It doesn't matter how much you love flying, no one in the regionals loves flying so much that they are content putting up with this crap day in and day out. Every regional lifer I have talked to is stuck for one reason or another, generally unable to manage finances well enough to live on first year FO pay at a major, or too comfortable as a captain with seniority and decent schedules. Unless you have another source of income or are independently wealthy, the job ain't worth the pay. Every flying job I've had starts out fun, but becomes a job and a means to feed my family. Still beats working for a living, but if I don't get out of the regionals in a few years I'm going to b school and getting a real job.

 

I've come across a lot of regional lifers. There have been things in the industry like 9/11, the age 65 rule and the economy that slowed hiring at both the regionals and the majors. Most of the guys who've i spoken to are senior (15-20 years) in and are comfortable. They just don't want to start over. There might be more certainly at the top of a regional than at the bottom of a major is the rationale. Me? I'm a year and a half in & while I do like it here, I have no plans on staying at the regional level any longer than I have to.

 

Seems to me EVERYONE in the regionals believe they deserve a spot at the majors, but the truth is that the majors aren't hiring like wildfire right now. There are still TONS of highly qualified pilots out there that are waiting to jump on at a good carrier. I thought it would be a quick step from the regionals to the majors, but the longer I am in the industry the more I see it doesn't really happen that way. Most pilots that have made that jump have made several painful steps in between and have had several years of building thousands of hours. Good luck!

 

Omg bro hahahahahahahahahaha

 

There are a lot of regional lifers that don't realize that they are regional lifers. Just because you walk around saying "get in, get out" doesn't mean it's going to happen.

 

Nope!! Lol I got out. Going to work for a class I freight railroad as a conductor.....better pay by far and a retirement pension. I'm currently instructing at a regional with my last day the end of February. I've never been so happy. I'll fly for fun and y'all can have this profession.

 

From your previous posts I'm gonna assume youre a younger guy just starting flight training. Regionals are a bit aways from you and the industry will probably be in a different state by the time youre ready. Yeah for the most part, guys do their time flying the RJ and look into something bigger like a major etc. There are still lots of guys who stay for a while longer or even over 15 years. They get comfortable with it, they can bid the trips they want and live in base where they want to be. You can make over 100k as a CA with regional. If you want to go to a major, look for an airline with a bit of a lower upgrade. Horizon is over 10 years, SKW is around 8 and there are others around 1-4 years. If you want a major, they want PIC multi engine turbine time. So flying a C208 or Ameriflight/ a 135 king air isnt quite what they want....Pick something that will make you happy, where you can live in base that you want or have a easy commute. QOL/ pay, contract are other considerations.

 

With proper planning, there's a point at which you should cut losses and leave the industry if it isn't working out. Many do, but they don't usually waste their time here at APC living in their past.

Most professional baseball players don't make it to the majors and live a pretty rough life riding on buses between games and making about as much as regional pilots (less AAA). At some point, after a few years of valiantly trying to make it into the majors, they realize they are at the point of diminishing returns or losing opportunity cost elsewhere, and hopefully they learned something else useful in school and can contribute to society in some other way, and make more money and be happier elsewhere.

Unfortunately in the regional industry, the carrots keep on appearing, pay slowly increases, the comfort of the lounge chair keeps increasing ever so slightly, and we are too dumb to realize that despite the lounge chair getting more comfortable, the hammer coming down on our nuts keeps on dropping, but we promise ourselves (and our families) it's only a few more nut hammerdrops then it will be better. Next thing you know you're a lifer. Eff that. Set benchmarks for QOL improvement (with a reasonable but not indefinite allowance for things outside of your control). Have a backup plan. And know when to cut slingload.

When you invest money, you don't just hang on to a losing position hoping it will go back up at some point. You constantly reevaluate, and sell the equity when it no longer is the best position for your money. A dream to fly professionally can turn into a financial and emotional nightmare, especially in this BS regional scheme. Gotta always have an exit plan. The regional lifers (incl those who don't know they're lifers) most likely don't have a plan B.

 

envoy has around 200-300 lifers. I was one of them.


GoodLuck.

 

If youre a 15 year captain, its tough to find a new job in a new industry that offers 15+ days off and 100k+/year just starting out. Exit plan just means you're starting over new