Initial FO Pay or Upgrade Times?
 

Hey fellow aviators! I must say I am still new to "feeling out this industry" and have been doing a lot of studying on the options I have before me... Currently 22 years old, 86TT, 4 YR Biology Degree GPA 3.67 and on fire to fly for a living as a background... NOW THE REGIONAL THREAD PART haha..

So from what I have been looking at, a lot of people are going back and forth (always will and I get it) on people getting paid better FO wages etc, and others more significantly set on quicker upgrades over a "better FO wage" (I get no regional FO wage is actually great, I already learned something haha :D).... ANYWAY, I am going to ATP and hope to be in position with the new 1500hr minimums to get on a regional by November of 2016 (24 years old)..

What are YOUR modest opinions on possibilities for best pay scale and best upgrade times at regionals looking forward next five years or so? Best options for new pilots like myself among the REGIONAL industry?

Thanks :)

Get a job in an ANG/reserve unit and make your time at the regionals a whole lot shorter and more enjoyable.

Free training that will likely change your life...

If the military isn't for you, well, I wouldn't recommend getting into this industry as straight civilian. Good luck.

I agree ! If I could do it the military route I would have .

Just met up with a buddy flying c17's that sure beats having to do cfi crap .

Do you have a working phone? Can you answer it?

Mesa, GoJet, PSA. Those would be the top three in my book.

Asking about the next 24 months is like asking about the next 24 years.
Not just in aviation, but for the country in general.

You've got a long road ahead of you until you have to worry about that.

You will get your ME rating then your next step is instrument training.

Study hard for that and fly the he77 out of your home flight sim before every lesson.

I agree with some others here. If I were 22 years old again and was sure aviation was in my career, I would have gone military.

I'm with bedrock. 24 months is an eternity in the airlines, and especially in the regional sector. When you get to 1000-1200 hours, you should be nailing down where to go next. For now, keep a high-level view of what is happening, and certainly be aware of it, but don't be setting specific sights on specific targets until you are closer to being able to apply.

To give you an example: I was at Comair in 2010. We had some folks on furlough. We began to recall, and even hear rumblings of hiring and more planes. 24 months later, the company was shuttered. I got lucky, and made it to a major. Others....not so much.

Focus on the tasks at hand: building your network, getting your ratings, building your network, keeping your nose clean, building your network, enhancing your resume....and building your network.

And don't spend money on training that you don't need to spend, especially if you are financing.

DON'T DO IT!!!

...But I know you won't listen, so if you must, scrap the atp idea and get your Commercial Multi at the local FBO. You will save around 35 grand. Then apply at Lakes as a 135 Beech 1900 FO. Maybe Cape Air but Lakes would be better.

A year or so of that and you'll have ATP mins. Far less debt. And a good idea of what a life in aviation is all about.

One year after that you'll be hunting a job that requires a Biology degree but instead of having 150K in student loans you'll have 35K.

I know you are young and you will think I'm wrong, but you won't be young for much longer. If you end up married or have a kid or something then home time and pay WILL matter. Once life happens you might not be able to pack up and move to your base. I don't care what anyone says, the fact is you don't know (no one does) what life has in store. If you want to get into this mess then do it right. The biggest concern is debt. Get your ratings as cheap as you can and if you want an airline job go to lakes or cape air. This will give you operational experience, the knowledge of whether or not you can sustain these "beatings" and the opportunity to walk away if you need to.

/$.02

By the time you get the mins it's likely the regionals will look completely different than they do now. It's impossible to predict upgrade times a few years from now.

zbowflyz paints a realistic picture of life getting to the regional airlines so do give it more thought. I whole heartedly agree with not taking on a boatload of debt.

The other thing I wanted to mention is your time line target is extremely aggressive, possibly too aggressive. You are proposing 1500 hour ATP mins in 2.5 years? That would be 47 hours per month of flying starting now.

Also, something to keep in mind is the school that you give your money to so you can learn to fly may be the same place that gives you your first job as a flight instructor.