I’m 22 years old in the Air Force as an Aircraft Maintenance technician, I have flown a few small Cessnas before and I love flying. I also want a good paying job once I get out of the military which will be in about a year, thus why i’m looking to become an airline pilot. I want to remain debt free going into aviation even if I have to save up to pay for it. I have found a couple schools to except the Gi-bill to pay for everything except a PPL. So as of right now my plan for when I get out of service is to take that option and work while doing my training for two years ( plus or minus a few months.).
Any way, being a youngster in this area I have a few questions and figured I would join this community.
-First off, how long should I be expecting to be making a low income ( under 50-60k) after I get my first actual regional job after my 1500 hr mark?
-Secondly how many times a week should I be taking my flight lesson? i know there willbe many factors but just an estimate would be great.
A few things first. Training locally, part-time you’ll be extremely fortunate if you can get all your training done in 2yrs. Many people take that long just to get their Privates. After that you’ll need to build the required 1500hrs and even if you can fly 100hrs a month that’s at least 15mos. On to your questions.
Regional pay is the best it’s ever been but it’s still low by comparison. You won’t break $50k till you upgrade to Capt. Depending on the airline these days that’s anywhere from 2-4yrs but again that’s now. By the time you’re there it could more or less time.
Anything less than 2 days a week is really a waste but more is always better. There’s a reason why the airlines and the military train their pilots daily.
I have been trying to do school debt free, and so far so good, it has took a really long time to get my private though (over 2 years). I am currently 21 so it’s time to focus on school and quit working for a little, no matter the cost. So I’m about to start training with ATP full time Spring 2020. As good as graduating and getting all ratings/licenses debt free feels, it will feel great to be able to only focus on my flying. Just remember, seniority is everything at the airlines.
I was in the same boat as you when I started, I did not want to finance it and cash flow it which takes a good amount time, that and where I live there are only two flight schools with no more than 6 instructors total between the two. So I’m always dealing with airplane availability and maintenance and instructor availability, which is extremely frustrating. So take what I have went through, but in the end it’s your decision. I hope this helped.
Please check out the FAQ section for a detailed post on what airline pilots make.
You should be flying at least twice per week, but hopefully much more. The airlines, military and ATP train every day, so your skills continue to build and you do not send time relearning what you have already gone over not he last lesson. It will take you many years to become an airline pilot if you chose to only train a few days per week.
I understand your desire to remain debt free, but think about this. Captains at major airlines easily make $300k+ per year. Every year you are not in the profession is potentially $300k that will be lost at the end of your career. When your compare that to interest on a loan, it makes sense to take out the loan and start training sooner.
One more thing, you did not mention if you had a college degree or not. While the regionals do not require a degree, the majors do, so that should be somewhere on your horizon.