That’s a good way to put it. I never assumed that’d be a viewpoint

Wow. That’s surprising. Everyone i know has told me to leave 135 captain gig for a regional FO for a better chance.

If my goal is a legacy 121 carrier would it make sense to leave the regionals for a fractional? Been with a regional for 6 months and fractionals pay/QOL seems much better than 1st year FO schedule/pay. Currently 23 years old so definitely wouldn’t mind sitting with a fractional for some time to upgrade to captain if it would be a longer wait.

If your goal is one of the big 4, you need to make yourself competitive ASAP to catch this hiring wave quickly. The party is great right now, but the music can stop at anytime. Grab a seat before they’re gone.

No.

1. Waiting for upgrade at a frac would cost you years of seniority at a legacy. Even if you still get hired, the lost seniority will haunt you for the rest of your career. It's not just getting hired, it's about catching some of the wave and moving up rapidly before it slows down later this decade.

2. Frac upgrade can be years longer than regionals, most frac CA's are not there to build time, so they are not going anywhere until they're ready to retire. They also don't have to retire at age 65.

3. Historically, 121 time has been preferred by most majors over any GA, 135, or frac experience. They are not as picky today for obvious reasons, but 121 regional PIC is really second only to mil experience as far as the majors are concerned.

So just grind out the low pay for the time being and look to upgrade where I’m at now in about a year or so?

Statistically that's the fastest path.

Some regionals are paying pretty good right now. The delay for regional upgrade is not seniority... it's the 121 1000 hour requirement. If your regional still pays poorly, you can go to another one and take your 121 time with you. You'd lose time due to training pipeline, but if you really need more money that's an option.

If you don't need the money, just tough it out... you'll have more money than you know what to do with at the legacy. In my 20's and 30's I didn't spend money, focused on savings and career progression. That worked out well for me, on several fronts. You don't even actually need money when you're young, just beer and women.

That would be the wisest course of action. Nothing is stopping you from applying now to the big 4. They have all dropped their Turbine PIC requirements. UPS is the last holdout for that.

Hi TOGALOCK,

How about a European pilot who logged 4300 hours (on A330 & 320) as SIC but not any PIC hours + green card holder + 2 different Master's Degrees?

Can he be legally qualified as PIC at the legacy airlines?

Which path would be a good fit:

a) Starting as F/O in one of the Regionals then be upgraded and doing 121 PIC hours.
b) Long term F/O position in a legacy airline + if possible (with no PIC hours) upgrade?

Thanks

The answer is no. The 121 SIC (or 135 PIC) experience requirement can only be acquired under FAA 121 or 135. Not foriegn equivalents.

But not a big deal... you can still get hired as an FO and then upgrade after a couple years based on SIC time acquired at the legacy. You need 1000 hours as a 121 SIC in order to upgrade.

Actually no US legacies formally hire direct entry captains (DECs). Although at this moment in time it's possible to upgrade in less than one year at a few majors.

Which path would be a good fit:

Do this only if you can't get hired directly by a good major. Getting regional 121 PIC will improve your competitiveness.

Do this and skip the regionals, if you can get an interview call (you probably can).

You no longer need TPIC to get hired at most US airlines, but it does help.

You don't need any TPIC to upgrade at a US airline, you just need 1000 hours of 121 SIC. You can also qualify with 1000 hours of certain part 135 (or fractional) PIC experience.