I was curious about the minimum hours a pilot has to work to still be employed by a regional or major airline. If I only want to fly 500 hours a year, will an airline let me do that?
Or, if I didn’t want to fly for an extended period of time, say 30 days, can I just not get paid during that period and not have to fly? I know in a “normal” 9-5 job this sounds ridiculous but being an airline pilot doesn’t exactly sound like the typical job.
Thanks!
Thomas,
ALL airlines (Majors and Regionals) have minimum hours per month and it’s typically 70-75 (depending on the airline). Keep in mind that when you’re new with low seniority you’ll be on Reserve and will fly when, where and as often as the company needs. As you gain seniority eventually you’ll gain more control and can bid min credit but it still won’t be less than the min credit of 70-75. As for getting 30 days off in a month sure after maybe 20yrs at the company you’ll accrue that much vacation time but again that won’t happen for years. While pilots have a fair amount of down time it’s not a part-time job and airlines don’t hire part-time pilots.
Adam
Thomas,
Being an airline pilot is a full time job. While the hours might be unusual, the requirement to be a full time employee is not.
Chris