Forum: Civil and General Aviation

Wow, you all definitely have the wrong idea about the airlines right now. Sure the majors are doing horrible, but regionals are hiring out the rear! SWA is hiring, jetblue is hiring, frontier, Atlas...can name a bunch off the top of my head. Your not going to start out flying a 747, or anything even near that size. Your going to start out flying anything from a Be1900D, DHC-8, CRJ-700, ERJ-145...something on the nature. The pay sucks at first, trust me...I'm going through it now...however my husband flies corporate, and he banks! But, you start out flying small aircraft...and that's the way it works in this industry.

As for how long it takes, that's up to you. I went from no time to CFII in about two years through a local FBO. Don't look associate degrees...look at bachelors. You can get into the regionals without a bach. degree, but it's hard...and having the bach. only makes you look better in the long run...most majors require it anyway. Your not going to need your ATP until your ready to move left seat...and you have to be 23 to go for your checkride anyway (21 for the written) Aim on getting your private-CFI...then see where you want to go. Not everyone is cut out for the instructor route...me personally I loved it! I still do it...but there's many of ways to build time without ever giving an hour of dual.

Oh, and so you know...some of the regionals are hiring VERY low time pilots...talking 800 hours and under. I have a friend who just got hitched with Pinnacle with 400 hours...

My point is...if you really want to be an airline pilot, go for it! I work in the industry...and yes even though some of the big boys are suffering, parts of the airline industry are really booming!

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Although they're hiring, it's nowhere near the rate it was a few years ago. I know all about getting hired on at the grionals, I know what it takes. Problem for me is getting there. It's not all doom & gloom, but even you can agree it's not like it used to be, and never will be. Whoeever though that by working for United, you'd lose your pension?

Yeah...United is doing horrible...but what I'm saying is the regionals are doing very well. Don't confuse the regionals with the big boys...two different playing fields here. If you know someone in a regional spot...you wont have a bit of trouble...but even if you don't, you still wont if you are more qualified than the other guy.

Blah...lunch was gross and I can STILL taste it.

Habu wrote:

It takes as long as your wallet can handle!
The days of making $200,000 a year as an airline captain are over. 9/11 and the subsequent economic doldrums are to blame for that.

While 9/11 and the economic downturn helped to hasten the inevitable day of judgment, it would have happened even without those factors, though maybe a few months later.

Our labor laws, clashed with our Free-Market Airline Deregulation laws. The latter won, as Free-Markets always force Reality upon those who insist upon ignoring fundamental economic principles, with their heads in the sand.

The union bosses which had so much power (via those un-Constitutional Labor Laws), used that power to keep egging their troops on and on, inflicting more and more anti-Free Market millstones on their golden goose employer. That is what happened at United Airlines.

There was no way United, and similarly situated Legacy Airlines, could continue to make a profit, when their labor costs were so far out of line with their chief competition.

As long as anyone is willing to accept the idea that wealth and abundance can be produced, just by union "solidarity" forcing the employer to capitulate to every irrational demand of the union bosses----without any regard to the realities in the Free-Market Place----then union jobs will continue to go the way of the Dodo Bird. Loyalty to one's peer group is a poor substitute for understanding the basic laws and fundamental facts of economics.

See:

http://airlinesafety.com/Unions/LaborCostsStupid.htm

Robert J. Boser
Editor,
http://AirlineSafety.Com

You want to fly for an airline? Get a bachelors degree in aviation from a school like Daniel Webster College (www.dwc.edu), Embry Riddle (www.erau.edu), UND or several others. While working on your degree, get at least your commecrial pilot certificate with multi and instrument ratings. This should be part of the degree. The CFI ticket is not necessary, but is a good way to build time. After you get your degree and ratings, get a job flying to build hours. You can instruct, banner tow, pipeline patrol, fire spotting, fly around calling in traffic reports, etc... After you build up some hours, send resumes to as many airlines as you can find out about. Be persistant, and you'll eventually get a job flying for a small airline or air taxi. While you are time-building, get as many multi-engine hours as you can. Airline websites will often have qualification requirements for being hired as a pilot. Set that as your minimum goal, but make sure you start applying before you get to those minimums. Good Luck.

Forum: Civil and General Aviation

Airline pilot career - How long does it take?