Regional Pilots - Would you do it again?

[N519AT]

I wouldn't change anything, but I got pretty lucky.

Got hired pretty low time at 22, sat 3 days of reserve before getting a line, made some awesome friends, upgraded 2 years later at 24 and I'm about to turn 26 with about 400 hours of 121 PIC under my belt.

I honestly couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. It's the easiest job I've had.

I could never do an office job. The monotony of working M-F 9-5 is enough to drive me insane. Plus you're never truly "off" with email on phones and all that. Right now, my days off are days off, and I don't take my work home with me. All I have to do is show up and fly.

Life is good, even at my regional flying those little prop jobs.

 

[Taylor814ce]

Can you guys say what airline you are working for? Was upgrade time was estimated when you got hired? Did you chase the upgrade or QOL? For those who picked QOL over quick upgrade, would you have done differently knowing what you know now? Thank you!

 

[killbilly]

This is not a jab at the OP, but it seems a lot of career changers end up changing out of the airline game. Just something I've noticed, and I'm sure "life" factors play it into it.

This was, fundamentally the conclusion I reached. I did the math and realized what I'd become accustomed to vs. where I'd be going and how long it would take it to get back to where I was. It just didn't make sense to me - it was certainly do-able - but I decided the price was too high.

I don't regret that decision most days.

 

[Nick]

I would do this again with an encouragement on making one well-timed lateral move if it appears that it will be a good move on the five-year-plan.

The ability to jump ship once if the first idea does not work, is crucial.

I emphasize "once" because I'm not saying that lateral moves should be taken lightly in an industry where the hard earned seniority will reset. Changing jobs should not be like changing lines at the grocery store; it's a big deal.

But if in fact the situation becomes such that someone can no longer find any reason not to cut their losses and make a lateral move, then do it and do it now. Because it's not often you're standing next to the closed grocery store line that just had the cashier come back from lunch break. For a moment, you can't even believe you'd be at the front of the new line -- so be quick.


I suspect the observation that @Kingairer made a few posts above relates to this -- the pilot entering the industry with less flexibility in life to allow for the original career switch plan to be re-written. It's completely understandable and kudos to someone who did make the effort to get into work they determined they'd enjoy more -- but this particular industry is unfortunately a young person's game in the first ~2,000 hours compared to the typical career changing type person. They can do it, but they have to be ready for the poop to hit the van at the first job and extend first year garbage pay another year despite the urge not to.

 

[SFCC/UND]

Can you guys say what airline you are working for? Was upgrade time was estimated when you got hired? Did you chase the upgrade or QOL? For those who picked QOL over quick upgrade, would you have done differently knowing what you know now? Thank you!

Trans states
Yes sitting around two years now.
I did it cause tsa was the only one hiring at the time.
Been enjoying my time here

 

[N519AT]

Can you guys say what airline you are working for? Was upgrade time was estimated when you got hired? Did you chase the upgrade or QOL? For those who picked QOL over quick upgrade, would you have done differently knowing what you know now? Thank you!

I'm at CommutAir. Upgrade was 2 years when I got hired.

I didn't chase anything when I got hired. They were the only ones who would touch me with my low time. It was a very different game in 2011.

 

[cmhumphr]

I'm at CommutAir. Upgrade was 2 years when I got hired.

I didn't chase anything when I got hired. They were the only ones who would touch me with my low time. It was a very different game in 2011.

Amen man, I wouldn't change a thing going to C5 for sure. Great crews and an awesome experience. I miss it.

 

[AAPalmTree]

@propsync nailed it. It's a journey. I was a long time regional guy. At a legacy now. It's all relative. Certain things are better yet the carrot is still not in hand. It's "when can I hold that base or plane? Where are we going to settle down? Kids this, kids that...etc"
I have seen guys that lead happier lives at the regionals than the guys making 200K+ With a lot of time off here. It's all about enjoying the journey and keeping perspective.

The financial payoff is worth the work. I would not want to do anything else. Keep the faith.

 

[Eagle421flyer]

Depends on the person, if its worth it. For me somedays I think it is somedays I don't. I started early in 2001 got furloughed, then took pay cuts, honestly I wouldn't do it again, knowing what I know now (hindsights always 20/20). I would do something where I could make enough money to have my own plane to fly for fun, I love the job but financially its been a train wreck for me.

 

[ozziecat35]

I look at it this way...regret sucks. I'm "fairly" comfortable in my 9-5 (if that sometimes) job as a Network / System Admin at a National Laboratory. Great job security / benefits / yada yada. We're under Midway's departure routes and O'hare's arrival routes, I still look up everytime. Right now I feel kind of stuck since I have 3 mouths to feed. I have a part time flying gig in the summer which satisfied the itch to a point, but 80 hours during the warm months may not keep be satiated for long. Looking at the reality of the situation, I couldn't afford to continue living where I do (I don't have to lock my cars or house door at night) at a first year FO salary. It would easily be a 40 to 50% pay cut. Once we get some more debt payed off however, who knows...maybe. My advice is this (and it's free, so take it for what it's worth), if you can look back in 5 or 10 years and not regret it, do it. If there's a possibility, make the lateral move. It seems to be a pilots market right now, sight your gun and keep your grouping tight...at the end of the day if you're not happy then what's the point?

Good luck man.

 

[lostplanetairman]

I didn't take my first flying lesson until my late 20's, so I was a career changer. I got hired by a commuter/then regional at 37. I upgraded, only to have the CEO board one of our commuter planes and park everything in 1994. The next day I was to be gone. But someone quit and I was "saved". In hindsight it would have been better if I had been let go because those that were went on to be senior to me now!

I stayed and finally upgraded again several years later. On 8/27/2001, I began my career at my final employer. Two weeks later the world changed. My predicted two year upgrade turned to 6. Then six months later, the phony oil speculation hit and I was downgraded. I didn't upgrade again until 6/2010--2 days before the strike. It's been a roller coaster but I am glad to be on it. In a couple of years they will drag me off kicking and screaming even though I am in better shape than many younger!!! Mom always said life isn't fair.

 

[Vector]

To the OP, have you thought of a side business. Since you have a marketable skill, why not start something. It will serve as security anyway should something happen down the road. The airline industry is too unpredictable not to have something on the side. .
For example, a consulting or marketing type work might allow you to swing things with your flying hours. Even seasonal work will allow you to stash up money.

 

[kellwolf]

If I had started 3 or 4 years later, I probably wouldn't have started. I managed to get in and out of flight training before the price of gas and rentals shot through the roof. The concept of a "fuel surcharge" wasn't even a thing when I left my CFI gig for the regionals. Now, all things being equal, I probably would do the regional route again, basically because it prepares you for what the airline life is like. I can't TELL you the number of guys I run into at my current shop who complain about this and that and talk about how much better it is at other airlines. Kicker is the things they're complaining about happen at every other airline, too. IROPS, schedule changes, last minute cancellations, missed commutes. Guess what, genius? Delta pilots deal with all of that, too. Almost to a one of them this is their first airline, so they think the grass is greener elsewhere. The money and some of the benefits may be better, but the BS is the same.

I consider myself one of the majorly lucky ones in the industry. Got hired as a CFI BEFORE I finished my last checkride, instructed for a whopping 7 months before getting hired at a regional, upgraded in 2 years AND I made the networking connections at my regional to get my hired at my #1 choice for a major. Altogether, I spent just under 7 years at a regional. Yeah, things sucked while I was there with contract negotiations, mis-management, mergers, bankruptcy, displacements, being treated like less than human. But when I look back on it, I wouldn't be where I am now if I hadn't gone through all of that then.

 

[sherpa]

The senior JC peeps on here (Derg Groupies..heh), would remember some posts from a wet behind the ears career changer from 2006-2008.
I made all the normal posts,
"Am I too old?"
"What does it pay?"
"What is upgrade time?"
"Where should I train?"

4 years after I started looking into it, I made it to a regional airline. It was 4 years of hard sacrifice and a job as a CFI that near made me hate being a pilot. Getting to a regional was the pinnacle.....or so I thought.

The first year or two was tough. As a mid 30s guy at the time, I had a family, kids, and debt responsibilities. Luckily, I had a side job running some flight schools to help make ends meet. Working two jobs was grueling, but I was generally happy, for a while.

5 years later, I am still an FO at my airline. I got canned from my side job because because a rival airline, known for "undercutting" came to recruit at my school and apparently I was not nice.
There appears to be no future at my airline; it has been 5 years of shrinking size and constant threats from management. Our flying is being given away to other regionals. People I taught to fly are becoming Captains before me. The other day I heard from a student I had at one of my schools just a little over 3 years ago who is now a Captain. For me, the future is bleak.
The job itself is no longer the excitement it once was. In fact, the luster wore off pretty quick. Truth be told the act of flying the airplane was more fun when it was a small plane with no autopilot. The hours spent at altitude have become insanely boring. I mastered landings 2000 hours ago and now even that brings little excitement.
So here I am, a 40 year old guy, making less than I made in the Air Force 20 years ago, with 5 years invested in an airline that is being killed off by the next lowest bidder. I live in a city I hate because it is in base and cheap. We rent a crappy little house in a questionable neighborhood.
My cohorts in my previous career are enjoying six figure jobs as directors and VPs now, riding corporate jets, enjoying a month of vacation, great benefits, and working for a company that cares(appears to anyway).
Would I do it again? I have given this a lot of thought and my ego doesn't want to admit it, but I just don't think I would.
Would you? Am I just in a low point of my career and need to bounce back?

I feel you. I turn 40 this year and still make less at my major airline than I did before I started flying in 2002. And now we are going into contract negotiations to hopefully catch up to the new averages. I can't even begin to tell you how bad I'm dreading it with all the bull sh*t, games and tactics that are used to draw these things out. I'm so damn tired of the bs.

That being said, I truly think we are on the precipice of a good stretch. I think you will be at a good paying job in two years or less. Things are just getting spooled up now.

 

[Ajax]

no

 

[L-16B]

Flying at colgan was a thousand times more fun than flying at my legacy. The cockpit conversation was way better, the company on layovers, and friendship was more frequent.

And of course sitting hot reserve in a q400 out at the EWR hardstand with the door shut at 4am with @sherpa was even bearable

Pinnacle on the other hand was a depressing cesspool. Can't blame the guys/gals there though. Eating mixed schwarma with @amorris311 is my only fond memory of my year at pinnacle. Well that and his morning glory glory in the crash pad.

My regional experience was more fun than my 1.5 years at a legacy. I like this paycheck and my days off better here, however.

 

[Maurus]

As they say hindsight is 20/20. Would I do it again? Sure, but I would likely make some different decisions.

My regional experience was more fun than my 1.5 years at a legacy. I like this paycheck and my days off better here, however.

Yeah, I can see this. I just had this conversation with my last CA. Delta for example has the pilots staying in different hotels than the FAs. As a result it only takes one person to slam click you and make your trip boring as hell.

I really don't understand the slam click mentality. Yes you have been to X city 100 billion times but being able to go out on the town for at least one overnight is a perk IMO.

 

[sherpa]

Flying at colgan was a thousand times more fun than flying at my legacy. The cockpit conversation was way better, the company on layovers, and friendship was more frequent.

And of course sitting hot reserve in a q400 out at the EWR hardstand with the door shut at 4am with @sherpa was even bearable

Def con 3 reserve!

 

[CamYZ125]

My regional experience was more fun than my 1.5 years at a legacy. I like this paycheck and my days off better here, however.

Same experience. The regional crews were much more fun, and more likely to hang out. But hey, these old legacy FA's and CA's are tired. And chances are I have more in common with their children/grandchildren than I do with them.

 

[B767]

I'd do it all again. No complaints. Even if I don't get hired at a legacy for another 8 years, I'll be able to retire at 65 VERY comfortably. Could retire before then if I wanted to. That's all this is, a means to an end. And I enjoy it.

The only thing I'd change: I'd make the lateral move sooner so I could have stayed senior to @Autothrust Blue, like I was at the last shop.