I have a 3 bedroom in Crystal City. I am about 500 feet from DCA...i pay $4200/month....

Enjoy!

:)

Eh, poking around on Craigslist there's rental situations to be had that can be done on 1st year pay.

Oscar the grouch's trash can is available??

Room in 4 bedroom/1.5 bath Professional Boarding House
Condo room Top floor: ALL Utilities Cable Hi speed Internet included
Room For Share
Looking for Roommate in Alexandria
Rooms Available in Nice Townhome + Free Internet/TV

Are these examples of how I want to be living the rest of my life? No, but I can afford them on 1st year pay and still have a life and feed myself.

Don't let these people dog you about living in DC. Yeah, it's expensive, but it seems like it's where you want to be, so just ignore them.

Talking to people in the AWAC training dept., they were predicting hiring 100 this year. It has come to a point as we near the mid-year mark, I am sure the classes in the foreseeable future have been filled, so now you're looking at getting in at the trailing end which has the possibility of keeping you on reserve for a while. Just something to keep in mind.

That has occurred to me. Apparently TSA is growing by a third this year (not hard when you only have 22 airframes to start out with) so that at least should be a quick trip up the FO list.

For whatever reason I feel like shying away from the mega-regionals (SkyWest, XJT, RAH) just because that would be a LONG trip up the FO list, although maybe more stable. It's all a gamble.

That's not growth. They had twice as many aircraft 5 years ago.

How many times in the last 10 years has TSA hired for "growth" that never happened?

I'm based at IAD, but not employed by either of the regional airlines you listed. However, I was borned and raised in the DC Metro area and live near IAD. Is the cost of living higher than other areas in the U.S.? Yes. Can you make it on first year regional pay? I did it at two different regionals, so, yes. I get the feeling people from other areas are more sensitive to the higher cost of living here, as they have a basis for comparison. PM me if you have questions about specific areas.

I guess that depends on your timescale. If indeed they have more airframes at the end of the year that they had at the beginning, is that not growth in the short term? Over the course of the last five years, perhaps not, but I'm not looking to be hired 5 years ago.

Now, if you could tell me what there fleet size will be 5-8 years from now, well, then you'd be Kit Darby. Point being hopefully adding airframes over the short term is a good sign of things to come.

Appreciate that. I spent a number of years in Anchorage while working the ramp and putting out money for flight training so I've got a little experience in more expensive area. While ANC is probably more expensive than DC I've looked at what I could expect my first year pay to be and think I can swing it. That said, I'm not looking to be in the heart of Georgetown.