The REAL value to jumping to a regional?

Tommay85

Tommay85

Well-Known Member
Is there any?

To preface, I'm not trying to start a fight or a *this pilot's background vs this pilot's background*. You're all the same after 4000 hours anyways... :)

Say someone with 2 types and getting crew time occasionally in both seats on a turbo-prop, single pilot in the other plane. Getting paid 60k, 75k soon. 135 cargo.

Is there anything really valuable to jumping to a regional or crappy ACMI carrier to "check the box"? To go further, to fly a part 25 jet or civilian jet in general? I'm seeing two major flaws in the opinions of the latter, but we can discuss.

I'm not talking networking opportunities or going somewhere to get contacts. I'm talking practical application of the experience. Is there a pay incentive as an FO only at a regional that I'm missing vs the above?

Yes, this is a "I know a guy thread"...

@z987k @Jfk-Pilot @SA227driver @Avalon781ML @Inverted
 
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I'd say it depends.... if you're long term goals are easy flying, big paychecks, and working 4 days a week (or thereabouts) I'd say yes. But its really a question of what do YOU want out of life and what sacrifices are you willing to make to get there? With your background I'd say making the jump to a Spirit/Virgin/JetBlue/Allegiant would be a better long term move than going to SkyWest... opinions may vary... you have the decision making experience and now its time to get you into a 100K+ airplane to pump up the resume for a Legacy (if you can't bridge that gap at this point in time). Will you be happy flying 5 days a week for 75k in the Caribe or do you want something else? Lots of questions in life and I'm the absolutely last person who should be giving advice! LOL. You know where to find me if you need my beleaguered opinion.
 
Avalon781ML said:
I'd say it depends.... if you're long term goals are easy flying, big paychecks, and working 4 days a week (or thereabouts) I'd say yes. But its really a question of what do YOU want out of life and what sacrifices are you willing to make to get there? With your background I'd say making the jump to a Spirit/Virgin/JetBlue/Allegiant would be a better long term move than going to SkyWest... opinions may vary... you have the decision making experience and now its time to get you into a 100K+ airplane to pump up the resume for a Legacy (if you can't bridge that gap at this point in time). Will you be happy flying 5 days a week for 75k in the Caribe or do you want something else? Lots of questions in life and I'm the absolutely last person who should be giving advice! LOL. You know where to find me if you need my beleaguered opinion.
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Ha! I think you know where I want to go.

Where I'm at now is seriously turning into a golden handcuffs situation. I didn't think it would in 5,000,000 years, but it has.

The LCCs are perfectly fine, but the legacies are what I want. I'm a dork and need to fly different planes, for now. Networking isn't the issue, HR is. No love for the freight dudes :). There is also pretty strong rhetoric on the forum of 121 time being the only way to fly 121, jet time being a massive pluss, but, the higher time guys here have gone to the legacies. Maybe I'm being too stubborn/impatient. Still locked in for a year, no hurry, nor am I looking. Just thinking out loud from a previous conversation I had today.

The ONLY issue I have with the current situation is being cut off from the states.

Oh, and you deleted FB spy service/messenger...
 
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UAL747400 said:
Ha! I think you know where I want to go.

Where I'm at now is seriously turning into a golden handcuffs situation. I didn't think it would in 5,000,000 years, but it has.

The LCCs are perfectly fine, but the legacies are what I want. I'm a dork and need to fly different planes, for now. Networking isn't the issue, HR is. No love for the freight dudes :). There is also pretty strong rhetoric on the forum of 121 time being the only way to fly 121, jet time being a massive pluss, but, the higher time guys here have gone to the legacies. Maybe I'm being too stubborn/impatient. Still locked in for a year, no hurry, nor am I looking. Just thinking out loud from a previous conversation I had today.

The ONLY issue I have with the current situation is being cut off from the states.

Oh, and you deleted FB spy service/messenger...
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I can still get FB messages... I have found a workaround to their spying!
 
If your goal is a 121 legacy (which is sounds like it is) you are going to have to play the game and get the 121 time. Yes, you have the experience to get hired as far as the flying goes (although depending on what your first plane at the 121 carrier is, going from a tprop to an Airbus can be kind of an experience), but you don't have the "everything that isn't related to flying, 121 company experience". Yes, it sucks that that's required, but that's the hoop you have to jump through to maximize your chances of going where you want to go.
 
BobDDuck said:
If your goal is a 121 legacy (which is sounds like it is) you are going to have to play the game and get the 121 time. Yes, you have the experience to get hired as far as the flying goes (although depending on what your first plane at the 121 carrier is, going from a tprop to an Airbus can be kind of an experience), but you don't have the "everything that isn't related to flying, 121 company experience". Yes, it sucks that that's required, but that's the hoop you have to jump through to maximize your chances of going where you want to go.
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Thanks for your input! I actually don't know what I want to do for sure at the moment. Like I said, I'm "stuck" for another year. Staying seems to leave most of the doors open, except for 121 mainline it seems.

What is the bolded, exactly? The conversation I had today about exactly that, is what sparked this thread. Because, it seems there's more similarities or things that are identical than not.

It's just frustrating. The in person conversations are very different from the lack of phone calls. :)

Practically speaking, it seems to me that an ERJ/CRJ(lightweight and OLD) wouldn't be any better than anything else for preparation for something heavy and modern. In regards to training at least. Which is why we're being denied/not called apparently... Second hand information though. What I bolded is probably the more likely reason.

It's my regional buddies that are advocating that I should stay the most. They're seeing something I'm not apparently. I'll do what I want of course. :) I actually want the schedule of the regionals. That FO pay though... UGH!
 
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The only skill set that is really any different is learning to really not care. There's nothing you can do so just sit down and toss that bucket of fs to give.
There's almost no customer service compared to 135 pax.
Going from a tprop to an rj is a snooze fest. I can't comment on the airbus but from sitting in the js the avionics look at least as ancient and quite the step backwards.
 
UAL747400 said:
I actually want the schedule of the regionals. That FO pay though... UGH!
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To me, the airline schedule is one of the biggest intangible benefits to this job. I strung together a bunch of days off at the end of September and beginning of October, so without burning any vacation time I'm going on a weeklong fly fishing trip with some friends. I'm getting there for free with my jumpseat privileges, and the first night I'm staying near the airport at a hotel who offered me a crew discount.

Of course, I need free jumpseat privileges and crew rate discounts, because as you said, I don't really make any money!
 
You could do i, but seeing how a couple of majors did a person who I consider a friend and a noted member of the site here, they continued to thumb their nose at his application unless he got some 121 time.

It's messed up, but for now it is what it is.

Select your goal, figure out how to get there. It might not always be comfortable or even make sense to a non-aviator, but it is what it is.
 
Even as a 20-year career military (fighter) pilot, I see that there is value in spending time at a regional prior to working at a major -- and I all ready have 3000+ hours of MTPIC, ATP ME/SE, and a type rating.

Obviously the pay, schedules, bases, etc, are all crappier than if I were to be able to make the jump directly to a major, but given my currency/recency situation I probably can't.

And, unfortunately as @Derg mentioned, the majors do seem to value the "pre-majors" 121 time in applicants that otherwise have a bunch of experience in other areas of aviation.

I feel like I will learn some valuable things about flying/working/living 121 -- although it will be a pain, it won't be a "waste".
 
Hacker15e said:
Even as a 20-year career military (fighter) pilot, I see that there is value in spending time at a regional prior to working at a major -- and I all ready have 3000+ hours of MTPIC, ATP ME/SE, and a type rating.

Obviously the pay, schedules, bases, etc, are all crappier than if I were to be able to make the jump directly to a major, but given my currency/recency situation I probably can't.

And, unfortunately as @Derg mentioned, the majors do seem to value the "pre-majors" 121 time in applicants that otherwise have a bunch of experience in other areas of aviation.

I feel like I will learn some valuable things about flying/working/living 121 -- although it will be a pain, it won't be a "waste".
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Make all the excuses you want to Hacker, to justify your choice here and make yourself feel better about this. :D Remember, plenty of guys go mil to mainline.

 
MikeD said:
Make all the excuses you want to Hacker, to justify your choice here and make yourself feel better about this. :D Remember, plenty of guys go mil to mainline.
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Of course they do...and I know that my personal circumstance limitations (probably) don't allow that. I'm just saying that I won't find the experience to be a complete waste of time because I do have stuff to learn there.
 
Hacker15e said:
Of course they do...and I know that my personal circumstance limitations (probably) don't allow that. I'm just saying that I won't find the experience to be a complete waste of time because I do have stuff to learn there.
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I just had to find a way to post that video clip. "....I just wanna fly jets!". :)
 
Hacker15e said:
Even as a 20-year career military (fighter) pilot, I see that there is value in spending time at a regional prior to working at a major -- and I all ready have 3000+ hours of MTPIC, ATP ME/SE, and a type rating.
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MikeD said:
Make all the excuses you want to Hacker, to justify your choice here and make yourself feel better about this. :D Remember, plenty of guys go mil to mainline.
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Agree with @MikeD. Guys in our unit go straight to majors with 3000TT all the time.
 
UAL747400 said:
Is there any?

To preface, I'm not trying to start a fight or a *this pilot's background vs this pilot's background*. You're all the same after 4000 hours anyways... :)

Say someone with 2 types and getting crew time occasionally in both seats on a turbo-prop, single pilot in the other plane. Getting paid 60k, 75k soon. 135 cargo.

Is there anything really valuable to jumping to a regional or crappy ACMI carrier to "check the box"? To go further, to fly a part 25 jet or civilian jet in general? I'm seeing two major flaws in the opinions of the latter, but we can discuss.

I'm not talking networking opportunities or going somewhere to get contacts. I'm talking practical application of the experience. Is there a pay incentive as an FO only at a regional that I'm missing vs the above?

Yes, this is a "I know a guy thread"...

@z987k @Jfk-Pilot @SA227driver @Avalon781ML @Inverted
Click to expand...

I went directly from 135 freight (part 25 jet) to a major. But that was almost 25 yrs ago. YMMV.
 
UAL747400 said:
Practically speaking, it seems to me that an ERJ/CRJ(lightweight and OLD) wouldn't be any better than anything else for preparation for something heavy and modern. In regards to training at least. Which is why we're being denied/not called apparently... Second hand information though. What I bolded is probably the more likely reason.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you don't see the value in flying a ERJ/CRJ, you don't know what you don't know. A jet is a jet, and getting experience in one is always a plus. You can ALWAYS tell, as an instructor, what background students have. Typically, the previous 121 jet pilots are easiest with Mil guys a close second.

The thing that catches many people out with jets is that while they're not uber taxing under normal circumstances to MANIPULATE the controls, we all know that isn't FLYING. It's not hard, but it's a cerebral shift. As @Jimflyfast put it; "Fast eyes and soft hands". The other thing is that jets are very mudane and boring until something crops up, and there is definitely a 0-100 acceleration in mental tasks and division of workload that if not polished can take a situation from calm, but deliberate to absolute chaos (even under normal ops) in seconds.

Experience in what you ACTUALLY want to do is never a bad thing. Yup, unless you get to the wrong regional at the right time, you'll have low pay and bad work rules. There are other options. Some carriers like F9 and Allegiant and Omni tend to like guys with your background. Some don't. If you want to move onward and upward, diversity of experience is the key. It's not the 90's anymore....
 
NewYorkophile said:
Agree with @MikeD. Guys in our unit go straight to majors with 3000TT all the time.
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I am in a non-flying assignment here before I retire, so the recency/currency is my biggest limitation. Most of the majors require something on the order of 100 hours in the previous 12 months or some variation thereof.
 
Hacker15e said:
Of course they do...and I know that my personal circumstance limitations (probably) don't allow that. I'm just saying that I won't find the experience to be a complete waste of time because I do have stuff to learn there.
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Light grey -> majors
Dark grey -> regionals -> majors

LOL
 
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