I agree, and I am myself an ex-XJT guy at SWA. There are a lot of us here. The question is how many FOs with no TPIC from XJT got hired here. I don't have the statistics, but I'm ready to guess: probably 0. If you go to XJT today, you're gonna sit reserve as an FO for years, and you'll probably never see the left seat before the airline is shut down. Also, the reason why there are so many XJT guys hired is mostly based on numbers. It's a big pilot group hence the high numbers. The same can be told about Skywest and Republic. On top of that, XJT pilots are fully aware of the future of their airline, what makes them extra motivated to seek other employment. Also, there are pilots from all regionals hired here and I don't think Southwest prefers any specific regional. I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers were equal considering the size of each pilot group. As I said, I have no data to prove it, just my opinion. I'd be interested myself. Maybe there's someone with the numbers to share...

At your age the military is not an option. If this is a serious enterprise that you are considering this is my recomendations.

Quit your job and find a local flight school you can work with full time and acquire all the ratings. Private, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine and Instructor ratings. This is 12-18 months. Consider buying an airplane.

Then instruct full time for 6 months.

You need 1200 hrs to fly part 135 PIC. Try and find a Part 135 SIC gig until you have 1200 hrs. Fly cargo, pax, etc and try and get as much PIC time as you can.

When I had 2500 TT and 1000 PIC multi/Turbine I would go to Skywest. Now you have the mins to start applying to the majors and at the same time your working for a regional.

This is a 5 year track to a major airline job. Most here did just as I described and where on that track prior to 9/11, economy downturn, age 65, bankruptcy’s, etc etc.

It’s a full time commitment, low or no pay, and bad hours. Think of it as 4 years of college all over again.

Regards.

This is pretty much the path I'm considering, full-time training and a combination of CFI and 135 until regional mins. Doing this in a reasonable amount of time depends on finding an active school to instruct at and a 135 carrier that will put me in the air as often as possible, and that's really my biggest worry.

Have you done any flight training/experience whatsoever yet?

Before you put all your eggs in one basket, make sure it’s something you actually enjoy. Take a few lessons first.

A word of caution:

I, like you, started flying a few years later than was probably optimal (28, in my case). I walked away from something that made me miserable to pursue something I'd always dreamed of. I was single and I figured you only get one shot at life, so might as well go for it.

Got my ratings in thirteen months--CFI through multi and multi instructor. Hit the instructing gig as hard as I could--I lived at the FBO, looking to pick up scraps. I also flew traffic watch and did aircraft deliveries for a shyster broker near Phoenix. Anything I could do to build time, I did.

After about a year-and-a-half of instructing, I got a job at Ameriflight. Did that for seven months and took a job as an air ambulance captain. I had my first regional interview scheduled for October 2001 but the events of the preceding month (9/11) put the kibosh on that.

By the time the regionals were hiring again I was married with a baby on the way and I was the main earner (hell, the only earner at that time) for my household. No matter how I tried to pencil it out, I could not afford to be a regional FO. Between the commute and the starvation wages, it would have plunged my family into turmoil, and I just didn't see the upside.

I wound up getting drawn into the fractional/private jet world for the next thirteen years. Five months ago, I got hired on at Southwest and I was the third-oldest guy in my class. I've got a seventeen-year bite at the apple here. Seventeen years. Barring any unforeseen hiccups, that'll be plenty for me to put the kids through school and retire with the wife (whom I never would have met were it not for flying, or the shakeups caused by 9/11, for that matter) to a life of unambitious luxury.

So I guess my point, if there is one, is this: don't be surprised if your five-year plan becomes a ten-, or even a fifteen-year plan. This industry is notoriously volatile, and the best laid plans have a way of falling by the wayside. Do this because you think you'll love it, and try to see every job as an opportunity to learn more, challenge yourself more, take on more responsibility and maybe even have a little fun. There's a lot of flying to be done out there, a lot of adventure to be had, and if you go about it thinking you have got to check off this box and this box by such and such a time, you might just miss the whole point.

And with that, I will cede my soapbox to the floor ...

Great Post....

Excellent post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have about 8 hours in a 172 from a lifetime ago. Aviation has been a lifelong passion, I could just never manage to turn it into a career. 9/11 happened when I was a senior in high school and flying didn't exactly seem like the smartest career move at the time, so I took another direction. I'll also be finishing up my PPL before I commit to any sort of serious training program.

I've definitely considered this, and it's one reason I'm not quitting my day job anytime soon. My current employer is 100% remote, which means I can work from anywhere, and my hours are pretty flexible, so should be able to fly for 15-20 hours a week while still working which should let me get my training done in less than nine months, accounting for weather. If I can get a solid CFI job and keep up the same pace, I can hit 500TT and qualify for a 135 right seat within 3-4 months after that.

At that point I look at the math and try to determine whether it makes sense to quit my job and fly full time, either as an instructor, 135 FO, or a combination of the two, the goal being to hit ATP minimums within 18 months of starting my training and start applying to the regionals.

After that the plan gets fuzzy, because it's impossible to predict upgrades/major hiring cycles that far out, but RJ wages aren't quite starvation level anymore, so I should be able to make it work.

I'm expecting a grind, and I know none of it is going to come easy and I'm probably not going to make my 18 month goal, but I really appreciate all the advice everyone has given. It makes the whole thing a little less daunting to know that plenty of guys make it to the top.

Did I just fly with you?

One suggestion. Get comfortable with the idea of either 91/135 jet flying or flying for a commuter airline.

If you make it to a major, let that be a bonus. We're really only here for the money anyway.

And if you're not willing to move to base........

I've walked your road. It can be done. Worth it? In my case yes.