Originally Posted by
bafanguy
FlyTCI,
Interesting. Would you be able to reveal your employer as an example for others who might be able to do what you did ?
Having a green card puts you on equal footing with US citizens where airline employment is concerned. So, it may not be representative of what an true expat may face.
I would potentially reveal myself to potential colleagues (although it’s unlikely any of them are here) if I did, so I prefer not to. Lets say tenacity, networking and a bit of luck got me into a spot which could turn out to be very good long term.
My initial path was getting married to a US citizen some 15 years ago, who I divorced seven years later. I worked for a US 135 operator before going back to international flying for a non US company which ended just before Covid and then I was out of a job for two years before getting on with my current employer. 1000+ hours of 135 jet PIC meant that I met the 121 PIC requirement and I already had 1500 hours in the type I was recently hired on (which did not count towards the 1000 hrs as it was not operated under N reg).
Foreigners will need to spend a minimum of 1000 hours as 121 SIC (or 1000 hrs 135 jet PIC) for them to be able to upgrade, so none of them will slide directly into a left seat. However, with some of the Captain bids at the legacies going as low as 2.5 months on property one technically could be in the left seat as soon as the 1000 hr requirement is met. That would most likely be on reserve in NYC though, not ideal for most. But, those who are willing to work hard can make 200-250k or even more even in the right seat of the bigger LCCs and majors after a couple of years. Yes, the US has become a very expensive place to live over the last two years, but if you can’t make it on mid 200s then you need to talk to a financial planner.