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Originally Posted by Mateo303  SO...Questions:
1)How often should I really plan on flying if I hope to have all the required hours to work for a good regional in 1-1.5 yrs.
Matt |
Just shooting from the hip, but 3 to 4 times a week to go through your ratings, then full time as an instructor. At the current hiring levels it is easy to get interviews at the regionals. Sooner or later hiring will slow and then it won't be so easy. Just keep that in mind, but you have a great fall back career if you need it.
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Originally Posted by Mateo303 2)Is winter a good time to start flying? (I live in the Denver area...the weather is actually a bit more stable this time of year except for some nasty winds that sometimes come off the mountains)
Matt |
Other than during the nasty winter storms, yes. I did all my training in the Salt Lake area, and I flew all the time during the winter. You won't be flying on the crappy days or when your local runway is covered in snow/ice. Those are good days to do ground with your instructor.
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Originally Posted by Mateo303 3)Is there such a thing as "part time" or as needed work for pilots? (in any area of commercial aviation)
Matt |
Most airline jobs are considered full time. That said many airlines have scheduling systems that allow you to drop or trade parts of your schedule with other pilots. So in theory you might be able to "create" more days off than you were originally given by the company. However don't count on this, since it is usually dependent on your senority and how many reserve/ on call pilots, work for your company at the time. It certainly would not be reliable enough to work a 2nd job. If that is what you are thinking.
I don't know what to tell you about corporate flying, but I suspect most are also full time.
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Originally Posted by Mateo303 4)As a FO with a regional do you have any ability to schedule in vacation time... (ie. can I take a month off to travel, or does that require years and years of seniority)
Matt |
Yes. How soon you get vacation will depend on company policy. (Like everywhere else.) BUT you also will compete for vacation with other pilots based on your senority. For example: Most everyone asks for Christmas off but only the more senior pilots will get it. At least at SkyWest, we bid for our vacation once a year. (You can also ask for days off on a first come, first served basis each month. This depends on staffing too.) If you wanted the one continuous month of travel you would likely need to have higher senority, (Not to mention a bunch of vacation hours built up.) in order to secure four weeks off in a row.
With regards to senority, you will only compete for schedules and vacation with the pilots who share your seat, (captain or first officer) aircraft type and base. How fast you move depends on a lot of things. At SkyWest, Brasilia F/O's usually move up the senority list quickly. Once they go to the RJ the upward movement slows. Then when they upgrade to captain it usually slows further. IF hiring stops and growth slows then your senority would move much slower.
You are not going to match the type of $$ you make as a pharmicist until you
at least make captain at a better paying regional. But you probably already know that and suffer from the same disease that the rest of us on this site have.
Unless you have a HUGE chunk of change saved up I would not sever the "drug trade"
connections until you have to, even as a CFI.