyone that I know has ended up in ORD. You wanna fly our prop planes? Well San Juan is your new home.

I think CHQ and Trans States both base out of STL. I dont really know of any other bases for them... On a side note, the Airport at STL is a dump. I non rev up there once a month to give my money to Harrah's Casino... I personally would not like to live in STL.

Everything I have said is based upon my experiance as an AE employee, and my personal beliefs and expectations.

As such, you will have to make your own decisions about what is right for you... IF bopping around flying for Great Lakes is what makes you happy then do it. No one person on this site will have a ready made answer for you, but we can help with suggestions.

I hope this helps. Excuse my spelling, It is 3:15 am and I am typing in the Dark.

 

I hope you spell check your rezoomay.