No 121PIC. Any options to....
 

...escape the regional world?
Later in life 121 guy.
Have about 14 years left.
Have 3500hrs 121.
Currently with regional....should upgrade in a year.
Weighing options. Thinking that if I could get somewhere "better", sooner, it might benefit me in the long run???
I was always under the impression that I would need 121PIC before anybody would even consider me, but have heard that this may not be the case.
Any thoughts? Thanks...

It's not the case.

But unless you're well connected or incredibly persistent and driven, you're not very competitive to move on to say a legacy or even an LCC. You're competing against many captains and FO's with twice as much time as you.

14 yrs is plenty of time.

Doesn't cost anything to apply…Good Luck!!!

Mid Oct '14 hire jetBlue here....5500 TT former regional FO...0 turbine PIC (hard to impossible to get when your regional has an 8 year upgrade and climbing due to shrinkage)

Try frontier, allegiant perhaps?

There is a lot more to a resume than just flight time. If you excelled in other areas and have a solid resume then it's no huge long shot getting on with a LCC such as Spirit/Virgin/JB. Like someone else said, apply and get your apps in. Good luck.

If you are only a year from upgrade, I would stay put.

Let me give you a little advice that you didn't ask for.

The year is 1998. I had been a commuter pilot (Jetstream 31) for a few years and was still years from upgrade. One of my classmates started at a small airline called "AirTran" - the former Valujet. He recommended I join him... so I did. A few months later, in October 98 I was furloughed and went back to the commuters.

In January of 1999 the majors were on a hiring boom, much like today. I managed to get hired by USAir with zero PIC turbine.

After 9/11 I was furloughed again, but without the PIC turbine I was unqualified to even interview at any of the companies that were hiring. Even AirTran, who I had worked for just a few years earlier, had instituted a PIC requirement that left me unqualified to reapply.

I had no choice but to go back to the commuters. I would be almost a decade before I finally earned that PIC turbine time. The lost decade. Now I'm starting over again at the majors in my 40s.

Don't be like me. Stay put. Get the PIC time - it's good insurance - then move on.

In general I agree with you.

Having said that, at one point AirTran must've given you the recall option? (I take it you were at usair then?) Had you taken it you'd be at SWA now.

My point is - whatever decision you make - NEVER look back to regret what you can't change.

PS. j-ball drivers rock. ;)

Whats your QOL like at your current regional? What will it be like when you upgrade? If your QOL is good or better, with an upgrade of less than a year away I personally would stay. Are you commuting?

With some good internal recs (read: nepotism), the correct bits between the legs (sorry dudes), the correct skin pigmentation, and the proper number of lunar landings you may be able to get on with a Legacy. It is a shoe in though if you are squadron buddies with some at the airline of intention.

Although supposedly it helps to go to the couple hundred dollar career fairs. They like that.