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.

If you can hack it (family, living conditions, food) consider overseas.

Yup. When AirTran recalled I was already with USAir. When USAir recalled I was flying corporate for a Fortune 500 (and USAir was still bankrupt and had closed the PIT hub... Figured they were circling the drain). Had I gone back there I'd be with AA now.

All bad choices, but none of them negate the fact that had I had the 1000 PIC turbine, life would have been a little simpler in a post 9/11 job hunting world.

Yes, but the LCCs are more likely than legacies. Apply to all of them and keep the apps updated. Even without connections it's still possible to get hired. I got a cold call at the current company. It worked out for the best, had I been at my regional even today I'd still be a 8th year FO with no upgrade in sight. In your case it sounds like an upgrade is one year from now so you could stick it out and see what happens. IMO though with the amount of hiring coming up at the legacies and LCCs, the TPIC checkbox won't be as important. So if jetBlue/Virgin/Spirit/Frontier call first, I'd leave any regional for that opportunity.

Although the situation that Zap, and MYSELF were in post 9/11 is MUCH LESS LIKELY NOW, what he's saying DID happen.

Post 9/11, the places hiring were AirTran (500 TPIC required), as well as SW (1000 TPIC/73 type), FedEx (1000TPIC), UPS (1000TPIC), and JB. I don't remember JB's requirement then, but you WEREN'T getting without TPIC, never mind a blue dart. Atlas back then, 1000 TPIC also. All these places provided furlough refuge for the pilots hired at legacies that were now on the street but AT LEAST had TPIC time.

Sure, Spirit, Frontier, Gemini, Polar, and some others DIDN'T require it, but it sure as hell helped. Most of the fracs during that boom didn't require it either.

So although you can NEVER fault the pilots that went to a legacy before upgrading in the pre 9/11 era, WE ALL WOULD HAVE. But post 9/11 you were pretty much screwed without it.

Had you stayed at your regional you would have interviewed at Delta by now. I know some 9E FO's who were junior to you who have gotten hired at Delta via the SSP. Your # has since passed.

I'm happy with how and where I am today. The payraise of the last 3 years allowed me to start a family. I wouldn't have on a RJ FO salary (might get flak for that, and I know many that did start a family + make it work as a RJ FO). No regrets here :) also, congrats to the FOs who are getting the SSP and have a shot at Delta. It is well deserved and I hope the trend continues.

How were you able to change your username? I thought the forum software/admin didn't allow that?

Plus Vanguard, Eastwind, ProAir, ATA, National, Midwest... and a bunch of others that didn't require it on paper - but wouldn't hire you without it. Why should they? There were thousands in line who were better qualified.

I don't think we are as far from that happening as John does either. One more geopolitical "event" that results in substantially less demand for flying or substantial increase in oil prices and there could very easily be mass furloughs again as airlines use force majeur to abrogate contracts and restructure their operations. Post 9/11 there were thousands upon thousands of furloughs less than 3 years following a boom just like this one.

Not saying if I were an RJ FO I wouldn't take a major airline job today, but I'd be apprehensive about taking a stepping stone job, and if I was CLOSE to an upgrade (say within a year or so) I would sit tight and get the time.

Not having it (along with some not-great choices) cost me a decade of career progression. Wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Always do what is best for you and your family. I was a 5500TT zero TPIC person. I'm now at B6 and very happy I made the change. I was a former Comair guy, so Delta wasn't going to happen even if I had some TPIC (and truthfully I would rather stay at Blue for the long haul).

Depending on your commute, I wouldn't recommend passing up an upgrade to going to Allegiant or Frontier, but thats just me.

Lovin life at B6 with zero Turbine pic:)