Hi, I’m currently active duty military and will be working towards an Aviation Science degree very soon. I already have about a 1/4th of the degree done from college credits before enlisting and will be about half way done with my degree by the time my enlistment is up and would like to then start my pilot training. I’m not sure which way would be best though when choosing how to get my pilot training. I’ve been considering a university that offers flight training combined with a Aviation science degree that’s based in Georgia and is involved with the Delta Propel program, would that be best or would it be better to go through ATP’s pilot program or just a local flight school? I’d be using the GI Bill so money wouldn’t be a problem.
Also as far as getting a job at a regional, is it easy to get hired with the minimum flight hours? And how long does it take to go from a regional to a major?
Lastly I’ve heard that you don’t make much money flying for a regional but have also heard that the “pilot shortage” has caused regionals to start paying more to attract more pilots? Could anybody give an estimation as to how much a new regional pilot would be making each year?
ALL of your questions can be answered by simply visiting the FAQ section of this forum. I suggest you take a look and then please feel free to return with specific questions should you have any.
Welcome to the forums and thank you for the introduction. This forum is sponsored by ATP and all of the mentors on this website went to ATP, so our answers are obviously biased that way. That being said, we are on this site because we are successful grads who believe in the program.
ATP is not able to accept the GI Bill, your local flight school might have the same restrictions. If the university does, it will likely cause you to drag your training out over several years, instead of just nine months. Seniority is everything in the airlines and a delay of a year or more could have a significant impact on your career.
Right now, pilots are getting hired at the regionals right around the 1,500 hours of flight time mark. Now of course these are pilots with clean records and all of the right boxes checked, but it is currently the norm.
Flying for a major airline is the pinnacle of the aviation industry. Most pilots that want to make it do, but some never do. Right now the average time from the regionals to the majors is 5-10 years, but your mileage may vary.
Regional pilot pay is discussed in depth in the FAQ section, as are many of your other questions. I recommend taking some time to check that area of the forum out.