Hey guys... I wrote this over a series of weeks from hotels on the road. I know this is where all the future pilots hang out and I wanted to post some of excerts of my journal. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it. I am in the process of buidling a web blog that will post to and I'll put that address on the board as soon as possible.
So you want to be an airline pilot? First let me start by saying, I don’t have a specific goal in writing this journal. It is my intent to write from a first hand perspective about what I experience, my impressions, and my thoughts as I move forward in this chosen profession. My hope is that I will reach people who are interested or have thought about becoming an airline pilot. It has been my experience that many people know what it is like to be a regional airline pilot. So much of what I had found on the subject was either very incomplete or jaded against the profession and the industry. It is my goal to provide a balanced perspective on both the positive and negative aspects of my career. Clearly my first sentence must be a lie. I guess I do have a specific goal in writing this journal.
WHO AM I?:
I am a first officer for a small regional airline based in the Mid West. I joined this company in Oct of 2004. Before working here I was a 135 freight pilot for a company based in New Mexico. As of right now I am a build up line holder, which means I don’t have a regular line, but I am no longer on reserve either. In June I received a schedule worth 79 hours of pay and 11 days off. I currently earn $21.75 per hour of flight and $1.40 per hour of duty.
TRAINING:
When I began training in OCT of 2004, I felt quite assured of myself. Why shouldn’t I have? I had been flying piston twin aircraft for an operator out of New Mexico. I had been flying all over the Rocky Mountains in conditions that were less than ideal. I really enjoyed that position and thought I was excelled in the demands of the job.
Training for a 121 first officer position was different than I thought it would be. We did a week of basic indoctrination. Followed by a week of working in the General Operation Manual. We spent a day working on CRM, followed by 3 weeks of systems training. I would have to say that the company did provide appropriate time to complete the required training. I did not feel rushed or over consumed. I did have to study and prepare myself for class each day, but alas it was not too hard. During systems training we were joined in class by first officer who were upgrading to captain. One of these first officers was involved in the mentor program sponsored by the union. A handful of us took the opportunity to spend the evenings with him at simulator center to review the systems we had discussed in class that day. This was an extremely beneficial relationship as it made my preparation easier and the material easier to grasp.
After passing systems I eventually made it to sim. I had not flown in probably six weeks but alas I still felt fresh and proficient with my skills. Wow, what I mistake I had made. My sim sessions were a struggle. While I wasn’t terribly bad and unacceptable, I really was rusty. I needed all the time I could get and I just felt like I was always 1 day behind. Maybe this is the reason I failed my 121 check ride. I was unable to fly a single engine ILS approach for a check ride. While there were many factors that led to the unsatisfactory event, it basically came down to me putting too much pressure on myself and trying to do too much. With a few days off and some additional training I was able to do a recheck and passed with out any other mishaps.
When I began Initial Operations Experience, I probably could have dealt with any emergency in the book. However flying from A to B, was a little out of my league. My first trip ever took me to New York’s La Guardia Airport. I have to say now, my captain was single pilot. I was useless. We were landing in New York and In my head, I was still on the ground at the airport we took off from. Thank goodness I caught on quick. I was able to prove myself a safe pilot and pass IOE and was released to work the line. Which for me meant reserve for an indefinite amount of time. Now the only thing I have to worry about is remembering all the stuff from training.
RESERVE:
While I attended training I lived in a crash pad because I continued to live in the Rocky Mountain Region. There were a quite a few guys in the crash pad. One in particular was a first officer commuter from California, he was leaving the company to go fly corporate as a first officer. He insistently told me don’t expect to fly to much. He stated that he had been with the company for 7 months and was barely flying. So apparently I had been warned of what to expect. I was a little surprised, the summer before I was hired had been a huge hiring boom for the the company. They were hiring as many as 40 a month and my class had only 14. My suspected was that I was hired at the end of the boom and my suspicions were confirmed when it was announced that there would be no November class.
Here is a summary of my flying while on reserve.
January 2005:
37:49
February 2005:
36:23
March 2005:
46:46
April 2005:
51:48
Grand Total: 172:46
I was getting a total of 10 days off a month and commuting from home to my Mid-Western city. It was hard, but I did enjoy it. Then in May the greatest thing happened I received a buildup line. Thanks to a senior guy who made a mistake on his bid, I was able to sneak in and get the last build up line. I was finally going to fly.
BUILD UP:
Build up lines are created using open time which has not been assigned to other pilots and from other pilot’s lines when they have vacation, training, or other various reasons that they are unable to fly. They are created at the discretion of crew planning and I’m not sure what their standards are for these creations. Apparently they change from month to month. My first month on build up my line was built to 94 hours with 12 days off. Not too shabby. I was really excited. Also a two day trip was dropped from me because some ‘new hire’ needed IOE. So I was paid for the trip and was blessed with 14 days off. Life was pretty good at that point. Everyone told me to be grateful as it wouldn’t last long and that there was clearly some sort of mistake for me to have such a good month.
Well alas they were right...
My second month of build up was worth 79 hours of pay and 11 days off and two reserve days. I was able to drop one leg and make it 12 days off, but unfortunately other than a span of six days off in a row and another with 3 days off in a row. The remaining 3 days are all single days off and I am unable to commute home. Fortunately for me a good friend of mine lives recently moved to my Mid Western base and I don’t have to have a crash pad. It is my hope that next month I might be able to bid and receive a hard line. We will see?
THE FUTURE:
Up until now I have been informational with just a bit of side noting. Today I have decided to write something a little different. While my thoughts may come out a little unorganized you get the idea.
As I sit here in Charlotte, NC writing away... I stop and think about what I have seen and done over the past 6 months since finishing IOE. I have flown with some great guys and enjoyed my work. There have been a few instances of frustration and horizon is rather uncertain. With the advent of 70 seat regional jets and down sizing of legacy airlines I don’t really know what the career will be for me. I enjoy the work. I wish I could say the same for the compensation.
My June pay checks after taxes were as follows:
$1,275.75 June 15th
$644.93 June 1st
I have never heard of such a job where someone has to train so hard and know so much to earn so little. Why is it like this? I am told it is because this is the only industry where people will work for free. Apparently some people believe that if you have flight time you can get a job making tons of money. So young first officers were willing to except low paying jobs because they were getting experience, (something more valuable than money) See http://www.airlinepilotpay/ to see how much pilots make. Now I see those high paying respectable jobs are gone, like the dinosaurs. Regional airline jobs are the jobs for the foreseeable future. There are lots of people with time who are going to get better jobs before I do. I want to be compensated at a living way. Those of you who are interested in this profession talk to regional airline pilots, talk to freight pilots and flight instructors. There isn’t a fast way to easy money. Some of the best flying I ever did was flight instructing and flying freight. I am glad I didn’t rush to get to this job. So many people talk about quality of life. Well being financially compensated is a quality of life issue. I am not saying that is a bad job. I am not saying I don’t want to do this job. I am saying pilots of regional airlines need to stand together and demand a livable wage.
There are those out there who say they don’t care about what they make today, because someday it will pay off. I’m not sure if that is true. The low salary to take today allows you to take a mediocre salary in the future, because it is a step up. How else do you explain a pilot working as a Airbus 320 captain for USA 3000 making 75K a year and a Airbus 300 captain at express net making 70K a year, While a Southwest captain makes 151K a year. I think we are responsible for the wages in this industry. Clearly if you are making 56K as an regional captain 75K and 70K is more money. But was message is being sent to these companies. We are saying well it is better than I was making, but alas we need to ask ourselves what are we worth? What is the profession worth? We are better than 75K a year to command a wide body transport aircraft, are we not?
Those of you who plan to be pilots you are worth more than $19 an hour to fly a regional jet. You are worth more today, don’t sell out today so that maybe you’ll be worth more in the future.
So you want to be an airline pilot? First let me start by saying, I don’t have a specific goal in writing this journal. It is my intent to write from a first hand perspective about what I experience, my impressions, and my thoughts as I move forward in this chosen profession. My hope is that I will reach people who are interested or have thought about becoming an airline pilot. It has been my experience that many people know what it is like to be a regional airline pilot. So much of what I had found on the subject was either very incomplete or jaded against the profession and the industry. It is my goal to provide a balanced perspective on both the positive and negative aspects of my career. Clearly my first sentence must be a lie. I guess I do have a specific goal in writing this journal.
WHO AM I?:
I am a first officer for a small regional airline based in the Mid West. I joined this company in Oct of 2004. Before working here I was a 135 freight pilot for a company based in New Mexico. As of right now I am a build up line holder, which means I don’t have a regular line, but I am no longer on reserve either. In June I received a schedule worth 79 hours of pay and 11 days off. I currently earn $21.75 per hour of flight and $1.40 per hour of duty.
TRAINING:
When I began training in OCT of 2004, I felt quite assured of myself. Why shouldn’t I have? I had been flying piston twin aircraft for an operator out of New Mexico. I had been flying all over the Rocky Mountains in conditions that were less than ideal. I really enjoyed that position and thought I was excelled in the demands of the job.
Training for a 121 first officer position was different than I thought it would be. We did a week of basic indoctrination. Followed by a week of working in the General Operation Manual. We spent a day working on CRM, followed by 3 weeks of systems training. I would have to say that the company did provide appropriate time to complete the required training. I did not feel rushed or over consumed. I did have to study and prepare myself for class each day, but alas it was not too hard. During systems training we were joined in class by first officer who were upgrading to captain. One of these first officers was involved in the mentor program sponsored by the union. A handful of us took the opportunity to spend the evenings with him at simulator center to review the systems we had discussed in class that day. This was an extremely beneficial relationship as it made my preparation easier and the material easier to grasp.
After passing systems I eventually made it to sim. I had not flown in probably six weeks but alas I still felt fresh and proficient with my skills. Wow, what I mistake I had made. My sim sessions were a struggle. While I wasn’t terribly bad and unacceptable, I really was rusty. I needed all the time I could get and I just felt like I was always 1 day behind. Maybe this is the reason I failed my 121 check ride. I was unable to fly a single engine ILS approach for a check ride. While there were many factors that led to the unsatisfactory event, it basically came down to me putting too much pressure on myself and trying to do too much. With a few days off and some additional training I was able to do a recheck and passed with out any other mishaps.
When I began Initial Operations Experience, I probably could have dealt with any emergency in the book. However flying from A to B, was a little out of my league. My first trip ever took me to New York’s La Guardia Airport. I have to say now, my captain was single pilot. I was useless. We were landing in New York and In my head, I was still on the ground at the airport we took off from. Thank goodness I caught on quick. I was able to prove myself a safe pilot and pass IOE and was released to work the line. Which for me meant reserve for an indefinite amount of time. Now the only thing I have to worry about is remembering all the stuff from training.
RESERVE:
While I attended training I lived in a crash pad because I continued to live in the Rocky Mountain Region. There were a quite a few guys in the crash pad. One in particular was a first officer commuter from California, he was leaving the company to go fly corporate as a first officer. He insistently told me don’t expect to fly to much. He stated that he had been with the company for 7 months and was barely flying. So apparently I had been warned of what to expect. I was a little surprised, the summer before I was hired had been a huge hiring boom for the the company. They were hiring as many as 40 a month and my class had only 14. My suspected was that I was hired at the end of the boom and my suspicions were confirmed when it was announced that there would be no November class.
Here is a summary of my flying while on reserve.
January 2005:
37:49
February 2005:
36:23
March 2005:
46:46
April 2005:
51:48
Grand Total: 172:46
I was getting a total of 10 days off a month and commuting from home to my Mid-Western city. It was hard, but I did enjoy it. Then in May the greatest thing happened I received a buildup line. Thanks to a senior guy who made a mistake on his bid, I was able to sneak in and get the last build up line. I was finally going to fly.
BUILD UP:
Build up lines are created using open time which has not been assigned to other pilots and from other pilot’s lines when they have vacation, training, or other various reasons that they are unable to fly. They are created at the discretion of crew planning and I’m not sure what their standards are for these creations. Apparently they change from month to month. My first month on build up my line was built to 94 hours with 12 days off. Not too shabby. I was really excited. Also a two day trip was dropped from me because some ‘new hire’ needed IOE. So I was paid for the trip and was blessed with 14 days off. Life was pretty good at that point. Everyone told me to be grateful as it wouldn’t last long and that there was clearly some sort of mistake for me to have such a good month.
Well alas they were right...
My second month of build up was worth 79 hours of pay and 11 days off and two reserve days. I was able to drop one leg and make it 12 days off, but unfortunately other than a span of six days off in a row and another with 3 days off in a row. The remaining 3 days are all single days off and I am unable to commute home. Fortunately for me a good friend of mine lives recently moved to my Mid Western base and I don’t have to have a crash pad. It is my hope that next month I might be able to bid and receive a hard line. We will see?
THE FUTURE:
Up until now I have been informational with just a bit of side noting. Today I have decided to write something a little different. While my thoughts may come out a little unorganized you get the idea.
As I sit here in Charlotte, NC writing away... I stop and think about what I have seen and done over the past 6 months since finishing IOE. I have flown with some great guys and enjoyed my work. There have been a few instances of frustration and horizon is rather uncertain. With the advent of 70 seat regional jets and down sizing of legacy airlines I don’t really know what the career will be for me. I enjoy the work. I wish I could say the same for the compensation.
My June pay checks after taxes were as follows:
$1,275.75 June 15th
$644.93 June 1st
I have never heard of such a job where someone has to train so hard and know so much to earn so little. Why is it like this? I am told it is because this is the only industry where people will work for free. Apparently some people believe that if you have flight time you can get a job making tons of money. So young first officers were willing to except low paying jobs because they were getting experience, (something more valuable than money) See http://www.airlinepilotpay/ to see how much pilots make. Now I see those high paying respectable jobs are gone, like the dinosaurs. Regional airline jobs are the jobs for the foreseeable future. There are lots of people with time who are going to get better jobs before I do. I want to be compensated at a living way. Those of you who are interested in this profession talk to regional airline pilots, talk to freight pilots and flight instructors. There isn’t a fast way to easy money. Some of the best flying I ever did was flight instructing and flying freight. I am glad I didn’t rush to get to this job. So many people talk about quality of life. Well being financially compensated is a quality of life issue. I am not saying that is a bad job. I am not saying I don’t want to do this job. I am saying pilots of regional airlines need to stand together and demand a livable wage.
There are those out there who say they don’t care about what they make today, because someday it will pay off. I’m not sure if that is true. The low salary to take today allows you to take a mediocre salary in the future, because it is a step up. How else do you explain a pilot working as a Airbus 320 captain for USA 3000 making 75K a year and a Airbus 300 captain at express net making 70K a year, While a Southwest captain makes 151K a year. I think we are responsible for the wages in this industry. Clearly if you are making 56K as an regional captain 75K and 70K is more money. But was message is being sent to these companies. We are saying well it is better than I was making, but alas we need to ask ourselves what are we worth? What is the profession worth? We are better than 75K a year to command a wide body transport aircraft, are we not?
Those of you who plan to be pilots you are worth more than $19 an hour to fly a regional jet. You are worth more today, don’t sell out today so that maybe you’ll be worth more in the future.
