Well, after a couple years of "checking out the layover city" I think you'll change your tune. We're not talking about Paris here you know...more like Tulsa, and it's the airport holiday inn (close to the airport but nothing else), not the downtown Hilton.

Military folks come in several distinct varities...young kids who are there to get some job training or college benefits, have no college, and DID NOT pay $50-100K for the privelege of enlisting. But they still make regional FO moneyt ($15-30k) ...

The elite folks (pilots, nuclear submariners, special operations) generally get paid WELL over $100K, PLUS all the sweet benies and the retirement. They didn't pay for their training either; most had their college paid for too.

When I decided I needed to buy my own airplane a while back, I simply volunteered for 6 months active duty to pay for it...

Just curious rickair7777, or for anybody else, why buy your own plane when you do it for a living. Thats the last thing I want to do is fly a plane, or go anywhere on my free time. I spend enough time away from home. Besides, I look at it as betting my ticket if I go flying for "fun".

I just like to fly (my family too), and GA is totally different from 121 ops. As long as your club has maintenance and ADs under control, there's almost no risk of violation in GA for an airline pilot...you're probably too smart to fly into B right? The only brushes I ever had with violations were when I was working as a CFI and trying to satisfy all the competing operational demands. And there's always the NASA form...

5 years at a regional.

If I join a regional with 1000hrs, mostly PIC.
I work as FO for 2 or 3 years (Well within reason considering the upgrade times I saw), and then work as Captain for 3 years.
I would expect to have 5000TT, and 3000PIC, probably jet. Reasonable?

Are you telling me that the airlines that are currently hiring (Southwest, JB, Continental, UPS, FedEx,...) will not hire you with those numbers. What happens in a few years when the rest of the majors start hiring again... I am sorry, but even given the poor hiring conditions of today, 5 years at a decent regional is a fair estimation. If you disagree, I'd like to hear actual reasons.

No deductive reasoning...Just cause one guy said that 15 years ago does not speak for the other 90% of regional pilots from 15 years ago who are flying for majors today.

There are going to be some retirements over the next 5 years, a LOT at USAir (maybe enough to recall most of their furloughs).

All the airlines you mentioned have huge stacks of resumes from RJ captains and military guys.

UPS, FEDEX you have to know someone (do you?). And their interviews are f*cking brutal. I know a guy who barely squeeked through at UPS, and felt lucky to have been hired. He was an RJ check airman... and his dad flys for UPS!

SWA is fun...first you have to buy a 737 type rating ($8K). That will give you a decent chance of getting called for the interview...a rough survey of people I know indicates that they hire abot 20-25% of folks who interview. So you interviewed, but didn't make it (for every winner, there's lots of losers and odds are you're one of them!). Now you have an $8K type rating.... Well maybe you get lucky and get called by JB or CAL...so now you're at their interview trying to convince them that you really have always dreamed of working there...but you first you have to explain why you have a 737 type on your ATP LOL (hint: there's only one possible reason for a regional CA to posses a 737 type).

Once you hit that 5000 window, you need to know someone, get the interview, and succeed at the interview. The odds aren't good. More than 5000 hours may increase your odds slightly but not much...eventually the majors will start asking themselves why you have 9000 hours and have not been hired yet...they will assume that you have tried and failed elsewhere, so why should they waste THEIR time and money on you. There are always exceptions, but few and far between.

This is the way it is TODAY, and could change for better or worse (but I don't see fuel prices going down, my wildest fantasy is they don't go up anymore)

Sorry - got your confused with Mike who is meterolgy...But as you see above you say your are 37 and then say 29...just kinda strange - maybe you ment 39?

And for the moron that thinks you shouldn't count time away from home - What do you think work is smart guy? It's something you do when away from your family and you get paid for it. So are you saying you would be fine doing a 7 day trip, one leg each way and the the rest of the time in a hotel and be happy getting paid for flight time? Get a grip guy!

That's where the problem starts - new young guys can't wait to work for $19/hr flying a plane...Wooooooooooooohoooooooooooooo!!!!! I'm a regional pilot now - look at me!!! It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt - and you know who that person is smart guy??? It's you when you wake up, have a wife - two kids and a house and you are still making $60k a year (topped out) wishing that UAL/DAL/NWA/CAL job was there to pay the big bucks - but it's gone because the majors gave all the flying away to your little carrier. Starting to get it yet???? You know what the average pax thinks when they know the pilots are making a combined salary less than they do? They are scared!! Time for you to get scared as well!! Think about it!!

Baja.

Maybe his dad *used* to fly for UPS, but the nepotism rules prevent relatives from being hired there. If your mom's brother-in-law works for UPS in any capacity other than handler, you can't work for UPS.

rickair7777...just wondering...nough said. About the majors.....everything that has beeen written is true. UPS, Fed Ex, SWA,.......need recomendations.
Good luck to anyone who gets a job with those. I have'nt applied ...yet. Waiting with what's going to happen with NWA. If NWA goes under... will look for a job with the us governmet. Only need 7.5 years to get a pension with them. AIM HIGH!

I don't get it - what's wrong with flying into class B?

Whats wrong with flying into class "B". Well nothing taking the proper procedures, equipment, and certification requirements. However I almost got myself in some trouble about a year ago up in Chicago because of my recent lack of VFR flying. Vowed right then and there I wouldn't go "tootling" around class B any more :D , or take the local flight instructors word for the dimensions of the local airspace when my ticket was on the line. Well just say that controller said a few words I've never even heard before.

XtremeF150