Sr. Barco

This is a question for pilots starting your career with the goal to work for a 121 carrier. How is the career of airline pilot viewed compared to other professions? Is this career viewed as lucrative or viable anymore? Do you know many people who are actively pursuing this career? The reason I ask is I know perceptions and expectations change over time. Once you’re into your career you quickly lose touch with the path you took to get to a 121 carrier. My background is all civilian so I’m especially interested to know the thoughts of those of you following an all civilian path.

Thank you in advance!

Subieguy14

I'm about to go to CFI school.... sitting at around 250 hours. Myself and three other kids i went to middle school with went to the same ATP lcoation, one has a job flying a citation now, one instructs and i am about to instruct... I have people asking me all the time how i like it, and ask what they could do to see if it is for them.

It is actually considered really viable at the moment from everyone i talked too. People are also very jealous.

(if it was my choice, I would be flying a super cub through Alaska for the pay of a 777 captain at delta)

Sr. Barco

That's what we all want! Or buzzing up and down the coast of California.

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully we'll get some more feedback.

Broncofan

Hey i dont know if you would consider me out of touch or not but I've been flying 121 for 8 years now and this is my experience. Take it with a grain of salt because this was when things were very stagnant as well. Background on me is i graduated college with about 550 hours, no kids no wife and no debt if that means anything.

I got hired right after college by a small airline and i was based in ND flying Brasilias. It was by far the most fun fkying an airplane i have ever had, the pilots were all close to my age, the downside was i was making less than minimum wage based in a location that was cold as back. But while I was there I got my PIC time and "paid my dues". Then I went to a regional airline for 4 years and it was fun flying my first jet and pretty much flying up and down the west coast which is probably the best flying in the US. Then got hired with a major airline. Money is fantastic but personally I find it a bit more boring. Most captains you fly with are older about to retire and most conversations deal with either an evil ex wife or retiring and 401ks.

So I have been through the whole cycle recently and i would say I would not change a thing. I think it's a great career, timing is great for people getting started right now, my only advice would be to make sure you have a backup plan if the economy takes another nose dive and you end up on the furlough list. There are times when you will look at your paycheck and wonder what am I doing with my life but then you get in the flight deck and you remember what your working towards and its all good.

If I had a wife and kids when i began, I got to say I dont know if I could have stuck it out with the pay and had scheduled when you start. But im glad it worked out the way it did for me