What To Expect With An Aviation Career Part 1

To many people pilots are high paid professionals who get to globe trot and stay only at the finest places. If there is one thing I have learned along the way it is that this does not represent pilots as a whole. Here are some brief expectations for working at a regional airline. I will discuss the majors and the corporate world in another blog post. Most of this information I have gathered from professionals currently work for regional airlines.

Regional Airlines

• Low pay ($19-$24 per hour)
• Figure 75 hours a month and taxes taken out you could be making sub 20k a year.
• Don't forget you have to pay back student loans and other monthly payment.
• Poor Schedule
• Until you build seniority you don't have much flexibility on when and where you fly. 
• This means possibly working Christmas and other major holidays. 
• Gone 4 days and home 3 inst uncommon. With delays and weather you could be looking at more time away from home. 
• On Call
• Some pilots are on call, meaning they fly on the drop of a dime when the company calls them. 
• This could make for planning anything in advance quite difficult. 
• Building Hours
• Regional's are a great way to build hours towards the majors. However getting into the captains seat is huge. Pilot in Command hours are often more respected by the airlines than Second in Command hours (First officer). 
• Some regional airlines have faster upgrade times. 
• Some pilots get stuck in a F/O position for years because of the economy or any other economic or world event. The airline industry can be a lot like the stock market, up and down
• Locations
• Popular to contrary belief you wont be traveling the world when you first start flying. At a regional airline you will be most likely flying to smaller towns within the country. Of course you'll also hit the large metro areas but don't expect to make any flights over seas. 
• Lack of Sleep
• This has been a huge issue within the aviation industry. Following the crash of Colgan Air 3407 pilot fatigue has become a well known problem. You are at the realm of the regional airline and they will most likely work you until you are too tired to think. But don't expect to get to much sleep. The 8 hours pilots are required to rest also include traveling to the hotel, unpacking, and adjusting to sleep. Then you start all over in the morning. 

Regional airlines are great for building hours and experience. But as you can see they are far from the glamour of the pilot stereotype. Don' let this scare you as the regionals are just a stepping stone for many.