Australian pilots can work for US regionals.

[Kenny]

I’ve done the full gamut over the last 20 years…US Regional to Virgin Oz and back to a US Legacy carrier. So here are some of my experiences, for what it’s worth.

Life at a US Regional has its pro’s and con’s. The pay isn’t great; some are better than others and some have a better QOL than others. But, I had more fun being handed the keys to a CRJ and going off flying for 4 days, than at any other time in my career. As long as you didn’t bend an aircraft or do any thing stupid, you were left alone and I never had to have anything to do with anyone other than my crew for those 4 days. It was hard work with long hours but I realized early on that life at a regional means you will always be someone else’s bitch. It’s simply a stepping stone to something better.

Flying in Oz was eye opening. The cultural differences surrounding how you operate an aircraft were pronounced and having only flown professionally in the US, I was surprised at how difficult flying from point A to point B was made. The training was anal and pedantic and for the first 18 months, I thought I’d made a huge mistake. I look back now and realize that the experience did make me a better pilot. Not necessarily because of it but maybe in spite of it. The pay was far better as a 73 FO, than it was as a CRJ Captain but and it’s a big but, you cannot compare the $ amounts of what you get paid in the US vs Oz. Oz was at least double the cost of the US. Rent, food, car, bills. Everything. This was 12 years ago and the US is now a more expensive place to live, although not Sydney expensive. I absolutely love Sydney. It’s one of the best QOL cities you can live in and I’ve lived all the over the world but as my wife says, the views don’t pay the bills. I will say that once I’d made my peace with the checking and training culture, I had a blast and flew with some really outstanding operators, who I learnt a lot from and now consider life long mates.

I was very very lucky to get a legacy gig in 2015. Here I am almost 7 years later and financially I couldn’t have made a better choice. I will retire with far more and I mean FAR more in my pension/401k than I could ever have hoped to amass in Oz. I own a home that would be AU$2-4 million in Sydney and cost a fraction of that in the US. I now fly the 777 and earn far more than the Captains I flew with at VOz. Even pre-COVID by a large amount. If I wanted to give up my current fleet, I could hold 737 CA in Chicago and the pay would be even more.

Now, the caveats. I was lucky. I was in the right place at the right time and I’m fully aware that with the next global catastrophe, whether it’s a virus or the PRC invading Taiwan, my job could very well be in the sh!tter. It’s not a case of if but when and anyone who thinks that the current good times will continue ad infinitum, well they’re living in Colorado and smoking some really good weed.

The US isn’t perfect but one thing I’ve learnt, over the years is that nowhere really is. If you respect the fact that generally, they do things their way and don’t bang on about how much better somewhere else is, they’ll generally be extremely welcoming. I’ve had the odd comment over the years about being a foreigner but no more than my wife got as a yank in Oz.

My advice is this, always have a plan b for this job, it can disappear in a heartbeat but if you have the inclination and desire, you can have a lot of fun flying in the US, regardless of if you stay long term or head elsewhere.