ShyGuy

Yes Delta has. There was one pilot who started her flight training in Feb 2010 who has been hired at Delta after a short stint at XJT as a FO.

Slats

I'm sorry but you're kinda out of touch... Colgan doesn't exist anymore and republic upgrade time is 5+yrs.

Get the Jet time. I know FOs who have been hired at UAL, Spirit, JetBlue and Airways all with 0 turbine Pic. The name of the game is NETWORKING

galaxy flyer

I wouldn't use that outcome as career advice.

GF

Qotsaautopilot

Some of the guys here are obviously out of touch. They still think a regional is a place you visit for a couple years to pay dues and then move on. They don't know that the average regional longevity is 10 years these days. Chasing a quick upgrade is what the mainline management wants you to do. It recycles you to the bottom of the new airlines payscale while flying around the same pax. It also makes you willing to accept less in pay and work rules because you think you are just 1000 tpic away from getting out while they keep moving the goal posts. At some point flying airplanes has to make you a living to support your family. You won't be 22 living on pizza and beer forever. Stop the race to the bottom.

Btw: I know for certain that ual has recently hired many seasoned rj FOs with 0 TPIC

Erdude32

The days of 10 years at a Regional are over. This past decade has been an anomaly, not the new standard. A Regional FO being hired into a major with only sic, again, is an anomaly and is so far outside the bell curve as to be statistically insignificant. What IS a fact is that the guys with the TPIC will get the call first. Depends on which carrier he's currently at and how long he's looking at for upgrade & then to spend another 12-18 mos on top of that to build TPIC. It may make PERFECT sense for him to go fly a turboprop for the upgrade. I was in the EXACT same position 8 years ago. Flying my Glass RJ and looking at at least 18 mos to upgrade and then start building time. I didn't want to miss out on that hiring wave so I took a direct entry turbo prop Capt job. 10 months later I was at Delta. Most of my original RJ classmates are still there a decade later. You need to make a flight plan for your career. Simply leaving it on autopilot and "waiting to upgrade when it comes" might not always be the best approach to shoot. This next hiring wave about to kick off will last around a decade. Being hired towards the front of the wave vs the middle or end will make all the difference in the world in your QOL for the rest of your career. It'll determine how long you're on reserve, basing, narrow vs wide body, when you upgrade and whether you spend another decade on reserve in a narrow body in the left seat.

This is multi million dollar decision you are making.

Make it wisely. Ignore the naysayers and do what's best for YOU.

rickair7777

Most likely close family connections, I don't think any legacy is pulling random regional FO's out of the stack ahead of CAs and check airmen.

hindsight2020

Go for the turbo prop TPIC.

Tom a Hawk

Point is you need something to differentiate you. A couple years as a turbo prop FO and a couple years as a jet FO wont do that. The FOs that have been hired at majors without pic time primarily have several thousand hours in the right seat of a jet. As in 5 years plus. They aren't looking for just one thing. You need one of, and probably several of the following things:

4 year degree
Turbine PIC
Lots of jet SIC
Time in type
Check Airman
Sim Instructor
Safety Department
Connections!

You don't get a top tier job in ANY industry by being under qualified and knowing nobody. Your resume should read like someone the really want, not someone who might do ok.

Packrat

I agree with most of these guys...TPIC. Fly your behind off. Get as many hours as fast as you can. Once you break the magic number specified by your target airline, the calls will come.

Just remember, minimum requirements are just that...minimum. Often guys won't get the call until they have three or four times the minimum. Unless, of course, you know someone at the company.

Fly, fly, FLY and network, Network, NETWORK. That's the ticket.

rickair7777

Right now I think the right answer is TPIC (but only ME, unless it's a fighter). B1900 time won't get you a major job, but it will at least allow you to check the TPIC box.

But that could change real fast if things really start moving. There's the potential for majors to start wholesale hiring of FO's with glass/jet time so I'd say the best answer is go for PIC now but have a plan to get the jet time if needed.