Advice to aspiring airline pilots
02-15-2007, 08:15 AM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2005
Position: DFW A320 FO
Posts: 586
Advice to aspiring airline pilots
In trying to make decisions about my own career I think I've finally figured out what I wish I'd known 15 years ago when I started. Take this advice as worth what you paid for it but at least consider it if you're looking to get into the airline industry.
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
02-15-2007, 09:34 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Posts: 692
Originally Posted by swaayze
In trying to make decisions about my own career I think I've finally figured out what I wish I'd known 15 years ago when I started. Take this advice as worth what you paid for it but at least consider it if you're looking to get into the airline industry.
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
02-15-2007, 09:39 AM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: WB Bunkie
Posts: 1,246
Originally Posted by swaayze
In trying to make decisions about my own career I think I've finally figured out what I wish I'd known 15 years ago when I started. Take this advice as worth what you paid for it but at least consider it if you're looking to get into the airline industry.
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
Assuming you're young and single, or at least with no kids and a willing wife, you should take the crappiest regional job you can find. In the recent past I'm talking about the Colgans, Great Lakes, Big Skys and Mesas of the world (this is not a discussion about withholding applicants so these carriers will have to improve or die, start another thread if you want). These carriers will always have significant attrition leading to a reasonably quick upgrade, and if you can find one that's also growing go there at almost any cost. You could also get away with scheduled freight like Ameriflight or similar ops that have quick turbine time in a scheduled setting. Move to base, THEN STAY employed there until you have 1500-2000 hours of turbine PIC! Do not leave to go to Allegiant. Do not leave to go to FlexJet. STAY PUT, DO NOT CHASE QUALITY, BIG AIRPLANES OR MONEY, YET! Once you have the PIC then you can make a move to begin to have a life outside of aviation. When you're young and unencumbered you can make a good time practically anywhere, but start with marriage and kids and life gets very complicated for a pilot. After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
BTW, this is nothing more than detail on the old saying that if you want to suceed financially you need to stick with your first wife, first house, etc.
Good luck and have fun!
I agree that you shouldn't chase fancy jets, but right now Skywest has a quicker upgrade than places like Colgan or Mesa in both the prop and the jet. ExpressJet has about a 2 year upgrade as do Pinnacle and Chataqua. Personally, I'd be willing to wait an extra 4 months for an upgrade if it meant going to a company with better work rules.
If you go to a Turbo prop operator with 500 hours your upgrade will probably take over a year just to get the time needed to satisfy FAA ATP mins, nevermind your company insurance mins.
Everything is cyclic, but right now I think with all the attrition coming to the majors in the next 5 years, upgrades will be good at most regional airlines.
02-15-2007, 09:58 AM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Posts: 126
"After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle "
Why wait until you have 2000 TPIC to go to Eagle we you can get hire with 800 TT and 100 Multi. I guess unless you want to be an F.O forever and take a paid cut otherwise it does not make any sense.
Why wait until you have 2000 TPIC to go to Eagle we you can get hire with 800 TT and 100 Multi. I guess unless you want to be an F.O forever and take a paid cut otherwise it does not make any sense.
02-15-2007, 10:20 AM
#8
Tri-tanic operator
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Doggie
Posts: 2,382
Swaayze is right ...
I think him and I share a common road to where we are now, and he is just trying to pass along advice that could move your career along sooner rather than later.
Put it this way ... when you get to that major of your dreams ... who do you want to be:
The 30 year old, the 40 year old, or the 50 year old ...
In spite of very different backgrounds and experience levels, once you get there, you are all the same !
I think him and I share a common road to where we are now, and he is just trying to pass along advice that could move your career along sooner rather than later.
Put it this way ... when you get to that major of your dreams ... who do you want to be:
The 30 year old, the 40 year old, or the 50 year old ...
In spite of very different backgrounds and experience levels, once you get there, you are all the same !
02-15-2007, 10:50 AM
#9
Banned
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: A-320
Posts: 6,929
unless of course you go to COLGAN & MESA and upgrade in a year only to get violated due to lack of experience or paperwork or m/x, has happened a few times at COLGAN when I was there, and recently many many times over at MESA....................your choice
02-15-2007, 10:55 AM
#10
Banned
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Posts: 781
Originally Posted by swaayze
After you have the 2000 TPIC you can come to Eagle (or Horizon or Allegiant or try fractionals or whatever) so you can be based in ORD or MIA or where you WANT to be based and start to fly for a quality operation that will give you a better QOL while grabbing for what's left of the brass ring.
!
!
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