Hey guys, I’m new here and am just starting my research into this, but I’m very very Intrigued. I apologize if I am posting in the wrong spot, I kinda just went for it. Either way, my question is this. I live in Concord, NC. There’s a training station right up the road, so that wouldn’t be an issue. But I have a young family and want to do this while he able to spend as much time with my wife and kids as humanly possible. Are there/what airlines would be able to offer my home base in Charlotte and is it difficult to be able to be selective in that manor?
Michael,
Welcome to the forum, short and simple answer for the domiciles/bases that are offered at the Charlotte International Airport, here is a link that ATP sports:
At the Charlotte airport you have:
- Majors - American Airliens
- Regionals - Piedmont & PSA
- Charter/Part 135 - Plane Sense
From my knowledge, Charlotte is a more senior base all around in the American network. You may spend a few months/years depending on where you end up sitting reserve or having to be based at another location. However, the benefit for you is, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow in the airline industry which means there is always room for change… and seniority changes daily. At Piedmont, Charlotte is a more senior base, a few of my classmates finally go it nearly 1 year after starting training.
If you’re looking at airline specific, you may also find some valuable information here:
I hope this helps a little.
Brady
Michael,
I lived in Charlotte and completed my training at the JQF location in 2020/21. It was a great location and I believe it won ATP’s training center of the year in 2020. The instructors were great, there was good examiner availability, and the weather is flyable year round. I’m not sure about now, but I’m sure it’s still a great location to train at. Airline career-wise, Charlotte is a base for both PSA/piedmont, as well as mainline American Airlines. So there is plenty of opportunity to be Charlotte based in your career, it just might take some time since it can be senior. I was pretty set on being Charlotte based at PSA/piedmont, but decided to go to Envoy since I thought it looked like a better operation. And to avoid commuting on reserve, I temporarily moved to Dallas. So keep your options open!
Roscoe
Keep in. ind that bases can and do change. Right now there are no indications that AA will leave Charlotte, but everybody in Pittsburgh thought the same thing of US Airways thirty years ago. Just know that if that happpens, you will have to decide whether to commute or move to the new base.
Rumor has it, someone is getting a base in New York territory too, maybe one of their wholly-owns or Air Wisconsin? Mainline American Airlines already operates out of LGA. That is how spontaneous this industry can be sometimes.
Brady
Michael,
Charlotte is a great place to be. I did all my training and time building at the JQF location. I spent a time flying for a charter company that was “home based” which means they flew me to and from the airplane at the start and end of each rotation. That was nice but I didn’t like being gone for 8 days at a time. Instead I prefer flying for the airlines and I commute to base. I still live in Charlotte and have totally made it work for me. That being said, commuting is a choice and it comes with some challenges.
But be prepared because you won’t necessarily get the base you want right away. If that’s a requirement before pursuing flying, I’d really think hard before committing.
Hannah