Are any of you HTF members airline PILOTS? (1 Viewer)

[Richard cash]

I am interested to know if anyone on the HTF is an airline pilot for a big or small company. I would just like to know how you got to be a pilot. I am 18 and am interested in taking this career path after i have done my degree. I am starting university in october for 4 years studying Astrophysics but then i would like to be a commercial pilot. If anyone is in the forces, eg airforce of navy as a pilot then i would also like to hear from you.
IF any one is a pilot or knows of anyone who is a pilot could you please post or send me an e-mail.
rich
[email protected]

 

[Kirk Gunn]

I'm not a pilot, nor do I play one on the internet. However, my wife is a flight attendant and we have quite a few pilot friends. Every one got their flying experience in the military. You need 1500 hrs of flight time to get your ATP (Air Transport Pilot) rating to fly serious commercial flights, and that can be expensive....

Do 6 yrs in the Military (Air Force or Marines) and you will be set for life. My buddies work 3 days per week and make HUGE money. Well worth 6 yrs for the US Military Flight training, but the UK requirement may be different.

 

[Philip_G]

I'm a college student, I hold a commercial, instrument, multi engine certificate and go to a university with a part 141 training program, so I will shortly have a totally worthless B.S. in commercial aviation (outside of flying)

basically the deal is get your ratings, you'll need what I have, plus a CFI and CFII (instructor and instructor instrument) then you need to build hours, best (cheapest) is to instruct. It doesn't pay well, but you get hours..
then once you meet the minimums for regional airlines (horizon, mesaba, ASA, ACA, air wisconsin, piedmont, com air etc the list goes on and on) you get a job there as a first officer where you make about 20k a year. Then you move to captain and build time until you can get a job at a major (northwest, united, TWA oops, American) then you stay there and move up the senority list painfully slow.

however, the majors aren't hiring, the regonals are, so right now it's quite possible to get stuck for life at a regional

I disagree that the military is the way to go, but that's JMO
mind you this is how it works in the states, the UK is probably a little different, and a HELL of a lot more expensive.

 

[Mark Romero]

Do 6 yrs in the Military (Air Force or Marines)

What about the Navy? Tom Cruise and all that stuff?

 

[Danny R]

If you are serious about being a professional pilot, then I suggest the military as well. It seems that a large number of the current pilots have military experience, so even if a company says they accept anyone, I would wager there is some bias toward other brother's in arms.

The navy is certainly an option, but its a lot harder to be an aviator in that branch than in others.

Air Force is probably the best bet if you want to fly, as they have more planes in the air. If you wash out as a fighter pilot (which can happen for a lot of reasons beyond your control), you can still get flight experience hauling cargo, which might not be an option in other branches of the service.

One big advantage military offers is that you can gain combat experience, which is always a big boost to any candidate as it proves you can handle unexpected and life threatening conditions. Of course you can get killed too, which is always something to remember.

FYI: I'm not a pilot, but I wanted to be one. Actually I wanted to be an astronaut, and the main route for that at the time was also military via the test pilot program. However my eyesight is just too bad (I'm for all intents and purposes blind without glasses).

 

[Philip_G]

One big advantage military offers is that you can gain combat experience, which is always a big boost to any candidate as it proves you can handle unexpected and life threatening conditions. Of course you can get killed too, which is always something to remember.

have to disagree again. emergencies happen, pilots deal with them. You'd be amazed the things a new student pilot can put a flight instructor through. Not to mention an instruction background is better suited IMO for crew resource management, a big push at the airlines now.
believe me, you get plenty of life threatening situations as a CFI. Talk to a CFI that's had a student powerspin an airplane on them and see what they say

 

[Walt N]

I'm a pilot for a major airline and I can probably give you some good info on how not to do it. I didn't figure out that I wanted to do this until I was 26 and by then all I had on my resume was "touring rock drummer", "Ford salesman", "auto mechanic", and "failed business owner". I was a music major in college and never did earn a four year degree. Needless to say the odds were stacked against me but I borrowed and begged all the money I could from Uncle Sam and enrolled at a small aviation school that was also a 2 yr. college. After finishing I instructed there for a short time and then moved to California to get multi-engine time. With only a couple of hundred single engine hours under my belt no one wanted to talk to me so I spent a year and a half of nights as a hotel room service waiter, and by day I'd make my rounds begging for a flying job. Finally I convinced a flight school to take me on as a multi-engine/ATP instructor and got as many multi hours as I could. Once I had 1500 hours I got my ATP and was hired by a regional turboprop airline. Due to my lack of a college degree I ended up spending 8 years doing this and in the States this is no picnic. Lotta flying, not a lot of money. I finally got picked up by a major a couple of years ago and thank goodness, it was well worth the effort.
You're young, know what you want to do, and are already focused on the goal so that puts you in a fine position. It's very important to keep your nose clean. A DUI, bad driving record, criminal arrest, FAA violation/incident/accident, or even a less than stellar credit rating will kill your chances. It's also very important to make friends in the industry. Most airlines very much rely on recommendations from within to determine who gets an interview. Once you have your degree, the military is a good option but it really doesn't give you the huge hiring advantage that it did years ago. Nowadays the airlines consider time spent in scheduled airline operations (regional) as being quite valuable as well. I think only 40-50% of the folks I fly with had military experience. The big advantages with the military route is that you won't spend a long time working for peanuts while you gain experience, plus they'll pay for your training so you won't be paying off dept 15 years later like I am! The major airlines "require" usually 1500 hours but realistically one needs 4000++ hours of multi-engine time with some jet experience tossed in to be competitive. (I had over 8000 hours before I got hired.) Of course this is all based on how it is in the US, I don't know much about how it works in the UK.
If you'd like more info please feel free to send me an e-mail. The address is in my profile.

 

[Philip_G]

walt- how long ago was this?
lately people from my school have been picked up by regionals with 600-800 TT and 50-200 or so of multi (some are MEI's and some aren't)
Do you remember what your TT was? how it was broken down into instrument and multi? Scary thing is these guys are goin directly into FO's on a CRJ with zero turbine time
also, what are you flying now? and where'd you go to school?
last but not least, right or left seat?

 

[Walt N]

Well, it's all supply and demand. I've seen the regionals I worked for hire nothing but 2000+ hour candidates and then a few years later hire very low timers. I got hired by my first (of three) regionals in '91 with an ATP and around 1500 hrs. It was very tough to get on then. About 10% of my total time was actual or simulated IFR and 1200 hours or so was as an MEI.

I'm on the B-727 now, sitting sideways (hopefully not much longer), and I went to Cochise College in AZ.

You must be at UND? I know a lot of folks who came up from there.

 

[Philip_G]

yessir. good old und
I was just talking to a guy that was a FE for suncountry before they went under and came back, he's back at UND instructing, he seems ok with it, but had nothing but doom and gloom to speak about the industry.
80's-90's were lean times, I hope we don't go back to that. With my debt load I hope I can find a job when I graduate in 6 months
it's to bad you're sideways (for now, good luck with the upgrade!) hell, you have to do all the work hahaha

 

[Richard cash]

thanks for all the infomation given. I appreciate it and it has given me a little more of an idea of where i am going.

 

[Bill Slack]

A friend of a friend is a commercial pilot. He just got his first job a couple of years ago. He had put in years of work at a flight school as an instructor.

After logging an absurd amount of hours, he got an interview, and apparently did quite well on it and in the flight test, as his first job was for a regional United carrier, and he got a jet.

A very cool job, imo. Hardwork to get there, and stressful I'd think. But I imagine most pilots have quite a passion for it.

 

[Holadem]

Holy shit! I need to go to the HTF national meet!!!!!!!!!!
--
Holadem - no disrespect man, just admiration