I'm consciously opening a massive can of worms here, hoping to get a variety of opinions and perspectives.
I'm in my 30s with a degree and a career, and I want to drop everything and switch to flying for a living. I'm looking for the shortest path from zero time to a right seat for a major.
Here's the breakdown I've worked out so far, along with some of the decision points I'm looking at:
1) Initial Training
I will be training basically full-time. The choice here is between a pilot mill like ATP or a career program at someplace like American flyers, and the more traditional FBO route. From what I've read the career programs and ATP pump out perfectly good pilots, so I don't see any serious downside to going with that except maybe cost.
2) Pre-ATPL Time Building
It seems like the big choice here is CFI or Part 135. Schools like ATP will guarantee you a CFI slot, and with the rate at which they spit out CPLs the hours will probably come quickly. However it's all light-aircraft piston time. Trying to get on at PlaneSmart or Ameriflight would give me turbine time, but maybe not as much of it as CFI and probably very little of it PIC (unless their upgrade times are measured in months).
3) Regional
I get it, they all suck in various ways. From the impressions I've been able to gather, it seems like Endeavor is currently at the top of the dung heap with Air Wis a close second, and Mesa firmly occupying the bottom of the pile. Does it even matter which regional I fly for, as long as I live in base? Is the training/job experience about equivalent? Is flow even a thing?
How about the cadet/pipeline programs? Do they really help or are the regionals interviewing everyone with 1500 hours and a pulse?
4) Major (specifically legacy, not LCC)
Similarly to regionals, they all seem to be about the same. Similar equipment, similar pay, similar QoL. The main differentiators seem to be domiciles and benefits. This also ties into the "to flow or not to flow" issue with regionals. Is there a serious choice to be made here?
I've done a lot of research, but I'm hitting the end of what statistics and brochures can tell me. I'd greatly appreciate opinions on these issues from people who have lived it.
Thanks in advance.