This is my first post and wanted to start off by saying thank you for all the great information that has been put out on this page. It has been extremely helpful and insightful on my future decision.
I am currently in the military and very seriously looking into attending ATP to begin a new career as a pilot. One of the main reasons I am getting out of the military is so that my family and I can live in one place and be near family. I have heard that as a pilot, some airlines do not require you to live at one of their crew base locations. After doing some research, I have found that although true for some, often times you are not guaranteed a seat on a flight to get you to that crew base you fly out of. Instead, you are put on standby. Is this information accurate or am I way off-base? I also do understand that it is much more convenient to live close to your crew base to greatly limit commuting time but living close to family is extremely important to us at this point in our lives. I also don’t want to limit myself to only airlines which have a crew base close to where we want to live.
By chance, would anyone know which airlines have a crew base anywhere in the state of Florida?
I’ll let the mentors speak on your other questions, but here is the map/list of airline domiciles. There are quite a few in Florida. Airline Domiciles Map / ATP Flight School
As a pilot you’re free to live anywhere you like, however, getting to work is your responsibility and you’re correct you are not guaranteed a seat. Depending on the commute that can be (and often is) a hassle. Even if you have a relatively easy commute there will be times when that can be challenging due to weather, holidays etc. Again it’s your responsibility to get to work and if that means leaving a day (or even 2) early that’s on you. While the majority of pilots do commute, I don’t know any that recommend it and every one I know has at least one horror story.
The good news there are many airlines with FL bases. The bad news is many are very senior and it could take some time before you’re awarded the base of your choice.
I understand the desire to be close to family, but I can tell you that the person your kids will not be as close to as a commuter is you. It sounds great to be closer to family, but that will mean additional nights for you on the road, perhaps in a crash pad, less nights for you at home and more missed events on your end. So yes, Grandma will be able to see the school play, but you might not because your commute flight was delayed, cancelled, oversold, weight restricted, etc.
You are never guaranteed a seat as a commuter, so this means that time is your only insurance policy and you have to leave earlier when planning on how you will get to work that day. As a commuter, I often leave several flights earlier than I need to, if not the day before.
I understand your sentiments, but I would really encourage you to move to wherever you are based and then make your way back down to Florida when you can.
Thanks for the advice and insight on the life as a commuter. It definitely does not sound like an ideal situation, especially with having two little ones. I’ll just need to do some convincing to the wife!
Another aspect of being a pilot I was curious about regards scheduling. As a pilot, are you automatically assigned to flights or are you able to somewhat pick and choose (to a degree) when you fly as long as you meet your minimum hourly requirement for that month?
Sorry not to include this question with my previous response…
When you mention “senior position”, I assume a job like this would be assimilated with major airlines such as United, Delta, etc… To get a job with an airline like that, are they looking for a certain amount of hours worth of experience? How many hours or years as a pilot do they typically look for when hiring? Also, a lot of the responses I’ve read on this forum along with research I’ve done on my own mention how a college degree is essential (even if they may say it’s not a requirement). I will be completing my degree this year but is that also a major factor? Finally, do you think 10 years in the military also helps or would even be relative? Apologies for the complexity of this and maybe I’m all over the place but these are just some things I’ve been wondering about.
First and foremost I recommend you visit our FAQ section as you’ll find the answers to many of your questions there. That said let’s answer these.
EVERYTHING at the airlines is based on seniority. Every month you’ll have the opportunity to bid for the trips and the schedule you want. Problem is so does every other pilot and everything is awarded based on seniority. For example most people want weekends off. Well obviously not everyone can have weekends off so the senior pilots will and you won’t. At least not until you’re senior enough yourself. Same goes for commutable trips. If you end up commuting they’ll be trips that lend themselves to commuting. Since many pilots commute again the senior pilots get first dibs. The fact is in the beginning you’ll most likely be on Reserve and will fly where and when the company needs you to. As you build seniority things will improve.
All Major airlines have minimum and preferred hiring requirements. Airlines look for well trained, experienced pilots. You’ll actually meet the mins relatively quickly but when you move up can vary based on demand. In the past it would take sometimes 7-10 years before you got the call. For some it never came. Right now we’re in the middle of the greatest pilot shortage in history and people are getting called in 2yrs or even less. That of course can change but it’s forecasted to continue for some time.
Finally while your military service is admirable and appreciated, it really will have no bearing on your hiring status.
Jonah,
If being an airline pilot is your dream, you’ll figure out the best way to balance your priorities with your family. Seniority is everything. It controls how flexible of a schedule you have, when you can hold certain bases, etc. There will be times you’ll have to commute temporarily. That’s pretty normal. The goal though, live as close to your base as soon as possible. Life will be easier that way. You end up being away from home much more when you add commute time to the end of each trip. However, if you’re wife is firm on not moving, you could still have a great career as a commuter. It’s doable, but has its challenges.
-Hannah