Where Do You Want to Work?

Today's strong hiring market leaves career pilots a choice when it comes to flying jobs. But just like any job, you have to ask if the shoe fits. Do you mind not being home much? How about being married to a cell phone or pager? Does the thought of flying all night and sleeping all day turn you off? Besides these general questions, there are several other important ones that you may not have considered.

Investigate the retirement situation. I don't mean researching the 401(k) plan--I'm talking about how many gray-haired pilots you see in the crew room. What is the planned number of retirements in the coming years? Because of attrition and retirements, many major airlines that haven't hired in years are ready to open the floodgates again. Getting in at the beginning of the wave is perfect. At my airline, I was fortunate to be at the beginning of a wave of hiring that started in 2005. By the end of 2006 there were more than 700 pilots below me on the seniority list. That meant rapid advancement in quality of life and furlough protection in the event of another downturn in the business. It also bodes well for upgrade to captain in a comparably short time.

Other shops may be filled with younger pilots, which means your time spent at the bottom of the seniority list will be greater. Regionals, fractionals, and upstart companies typically have the youngest pilots, which means slow advancement until those senior to you turn 60 years old (or 65, pending legislation) and are forced to retire. At the regional level, most of your advancement comes from pilots being hired by the majors, not from retirement.

At corporate flight departments or charter companies, do the same research. How old are the pilots on the roster? Are they likely to stay for life or go elsewhere? How long until you can be a captain? Your quality of life will depend on those who were there first.

Likewise, your ticket to moving on to your career goal involves getting time as a captain in a turbine airplane with a crew. Choosing a path with the least resistance to a captain's slot will drastically speed up your career advancement. While your local regional airline may be great for quality of life and a simple commute, it may come at the price of being stuck in the right seat for years. Meanwhile, another regional airline is hiring briskly enough that you can be a captain in as little as six months. Within a year or two of moving to the left seat, you'll have the required minimum hours to be hired at a major airline--even as plan A still has you stuck yanking the gear as a first officer.

My path through the regionals was fortunate. Not only was the local airline my first choice, it was hiring at an explosive rate. After a mere six months of flying as a first officer, I was awarded a captain slot. My quality of life suffered as a junior captain, but I began building that coveted turbine PIC time. Within two years and after passing the flight engineer knowledge test, I met the minimum hiring requirements for all the major airlines. Unfortunately, only a few of them were hiring at the time. Regardless, I was fully qualified and ready when hiring regained traction in 2005.

Unlike the airlines, where seniority determines everything, moving up to captain within a corporate flight department may depend entirely on merit. Work your tail off for a few years and prove that you're the ace of the group and you might move up the chain quicker than somebody who's been there longer. Conversely, the same games played in an office setting may find their way to the flight department--don't be surprised if the squeakiest wheel gets the grease.

With any corporate flying job, learn the typical passenger's travel habits. If a company owns the airplane, expect most of your travel to be done during the week and your weekends mostly free. If an individual owns the airplane, there's a good chance your flying will fall on the weekends as you shuttle the owner and family to a second home. If the owner is not using the airplane, is it leased back for charters? If so, expect some jump-and-run trips that interrupt your life--now!

In the end, sometimes you just have to take the plunge and accept any job, if offered. The saying, "Beggars can't be choosers" certainly applies in this business. The key is to keep up the search for your dream job and take all strides necessary to get there.

Pete Bedell is a Boeing 737 first officer for a major airline and contributor to AOPA Flight Training and AOPA Pilot magazines.