I'm a 36 year old with no flying experience considering a career change. I started a thread with full details (please share any feedback or advice).

I watched a news segment from 2011 (here's a link to the Youtube video) Takeaway: Pilots who work for regionals (especially those who commute) are completely fatigued, earn terrible pay, spend multiple nights per month in crashpads, and some even sleep in airline staff lounges.

Have conditions for regional pilots improved since the 2011 news segment? Or, is working for a regional still a terrible QOL? I'm 36 and willing to tolerate some discomfort for long term reward. But, I wouldn't want to tolerate what was depicted in that news segment.

 

I think that reading the regional forums right now would answer some of those questions. There are good discussions on the Envoy and PSA right now about schedules.

But the single fact that the starting pay at the AA wholly owned regionals is almost $60k a year now, you can see that many of those things have changed. The rules on flight hours have also changed (read about part 117).

 

Becoming a pilot has always been a long term view job. Even longer than Doctor (who will make quite a bit more money but have quite a bit lower QOL).

Yes you'll have to spend many nights in crashpads if you commute. If you are on reserve for say 6 months you're looking at (at most shops) being gone either sitting in the pad or on a trip 18 days a month.

There is no way to sugar coat it. The job is 100% travel. If you aren't prepared for that portion of the job, being an airline pilot isn't in the cards. You can keep asking the same question in different ways over and over and that won't change the job description.

The difference is nowadays most shops are paying low $40's to start with some hitting close to $60k your first year. That is a HUGE jump from where things were just a year or two ago.

 

I'm only at my second year at a regional. I live in base. I initially commuted for two months before I got awarded a base where I live. This month I will spend 7 nights total away from home, 0 nights in a crashpad, and my wage is livable (still feel underpaid though).

Overall, there is always room for improvement and I know that QOL will improve with seniority and longevity, and hopefully I can get on with a major sometime in the future, but my QOL is better now than when I was in the military and better than when I was a flight instructor.

Overall, I really enjoy the job and it's the best job that I've had so far. I enjoy the traveling aspect, I like the variations in schedule, and I haven't missed a birthday yet (I missed thanksgiving last year but I got Christmas off).

 

Unless you live in base, you're most likely going to be commuting to reserve for at least the first few months. You're probably going to want a crashpad to avoid piling up hotel costs. I've been in 3 different crashpads and from my experience they vary greatly. If you can find one with just pilots, it's typically going to be a lot better.

If you have a manageable commute with a lot of frequency and not all the way across the country, it will be far less fatiguing. Also, part 117 rest rules since that article really made a big impact on schedules and lengths of overnights. Finally, when I first started I barely cleared $20k my first year and now most places are well north of $50k. It's definitely not all roses and butterflies but it has gotten a lot better in the 3 years I've been around.

 

First off, yes, pay and QOL are definantly improving...and keep improving.

My biggest advice, look past the whole "flying airplanes" for a living and think about the career in terms of travel. Like someone else mentioned above, the job is 100% traveling...not gone as long as a truck driver, but realize it's a big sacrifice you'll be making.

When I first started, I was so excited to fly a jet, and to be apart of an airline, but really didn't think about how long I'd be gone from home, the holidays I'd be missing, long days at crowded airports. Flying the plane is only part of the "job" you sign up for..the other part is sitting in hotels, airports, commuting, sitting in the back as a passenger flying around the country half the day, and being on-call if you're on reserve..It was a HUGE adjustment at first, but I'm use to it now and enjoy it..been to a lot of cool places and met some really good people along the way and living out of my bag and having to wear the same thing everyday at work makes life feel easier-at least for me. QOL at the regionals all depends on seniority and company you're at and whether you commute or not. At my current company, I'm home a lot on reserve which is great, but again, I'm living in base. If you commute, plan on being away from home a majority of the month so pick an airline where you can be based at home for best QOL.

Overall, I'm happy with my decision going to the airlines, just make sure you weigh everything (not just flying airplanes), do lots of research on the companies you'll be applying to, and ask lots of questions! Good luck.

 

Tl;dr. Not as bad as it was in the golden days of RJ flying. It's on the up and up. Still not great and no where near major quality.

 

Here is a simple test.

You will likely be away from home for 5-6 weeks in a row for initial training. If this seems like a lot for you, and this would be painful, aviation is the wrong field.

 

Thank you all for the replies.

It seems like everyone's path is different. From reading content on this forum, it's difficult to tell how many days an entry level regional FO will be away from home if they have to commute. Some people say 18 days p/m away, others say 24 days away. 24 is a lot more days away than 18.

Does anyone have any answers to how many days away I should really expect as a new FO? Or, is path ambiguity just something I'll need to accept?

 

As a new FO you can expect to have 12 days off. When you are junior you will have to commute in the day before and usually the day after a trip so this cuts down on your home time.