Well, if I "suck it up and fly", I can't pay my bills while on first year pay. Second year and subsequent pay matters not if I'm in bankruptcy from not paying my bills for a year.

No, I can't make the equivalent of that as a regional FO. I make $26.78 at the moment, plus another 10K / year in bonuses. $65,700 before taxes. No regional is paying me that in the right seat. Some aren't going to pay me that in the left seat. Obviously getting on with a legacy / LCC would top that, but with the amount of qualified guys at the regionals I'm not going to get the call from an airline I can afford to work for. If it was just a matter of sucking up first year pay, it might be doable. In my case though, it's more like sucking up 3 or more years of regional flying (no turbine PIC).

Just south of 40 with a family is no time to hop (back) into the airlines. I'd be much better off going back to school and working on a masters degree than starting over in the airline business. Or, I can wait for my NJA recall and see what happens. That's also a dead end at the moment, however. It's just a good paying dead end.

 

My number is simple 100k! You cant get me to go back to spending 3/4 of my life in a roach hotel wondering when I'll get home. Anything under that and thats just chain gang work. Plus have to worry and medical/training/stress away from family. This is a kids game today. Your 22 years old running around wearing the uniform to get laid at poverty wages. this isn't a job. How can you call a profession job that pays poverty wages a career. It's a smoke screen to get laid. you give me 100k I will go back but not a penny less. Even if I did go back I dont think I would last very long. sitting in ICT at some dumb could be my breaking point back to corp america, where I can make the same wage and have a normal schedule.

 

Stbloc - thanks, that's why I started the thread...

I am on the fence as to fly because I like to..

Right now I have a decent job. As long as that holds out I can't see giving it up, but the allure is strong, real strong.

Just not 22k strong...

But if my current gig flamed out I would have to probably change my tune as flying is about all else I know. So i am trying to to get a grip on the job.

I also maintain there are easily a 1000 guys like me who are qualified but not at 22k.

Thanks for all the input.

Have a great 4th everyone.

 

I'm with the OP on this. >1800 hrs w/ ATP with a chunk of it heavy mil flying currently. On average I can make (take home) double what I would make 1st year at a regional just flying trips in my reserve unit. There is no incentive for me to take a job with such low wages. I'll continue to build my time in my unit. With that said 45-50/hr and I would do it, otherwise not a chance. But I agree, because I know there are quite a few folks like myself who are qualified for regional flying but just wont do it based on wages.

 

I need about $80/hour to leave my job for a flying job.

 

I am seriously thinking about doing a citation rating this year for the ATP ride.

Keep my job until when and if there is a change.

And every year I don't leave to fly do another type rating. The types are not that expensive out of Miami and Texas (7000 for 727, dc9, I think 8000 747) Don't know how good the training is but ***.

If I never fly for a regional maybe I'll make some new friends and have some fun.

 

GoFlyNow,

There was a similar thread a while back. I replied: six figures, home based or a permanent base where I live.

IF I had stayed with my last employer, and IF I had not been down graded, I would have been making 70-80k commuting up east (about 2000 per year on hotels and losing 2-4 days off in the commute). Luckily I found a 135 job that gives me 15 days off each month, base pay is 62k (and 1500-3000 for good behavior). Realistically I expect to make at least 64k with no extra days. Home every night I don't time out (about once a month), and flying 250 hours per year (I do have collateral duties within my duty period, but nothing ridiculous).

So again, to go back to 121, it would take six figures and home based (or not commuting).

 

Thats the old Republic logo - I got some time in the back of those birds - DC9-10 was my favorite they flew.

Lots of time - learned to fly Bell 47's at DTW in the middle of runway 3 left and right

How do you get home most nights on 135?

thanks

 

I remember riding in the back of a Northwest DC-9-10 many years ago. 8 first class seats, 75 coach. Pretty close to those CRJ-900s that kids trip over themselves to fly for $25 an hour. Piedmont had F-28s back then with even fewer seats.

 

Empire had them too, man I loved riding on those back then. I always thought they'd make a cool bizjet.