Hi! My name is Alyssa. I’m new here and interested in becoming a pilot. I recently lost my job and decided to go after something I’ve always wanted to do. As I’ve been researching, something that concerned me was possibly not having my base be in the state I live in at first since it goes off of seniority. I’m 26 and realistically by the time I would become a pilot, I would be around 29 which would also be around the time when I will want to start having kids and stay in NJ (where I’m from). Is it possible to live in NJ if my first base ends up being in a different state? Is it usually hard to get the airport that you want to fly out of it? Does it normally take a long time based on seniority? Thank you in advance!
Alyssa,
Yes it’s possible, it’s called commuting and more than half the pilots I know commute. Depending on your base and your home commuting can be anything from fairly easy to nightmarish. If you live in Jersey and are a reasonable distance to either EWR or PHL your commute shouldn’t be too bad. There are lots of flights to pretty much anywhere but keep in mind you’ll be competing with others who are doing the same. The good news is NJ/NY bases generally go pretty junior as most people don’t want it due to the scary cost of living or the scary people 
(I was EWR based for almost 10yrs and actually got EWR day one after training).
My bigger concern if I would be your statement that you want to start a family at the same time you’re ready to get to an airline. Even if you get the base you want, as a newhire with no seniority you’ll be flying when, where and how much the company needs you to. The means a whole lot of time away from your family. Not an ideal situation.
Adam
Alyssa:
Ditto the other answer. I will just add some some detail to the answer. I lived in New Jersey when I was hired at my first airline, Piedmont. Philadelphia is their most junior domicile right now. Everyone in my new-hire class was assigned KPHL. So Piedmont could be a good option for you if you’re one of the dozens of people worldwide that likes New Jersey :-S
…I joke… Anyway, my family’s original plan was to stay in New Jersey while I worked out of Philadelphia, but a deal on a property came up that was just two or three blocks from my in-laws’ place in Utah and we decided we would be wise to jump on it…the idea being I wouldn’t be at Piedmont forever. The commute from Salt Lake is terrible. It turns every 3-4 day trip into a 5-6 day trip. I probably lose the better part of a whole week with my family every month just getting to work and back. There are tradeoffs, though. My family lives in a bigger, nicer house close to family for significantly less money than a smaller, less desirable place in New Jersey.
Alyssa,
Statistically speaking nearly half of airline pilots commute. It’s a choice and comes with its challenges but is a benefit not all jobs have. The fact that you live in NJ is helpful since most airlines junior bases are up in that region. The means you’re more likely to get that base right out of training and quicker seniority progression.
I am just as concerned about your statement on wanting to start a family at that time. It’s obviously a very personal choice, however my recommendation is to get some stability in the airline you want to be at first. Get some good experience in the airplane and with the company before taking a long leave of absence. Flying skills have an expiration date. The longer you’re away, the more they degrade. Plus, it’s a good idea to get some seniority behind you so when it comes time to return to work you have a more preferential schedule. Just some things to think about…
Hannah
Hi Adam!
Sorry for the late response and thank you so much for your input! Yeah I can understand people not wanting to be in NJ/NY lol. I’m not crazy about being here forever myself which is why I like the flexibility of being able to bid to different places - I’m just in NJ because of my friends, family, and the fact that my bf is a Jersey City firefighter. I understand the part of me wanting to start a family is concerning but I am open to waiting a few more years to focus more on my career first once I finish schooling. In your experience, do you think it would still be okay if I waited around 3 years after I got hired by an airline or would I need more time on an airline? Also, this is the school I would go to so are you usually able to get an airline job right out of school or is there a waiting period? Thank you so much again!
Hi Colton!
Thank you so much for your response and input! To be clear, I’m not crazy about NJ myself so I understand that opinion lol but I’m used to it since I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ll have to be here for a while. I’ll probably be leaving as well at some point. That does sound like a lot, but I’m sure at some point you can bid closer. Are you still doing that commute? I do understand this job having pros and cons especially at first and you have to make some sacrifice for some part of it. In your experience, did you have to wait a while to get a job after school or did you pretty much get it right away? That’s also something I’m concerned about. Thank you again!
Hi Hannah!
Thank you so much for your response! That’s good to hear from everyone that NJ/NY/PA is not necessarily desired which I understand but is also good for me lol. I also understand the part of me wanting to start a family. It is a tough situation because this is definitely something I want to pursue but also want to not start a family too much later than that. However, I am willing to wait about 3 years after I get hired to make sure I get some seniority first. I was wondering what your thoughts on that were? And in your experience, how long it took you to get a job in an airline after school? That’s something that also concerns me. Thank you so much again!
Alyssa,
You will absolutely, positively NOT be getting an airline job after training with ATP (or any other school). The FAA requires a pilot to have 1500hrs to fly for an airline and you’ll complete the program with approx 250. That means you’ll need to flight instruct (or find some other low time gig) to build the required hours. This usually takes between 1.5-2yrs to accomplish.
Adam
Alyssa,
From starting ATP to United it took me 4 years. I got through the program on time and instructed with ATP until 1500 hours. I flew charter for 10 months and was at Skywest for a year and 9 months and then got the job with United. This pace was incredibly tricky to maintain and timing was pretty perfect (which was completely out of my control).
Now that hiring is starting to slow, your timeline might be a little different. You could be set at a regional within 3 years and just ride out a flow. Or you could push pace and try to get on to a major within 4-5 years and wait until then. Just for perspective, I started ATP at 26 and am 31 now. I am off probation at my forever airline and sitting at abut 67% in base on the 737.
Hannah
Alyssa,
Just to clarify what the others are saying, upon graduating from the ACPP from ATP, you will still need to build flight time before you can jump into the airlines. How you want to build that flight time is ultimately up to you; the most common method is flight instructing, while there are other avenues such as banner towing, aerial photography, surveying, etc. Below are two screenshots, one of which includes the summary of hours and certificates upon finishing the program and then a screenshot from 14 CFR 119.1e which provides some of the named ways to build flight time:
Living in NJ your options are wide open for airlines, if you aren’t picky and are more worried about base choices. ATP provides a domicile map for airlines which you can see from a wide standpoint of where airlines operate their hubs. Simply putting it, American, United, Frontier are some of the main hubs based in the PHL & EWR area, within reasonable drive time from NJ.
Ultimately, I would find a flight school and/or location that is most convenient for you. Knowing ATP’s map, you have Trenton, Caldwell and Morristown (located in NJ) and just across the river you have Northeast Philadelphia. As a former Trenton alumnus, I can say that being located within two Class B airspaces provided for a lot of communication practice (and yes communication is EXTREMELY important in this field) and good practice area spots to fly around for maneuvers. I still chuckle every time I come up the east coast and fly over Millville and point out where I did my 8’s-on-pylons and ground reference maneuvers for my commercial checkride.
Brady
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