flyguy
Well-Known Member
747,
The hiring situation at the majors goes in cycles. It always has and always will. Typically there is about 5 years where they hire a whole bunch of pilots, then 5 years where they stop hiring and sometimes even lay-off pilots, then it starts over and they begin hiring again. It goes with the economy. When the economy is good, the airlines prosper and when its bad they have to down-size.
It is true that by the time you are ready the airlines might be in the down swing where they are not hiring, but if you just wait around a few years they will start again. If you are really lucky they will be hiring right at the time you have gained enough experience to get hired, but if not, its not the end of the world. Just hang in there for a few years.
One more thing, is that you said your goals are to work for a major airline. If that is the only thing you want to do you may be setting yourself up for failure. Do you have a passion for avaition? Do you want to fly for a living or do you only want to be a major airline pilot? If you have a passion for aviation then you will be happy in any type of flying job. There are a lot of exciting careers. Airlines, Corporate, Freight, even military flying are all exciting careers. You've got a long tough road ahead of you. If the only modivation you have is to be in a spiffy pilot uniform with a herum of flight attendants and a fat wallet, you are probably correct that its not worth even giving it a try. On the other hand if you know that you love flying and will be happy in any job that comes your way that lets you fly, then you've probably got the drive to make it. You need to take some time to consider why you want to do this, and how badly you want it.
The hiring situation at the majors goes in cycles. It always has and always will. Typically there is about 5 years where they hire a whole bunch of pilots, then 5 years where they stop hiring and sometimes even lay-off pilots, then it starts over and they begin hiring again. It goes with the economy. When the economy is good, the airlines prosper and when its bad they have to down-size.
It is true that by the time you are ready the airlines might be in the down swing where they are not hiring, but if you just wait around a few years they will start again. If you are really lucky they will be hiring right at the time you have gained enough experience to get hired, but if not, its not the end of the world. Just hang in there for a few years.
One more thing, is that you said your goals are to work for a major airline. If that is the only thing you want to do you may be setting yourself up for failure. Do you have a passion for avaition? Do you want to fly for a living or do you only want to be a major airline pilot? If you have a passion for aviation then you will be happy in any type of flying job. There are a lot of exciting careers. Airlines, Corporate, Freight, even military flying are all exciting careers. You've got a long tough road ahead of you. If the only modivation you have is to be in a spiffy pilot uniform with a herum of flight attendants and a fat wallet, you are probably correct that its not worth even giving it a try. On the other hand if you know that you love flying and will be happy in any job that comes your way that lets you fly, then you've probably got the drive to make it. You need to take some time to consider why you want to do this, and how badly you want it.
