Any Professional Pilots here?

PM me your email, I will write when I have some time....I'm on a trip right now.

For starters, you must continue to get ratings. Commercial Multi Instrument, then build hours in any aircraft you can. With the the new regulations, the minimums went way up for commuter airlines, and there is a lot of need at lower rungs of the ladder. You are getting in at a great time.

Flying is a career that can be awesome, or complete crap, or anything in between, depending on where you work. Some of it comes down to luck. But at your stage, the best thing to do is fly as much as you can, in any aircraft you can. And work on a 4 year degree if you aren't already.

Where do you live?

 

Airline flying is like driving a bus.
Same routes and times.
Need seniority to get the good ones.
Usually pretty stable though.

Corporate is like driving a Limo.
Trips can be anywhere and anytime.
Pluses and minuses with that.
Equipment can be very nice.
Usually pretty tough to have concrete time off as most flight departments are only minimally staffed.

 

And flying a helicopter is like riding a race bike I have been Commercial Helicopter Pilot for the last 25 years. Good gig for the most part. I would do it again.

 

Up in my neck of the woods, the carriers are always looking for pilots. It is a great way to build hours. Mostly start off with single engine 207 or Caravan and then to Navajo or Beech 1900 then up to the Dash-8. Lots of good flying in the summers and then lots of crappy flying in the winter. The winter is lots longer than the summer, but it is the kind of experience that builds good resumes.

 

alaska? i think flying up there would be fun... and also death defying, lol

 

I've got three hours in a R22. That was so much fun. The first hour was a pretty funny. Massive over corrections at first then got the hang of it.

 

Just don't get a DUI.

 

A lot of younger / new guys will say "yeah, I like it" with a vacant look on their face. Lot's of monitoring lights and gauges while looking out windows. Think driverless car experience. Taxi, take off, turn over to auto pilot, land, taxi. And look up pilot crash pads - swanky.

I know a lot of Delta guys here in the neighborhood. A pilot my age still flys in the right seat with around 14k hours. He's on international flights to SA so he doesn't have to deal with time changes and only has one flight a day. I've asked him if he wants to move to the left seat and he doesn't yet since he would be at the bottom the seniority ladder and get shit flights.

Seniority means everything - at least in the Delta world.

I did go to the Delta hanger with a friend a week or so ago. He gave me the full tour. In my next life I'm going to be an A&P working on engines. Got to see a GE90 in the nude on a stand. That thing is huge, and the fan spins pretty easily by hand.

 

I am. Fly 747-400 for Kalitta Air. Hanging out in Leipzig now, just got in from Delhi. Be glad to help you any way I can.

Jay

 

Agreed!
I like flying helicopters most of all.
Very difficult to build hours due to hourly costs.
I found fixed wing pay to be much better too.
Nothing beats flying helicopters though.


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While I love flying the 747, and helicopters are fun as well, nothing beats flying this baby.

Picked it up in May, and been flying everytime I get the chance.

Jay

 

Yak?

 

Yep, 1996 Yak 55M. Less than 400 hours TT. Headed out to go fly her right now.

 

That looks fun, not a pilot but one of my best flights was in an extra 300 while photographing the Northern Lights team doing aerobatics in formation for a local airshow story.

 

Now you're talking!
Nice!
I was just including paying flying jobs.


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