Good to see a fellow Flying Illini picking up my slack. BJ would be proud.

 

Dont make the mistake alot of guys have made. It IS as bad as most people say it is. What I did was try to sugarcoat the truth to my wife because I wanted to do aviation as a career and I didnt want to let her down. My only saving grace was when I said "it cant be as bad as the Corps" which it isnt.

Let her read this thread and tell her that if you can be home for close to 10 days per month then you are in great shape while making 18K the first year as it will most likely be true and anything better will be a bonus.

The lower seniority folks at my airline do 5 days on 2 days off reserve with no weekends off non commutable every month and work every holiday and have for the last year and will so for the next year until attrition or upgrades happen which both are not likely.

Getting in at the front of the hiring "booom" (it may be more like a hiring fizzle or pop) are high aspirations but also consider that although you are building great time it is a brutal market and will be. The first to be hired when it starts back up will be guys with 1500-3000+ hours with 1000+ multi turbine and possibly a type rating or two. It will be a tough market for a CFI for a while.

 

Everything you read here is the truth. Perhaps its better to look at 135 gigs when they start hiring.

 

I hope your girlfriend likes your parents. Because you'll be living at your parent's house for afew years when you're making $16,000/year. Good luck.

 

Regional pay sucks...we all know that, but this $16,000 a year stuff is ridiculous. If you really make that little then it's your own fault for going to work for a REALLY bad company. Year one I managed to gross $29k, and year 2 was up to $41k. Do NOT go to the first company that will hire you just to get an airline job! Wait it out for a company that will treat you better and pay you at least a somewhat respectable wage.

 

What airlines actually pay $16,000 a year starting out?....besides Great Lakes of course.

My first year I pulled in $29,000 Gross and $23,000 Net....stupid taxes

 

Dashtrash, who do you work for, Horizon?

$29000/12bids/75guarantee = a bit over $32 an hour


$16000/12bids/75guarantee = almost $18 an hour

That's just about every B1900 operator, and Mesa.
Lynx is close too at, $17600.

 

I barely grossed $21,000 my first full year, and I work for one of the "better" regionals. Of course, I was on reserve almost the entire year.

 

I guess the question is "Do you want a life other than work"? Reason I say this is in order to make any sort of a living on first year pay at 95% of all regionals one would need to whor* themselves out to crew scheduling.......

 

No, Piedmont. That seems weird cause I was hired near the beginning of the year and got on the line in late March. Starting pay then was $25.58 an hour and then increased to $26.35 in May.