tinman1

Hello all, I am a current 121 regional FO and like everyone else I aspire to get hired on with the majors one day. I started this thread because I am looking for advice on what it takes to be competitive to get my foot in the door as I gain experience. I realize that the competition is stiff with thousands applicants with TPIC and even check airman experience who are not getting the call. I know I've got a ways to go but I'm looking to work hard now and set myself up for success later on down the road.

A little background on myself...

Married white guy in my upper 20s
BS Aviation Degree and an undergrad cert in Aviation Safety from Riddle
Approaching 3000TT and will most likely upgrade by the end of the year with somewhere around 3300TT

I have looked into getting a masters degree to be more competitive but it would take 3 years to complete. My main priority is balancing work and family life. I have the seniority to upgrade at my regional but not the time, so flying is a priority. Also my wife is active duty Air Force and in a very stringent two year training program, the details of which cannot be discussed here unfortunately. I am a commuter, which takes time away from home, but when I am home my priority is helping out around the house to make her life easier. Things at home will smooth out when she becomes operational.

I would get a masters degree if it made me more competitive, but honestly I'd rather pursue vocational studies such as sports nutrition and becoming a personal trainer. Would one be better than the other?

Any advice on the matter is greatly appreciated!

ZapBrannigan

Nobody wants to fly with a personal trainer except other personal trainers. Try brewing your own beer.

sarahswhere

Look up the FAAST, it's a volunteer safety team where you can do some mentoring, teaching, etc. I don't think it would be a total time sucker.

Another opportunity would be a local EAA Young Eagles chapter.

Non-aviation, I would pick a local charity and volunteer for one or two projects. They can be one-time things, just something to put on your resume to talk about.

John Carr

Yet if he gets certified and takes a volunteer position doing exercise programs for the elderly and/or special needs people, whatever, it will look GREAT on his resume/application at job fairs.

Whereas home brewing doesn't really do that.

Scraggly Heron

At USAFA, they make you so well rounded that you're pointless...

Jokes aside, getting a Master's degree doesn't seem like an efficient means to your ends unless you're really interested in the subject matter. I've heard from multiple sources that volunteering helps. I haven't been hired by anyone, though, so take this with a grain of salt.

tinman1

I've done some random volunteering recently but I had forgotten about FAAST. Honestly I'd like to stick to non-aviation groups. I like aviation but it's good to have interests and be involved in other things.

tinman1

That's actually kind of funny. I set my sights on the USAFA the summer before my freshman year of high school. I had perfect grades, was involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, and had three separate Congressional nominations only to be medically DQ'd my senior year. I was bummed out to say the least, but you learn a lot from those experiences.

If I'm ever going to get a masters now would be the ideal time to do it. I made so little as a regional FO last year that I bet I qualify for federal grants to pay for part of it.

WhisperJet

You want to be more well rounded? Here's what I suggest.

Ask yourself, "what have I done in my professional career that sets me apart from every other clone who flies the line, has a degree, clean record, blue suit, etc etc etc..." "What have I done to improve my company or the industry?"

My suggestions:

Airlines LOVE safety. Ever consider volunteering with your ALPA (or union) safety committee? ASAP, FOQA, Fatigue, Accident Investigation, etc.

Next, airlines LOVE training. CPT instructor? Ground school instructor? Help revise manuals or build CBT modules? Sim instructor?

Not interested? Ok how about other volunteer positions within your company?
Critical Incident Response? Pro Standards? Assistant Chief Pilot? ATC coordinator? HIMS volunteer?

Ok more hardcore union stuff, but still shows you're willing to go above and beyond just flying the line: CA/FO rep? Grievance/Scheduling/Hotel/Training/etc committee?

There are plenty of ways to show that you care about your company, the industry, and your fellow pilots. You don't have to go save cats or build houses for the poor to stand out. Just show that you have the willingness and ability to do something a little extra for your profession.

My $.02.

TheWeatherman

As a person who worked in that world for 4 years (not as a door kicker though), I laughed.

JohnBurke

A masters is nice, but won't make you any more competitive. It might make you stand out a bit, but won't give you any significant advantage over another pilot. Your qualifications, including the aviation degree, are fairly cookie-cutter. That you're white or have a spouse in the military don't matter. Married doesn't mean anything. It did at one time, but that's long past.

Someone mentioned working as a FAAST counselor. Get involved in some volunteer work. Little league coach, scoutmaster, volunteer firefighter. Gives you something to talk about in the interview, makes you look more rounded, may make you a better human being.

Try other types of flying. A broad background isn't a bad thing. If you don't have any significant pilot in command experience, go get some. If you're stuck as a regional FO, then the regional may not be the best place for you. SIC experience is really only worth the time it takes if it's moving you toward a PIC position. If it's not, find something else to do.

If you happen to be one of those that jumped onto the regionals as a 300 hour wonder and have no PIC experience, you're better off going some place that you can get that; go fly freight, do something that gets you PIC time.

Get some maintenance experience. There aren't that many maintenance qualified aviators; it does make you stand out a bit, though it's not something you'll use a lot as an airline pilot, aside from being in a position to get a good handle on systems quickly.

Airlines may love safety but airlines don't love unions. Prior union experience, in my opinion, is not viewed favorably by most employers.