Jet vs Turboprop Employment?

[pinkpilot150]

I have read alot on these forums about the frustration of not being able to gain employment with Airlines (in Europe particularly). All the forums appear to be bias towards employment with medium/long haul Jet operators (as opposed to turboprop).

My brief background is that I have been through Uni, and have been engineering flight controls for 6 years, and now work on engine control systems at R-R (in Derby). My motivation to do all this has come from an end desire to fly, but I feel slightly unusual in that my dream job is not nessesarily the LHS of a long haul airbus\boeing, and would be more than satisfied flying short-haul internal flights.

I am halfway through ATPL exams and progressing at a good rate so need to get an 'action plan' in place for when it matters.

Thanks to the many useful, interesting, somewhat volotile, and sometimes graphic descriptions of the airline sector today that have been posted, I feel I have a good idea of the large jet side of the industry.

Is the situation similar (or worse) with short-haul turbo-prop operators, or is it all the same?

Thanks

[benhurr]

Doesnt matter what the job is. The hardest thing is getting that first job. At the moment it would appear that people are either being snapped up as soon as they finish their training by the likes of BMI or end up instructing or paying for a type rating. To put it in some sort of perspective I finished my training in 2002 and I start my first type rating in January 2006. Patience is a virtue in this game!

[B200Drvr]

Most Wannabes in the UK and Europe see the airlines as the be all and end all of aviation. There is alot of other flying you can do to build hours, who flies all the Red Cross, UNHAS, UNOPS etc machines in all the coutries around the world? Contract pilots flying anything from C208's to C130's and Lears to IL76's. It is a great job, a great way to see the world and a great way to build time in real everyday think on your feet make a plan type flying. It is not cowboy flying and most operators have strict multi crew SOP's designed by a well known international carrier. Do you really want to be a 4000hr pilot with only the 100 PIC time that you did whilst doing your comm. There is such a big world out there. After you have a year or two contract flying and have 1500 hrs or so under your belt, you will be very suprised at what airlines are prepared to pay for.

[mad_jock]

There are quite a few turbo prop jobs about.

And the out look is good on the TP front with most operators in the UK expanding and loosing pilots to the Jet fleets. Which means quicker command, if you want to do the standard of living factor instead of the big jet lots of money thing.

TP's are brilliant fun to fly and they will set you up with handling for the rest of your career.

MJ

[Voeni]

When I was young I always wanted to fly "the big ones"...

But the important thing is, if you're happy with your job and especially with your lifestyle. What is the use of flying a 747 round the world but you don't see your kids at all? Of course it's fun, but is it worth it?

The new aircraft is fun for the first year, but then it gets routine and all the other things are much more important

I know have an excellent, interesting job on a small biz plane. I have a decent lifestyle, see a lot of different airports, very interesting job and I'll wanna stay there. I might get more money at other places, I might fly a bigger plane at other places - but it's just a job!

So my advice: Take the first job you can get (because as said before, that's the difficulty) and see if you're happy with it and you'll see - you don't have to fly a big airplane at a big airline, there are so many other opportunities!

[ATP_Al]

pinkpilot150,

Many wannabes who complain about "not being able to get a job" actually mean "I can't get a jet job with a major airline on more money than my previous career paid." If you plan your job hunting carefully and look at all sectors of the market, you'll find that there's actually quite a lot going on.

Don't rule out any type of flying and make sure you apply to a wide spectrum of companies from parachute clubs and GA operators flying light singles and twins to the A320/B737 operators at the other end of the market. That way you'll keep current and gain experience while you the larger companies envitably take their time getting back to you. Pilot career progression is all about experience, so find a way of getting it as quickly as possible!

Al

[B200Drvr]

Al,
Agreed 100% well said.

[nevergetlost]

Hi all,

I totally agree with ATP AL and Voeni!

Don’t give up! Sometimes you have to take your courage and accept a risk for getting your first job.
My dream also was to fly a big jumbo. After 2 years and nearly 2000 Euros for applications ( and just 1 invitation to an interview ) I decided to send some applications to some business jet operators. Nearly every application was answered, but no chance without type-rating.
I chose a small Cessna Jet and did the type-rating. 2 weeks later I had a contract.
Wat I want to say is: It doesn’t matter if it is a Prop or a Jet, a big jumbo or ‘just’ a King Air, you just have to get started!
The job on the small Jet is a lot of fun and now, I don’t want to change to an airline anymore.
You can also be happy in the small parts of aviation!

Good luck for you!

[bermudatriangle]

turbo prop flying is the real thing.All your skills are needed to master the craft against the elements,real satisfaction.When you progress to the boring,yet more financially rewarding efis button pushing of modern jets,you can at least console yourself that once you used to fly real aeroplanes.It used to be the route for all,but sadly many miss the fun of avoiding weather,defunct autopilots and continual technical problems.Ask most car enthusiasts what they would rather drive...often past,proven,if somewhat basic technology provides the most exhilaration.having said all that,if you get the chance,push a few buttons on the airbus,sit back and read the papers and make sure your salary earns you the best rate of interest.

[scroggs]

I spent many years flying heavy turboprops in a variety of roles from airdrop, air-to-air refuelling, maritime recconnaisance and even passenger and freight carrying. You're not going to get all of those roles (and the associated job satisfaction) outside the military, but the advantage of working for smaller operators is that you are likely to have to master far more of the overall operation than a pilot in a major airline.

These days, a modern turboprop is no less likely to have EFIS, FMS etc than the average 737 or A320, so it's not so much a case of flying old, 'real' machinery but you are likely to be going into small airfields with less in the way of sophisticated approach aids than the more major places, and that sort of thing adds to the interest of the job. That said, Ryanair aren't known for inhabiting major airfields!

The point is that you have to look beyond the aircraft type to the job itself. How much will it stretch you? Will you finish each day feeling you've achieved - and learned - something? Perhaps most importantly, will the job leave you enough time for a life away from flying?

The problem of deciding which operator to try and get a job with is no easier with TP airlines than jet. Inevitably, the smaller companies (which includes pretty much all TP operators) are more vulnerable in the marketplace than the larger jet operators. By the nature of the business, their destinations' traffic need fluctuate only very slightly for a route to become uneconomic, and the loss of a single route will be far more meaningful for a small airline than a large one. Look, if you can, to the airlines that have been around for a long time and know their business well.

Scroggs