Ghost7, I did the same thing you have in mind doing and I am paying very high price for that mistake.
Unless you get a lucky strike or belong to the lucky sperm club I would recommend to do what fuelsurvey is doing if you want to conserve your composture and dignity.
Very hard to get with the majors where you will find good working conditions.
Regionals are tough, and QOL sucks compared to what you have (believe me).
How about flying cargo in a 777F for $3,600 usd a month, (oh, yeah still have to deduct taxes from that) and also an extra $1,000 month if you have the audacity of daring to aspire to provide health insurance to your wife and 2 kids, because that is An expensive privilege that you have to pay.
The above example is not uncomon to small Air carries here in the US.
Some other cargo outfits pay a decent salary but you will be gone 20 and 22 days in a row a month.
Allegiant can be a nice option, even though I have 2,300 hrs on the Busses it does not seem to have enough weight.
Be careful.
Just my 2 cents...

HR departments at US carriers hire the person, not the hours or a type rating. Be warned!

GF

GF,

Exactly. And it's a very difficult concept to get across to people.

As the mandatory retirements increase, it'll be fun to watch what constitutes the appropriate "person" in the eyes of desirable employers.

:oh:

It totalydepends on where you are moving to... can you answer that if you don't mind? The region you are moving to?

At the legacies, I don’t see it changing much, perhaps 4-year degree will be preferred at WN, for example. The US has such a robust “farm league” that DL, AA, UA, FDX can sustain the 4-degree for a long time. The short lasting AA, UA an initio plan in the late 60s required a degree and the candidate get a CPL on their own. Didn’t last long, but I think Rick “Choke the Goose” Dubinsky was one of them.

GF

A person I know recently attended a meeting where the head of DL's pilot employment spoke. He said DL will "never" drop the requirement for a 4-year degree. Never is a strong word but that's what he said.

Guys the requirements in the US are tailored to the american system. High school in the US is NOT comparable to Europe (no offence meant), it just isn’t a good enough level. So the requirement for uni simply makes sure the applicant has achieved a minimum acceptable standard of academic education to represent a major company as he moves up the ranks.
Now, me and you know that having been to uni means nothing in terms of defining a person, however like I said the US high school diploma simply doesn’ t cover enough compared to other places of the world.

bbt80s,

You might be right with your comparison of American education system at the high school level to other countries. I don't really know as I have no basis for comparison. Perhaps you do...not interested in debating that as it accomplishes nothing germane to the issue.

Our government education system leaves something to be desired at the elementary and high school levels with appropriate blame for all involved parties.

But that aside...the college degree requirement at career-destination airlines is much debated here with cases to be made on both sides.

However, there's one simple, pragmatic principle at work here: pilot requirements are the airlines' game so THEY make up the rules of that game, right, wrong or neither. All the debate in the world won't change it; only supply/demand forces can and it's unlikely they will here in the USA.

[And, yes, you can find the occasional example of a person who got to a US legacy without a degree. That doesn't disprove or negate the broader facts.]

The airline HR types will have their own list of reasons why they insist on a 4-year degree. Your statement that it's for an "...acceptable standard of academic education to represent a major company as he moves up the ranks." is as good as any since the reasons they require it don't matter.

They DO require it...your competition for highly competitive spots WILL have one even if the employer only lists it as "preferred".

Competition for the spots at the career-destination carriers here is FIERCE and RELENTLESS but often puzzling and infuriating so I can understand why expats coming here with the legal ability (and quals) to fly for an airline would find it all irritating.

That’s already the case. However, 98% of new hires have at a minimum a bachelors degree. The majority of military hires have the obligatory masters degree. The new hires that I’ve flown with that don’t have a degree, have all been exceptional in some other way.

Working max hours with minimum pay for the worst low cost 787 operator in the world?

Good advice!:D

Try JetBlue. Their main training facility is within the grounds of MCO and they're always looking for FAA qualified pilots.

Hi

I'm in Orlando right now.

Welcome. I'm a little over an hour away in Ormond Beach, based at MCO.

I live in Orlando too. Had been flying Pt 135 and Pt 91 corporate, but started early this year with PSA. I have to commute, right now, to Philadelphia but that changes to Charlotte in August.

The 3 American wholly owned regionals have a direct flow through to AA, although it can take a while. They all have direct entry Capt. positions too.