I want to work for the Regional Airlines

So I’m starting out with my flying, just had my first lesson, and my dream is to fly for Regional Airlines. No, I don’t want to fly for the big boys. But how do I start to get my foot in the door after I’ve achieved my private license? i know it’s rather early to ask this question, but I want to start as soon as I can.

Laine,

There is no “foot in the door” after you get your Private. Your Private is step one and you’ve got quite a few more steps to take. You’ll need at a bare minimum your Instrument, your Multi, your Commercial AND 1500hrs of flight time. The good news is as long as your record is clean and you do well you should have no problem WHEN the time comes.

Adam

Laine,

I have to ask, why do you not want to work for the majors someday?

Chris

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What do you mean record clean? Like Felonys or are you talking about more not getting on the FAA s**t list?

I have nothing against the Majors. I want to stay around my area, so I can continue to take care of my parents. They are in their 70’s and I do a lot of the household repairs.

Laine,

Both. You need to avoid all criminal convictions, have a good driving record and of course avoid all problems with the FAA.

Chris

And if I have a felony that’s non-violent and non-drug?

Laine,

Yes felonies, ALL felonies are a problem.

Adam

Will that stop me from getting hired, or will it slow me down?

Laine,

If you have a felony you will not be able to enter Canada, based on that alone you will most likely not be hired by any airline.

Chris

So… do I need to give up my pilot career before it even starts?

Laine,

Just to be clear, the felony will stop you. I would recommend not pursuing this career.

Chris

Thank you. Well so much for that dream.

But…wait if I get it moved to a misdemeanor I can work for a regional?

Laine,

If misdemeanors are serious things with the airlines. The problem you will run into is that the application will ask “Have you ever been convicted of…”. Even if you get the charge reduced, you will still have to answer that you were convicted of a felony. At the misdemeanor level, you could still have problems depending on the nature and severity of the crime.

If you want the straight answer, I would contact the recruiting departments of a few regional airlines, explain exactly what your situation is and the nature of the crime and ask them how they would handle it.

Chris

How do I get a hold of the recruiting departments?

You do some research on Google, find their phone numbers and call them.

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