About 2.5 years ago three of us friends set out on this aviation venture. All of us had about the same amount of time, and all of us had the same options give or take a regional or two.

One of us went to Mesa chasing the quick ungrade, one of us went to a prop outfit also chasing the quick PIC, and one of us chose QOL above all.

One of us is still at Mesa able to hold upgrade, but not enough time, with horrible QOL and the potential of losing flying (see Delta)...the guy is seriously considering getting out of the industry altogether as he has nowhere to go during this downturn...not even another regional.

One of us is now prop captain with about 400 PIC, but nowhere to go, on account of very few major players hiring, and now with ATA guys (among others) on the street whom are much more qualified...well you guys get the picture (he also hates his life at this company).

Finally, one of us is still an f/o less than fifty numbers (idle nonetheless) from upgrade, probably not going to see the left until next year, which will make it almost 4 years, but really happy to go to work every day.

This is a real story, and the moral is pick a place where you could be happy at for up to 5 or 6 years...none of us thought we would be at a "regional" carrier past the three year mark (little did we know about this industry), only one of us is still happy.

Take it for what is worth, just the experience of three guys, I'm sure there's many more....

 

i totally agree man. Many guys came to Eagle chasing the 12 month upgrade back in 2000/2001. 7 years later...... At least Eagle was a comparatively stable place to be for the 7 years following 9/11.

 

Thanks for sharing, Bond! This "get in and get out" nonsense has to stop. And I'm guessing that you're behind door number three, eh?

 

You betcha, but don't think I wasn't tempted by the "PIC" fountain of youth!

In the end I think my unwillingness to commute or give up certain things in life saved me....I just got lucky, and I wanted to share it. Like a lot of you guys, I'm fully aware now of the realities of our chosen profession; and just like many here, I still like getting up and going to work.

 

something i've also noticed, is that people who are going to complain are typically going to complain anywhere they go...the guy who complains about days off at company A, complains about not flying enough at company B.

I'll agree with what you said though, there's no joy in chasing quick upgrades. However, i believe the same is true about chasing some elusive QOL that seems to always be greener next door. For people who are trying to get on with their ideal company, find a good path to get there and stick to it, but while chasing the quick upgrade can have disasterous effects on a person's future job outlook, and current quality of life. Bouncing around from company to company will do nothing but prolong your time in the minor leagues.

 

Good post, Bond. Very true. For those about to hit that BIG 250-hr mark with dreams of getting on with a major in the next 3-4 years, think again. Seriously. Times have changed, the age 65 rule is in effect, and you won't be flying a real airliner for at least 4-5 yrs (an RJ is not a real airliner BTW). That said, you seriously need to research where you're looking to go and decide how important quality of life is to you. I've seen several friends come and go over the past 5 years from my regional -- only to make lateral moves for a faster upgrade, and I can only count ONE who is happy he made the choice he did. All of those were hired at the regional level in early 2004, and are STILL at the regional level. Most are still FO's. I can only echo what was said by Bond; "pick a place where you could be happy at for up to 5 or 6 years". You may get lucky before that time, or the industry may make a huge upswing, but you can't count on that. Life is more important, so be smart in your decision. Believe those that have been doing this for a few years: Flying does become a JOB, and when the parking brake has been set at the end of a trip, it's nice having a contract and an employer that afford you good quality of life outside the cockpit.

 

Sorry for the duplicate post. Disregard!

 

And you feel so strongly about it, that you just had to post it twice

 

Yes, I just had to.

 

Did you say that because you fly a Dash-8...