Good afternoon everyone,
I currently hold a PPL with single and multi rating, and approximately 500 hours total time. I live about 100 miles NE of Atlanta. I am considering a career switch and chase my dream of flying for an airline, even if it is a regional. My dilemna is, I am 49 years old and permenant relocation is currently not an option. Is it feasible to get hired by a regional and not have to relocate? I know a lot of pilots that commute but don’t know the ins and outs of it.
PS, Im 20 minutes from KGSP and earned my multi at ALLATPS
The ability to commute to work is one of the perks of the job. I literally know pilots who commute from Asia, Europe and Australia. The thing to keep in mind is getting to work is YOUR responsibility. When you’re new and on reserve you’ll have to get a hotel or crashpad and may very well find yourself commuting to work to wait for a call that never comes only to fly back. Half the pilots I know commute but none are very happy about it.
You have your PPL and your ME, need your instrument and commercial and a means to build 1000hrs (CFIs perhaps?). Ratings aside even if you fly 100hrs a month that’s 10mos. I’d be thinking a year and then some.
Keep in mind that ATP only has two options: 0-CFII or PPL-CFII. Even though you only need IR, CPL, CFI, MEI and CFII, you would have to do the private credit program. ATP doesn’t do individual ratings.
I am not aware of any regionals that have bases at GSP, but there are several that have bases at CLT. Of course there is no guarantee that you would be CLT based right away, but if you were hired at the right regional, it would happen soon enough. The caveat is of course that things can always change at a moments notice…
Maybe I can tag onto this post. I am just turning 45 and would like to start my career in aviation but my wife has a good job she loves and we’ve been in our house for over 20 years and we have no interest in moving/relocating.
Has anyone been successful at commuting or waiting until a ‘local’ position was available?
I know not moving around will hamper my options but is it super foolish to think that it could ever work? Has anyone been down this road? Thanks!
Just an update from me, from when this thread started, I begin CFI Academy next week and up to 630 hours. I live 95 miles from the location and instead of driving in every day, I will start commuting to school by plane, as soon as it gets out of annual. An extra 1.5 in the book each day!
