Blackhawk

i plan to enter Jet University and become a pilot for a regional airline company preferably Air Wisconsin.and if this helps i am 17 and going to graduate in the summer of 08 and hopefully enroll in Jet University in October.so here are my questions:1.do you get to choose where you get to fly?like, lets say you live in washington dc and you fly out of that airport,do you choose the airport you will always be flying to?if not how does it all work?2.what is the difference between an airline like Air Wisconsin and an airline like Delta Airlines besides the planes they fly and the places they fly to?3.is it better to do the long flight sort the short flights?4.how often do you get relocated?is it worth even owning a home,or is it worth it to rent a house (or apartment)?5.how do you progress to flying larger aircraft like the boeing 777,or 747,besides just how many hours and experience you have?please email me with good websites or more information.

elchocador

If your not already an AOPA member. Join. They now have a section in the magazine about flying the heavies, and how to get there. All answers to your questions will be answered. It helps you keep your finger on the pulse of the airlines.

JohnN9032

Well thats certainly young to be be graduating next year but some airlines require 21 or 25 years to even get hired. Your best bet is try outside of the states,, Air whisky would be a good start, but learn their requirements first, whether you have to have a college degree or are they takeing you class and hours in consideration To get to the bigger jets your going to have to get away from the commuters and hope to get on mainline flying. But remeber seniority rules at all airlines so you may be stuck on a rj for a few years, got right seat on a 737 for a few years then left,and slowly work yoour way up as you get typed for each aircraft as you go

Ozzie

Everything is based on company seniority. The number is given to you the day you start new hire class at the airline you work for. The oldest in that class is the most senior the youngest the least senior. The next class is junior to your class and so on. The best trips are the senior trips and the left overs go to the junior pilot. After you gain experience with the regional carrier you move up to the major airlines, Continental, American, etc. Then the seniority issue starts all over again. Whether you get long or short flights depends again on seniority or just personal preference. About relocation it will depend on if your carrier keeps hiring and you move up in seniority or if the buy more aircraft so they hire more pilots. Try these sites for more info. http://flighttraining.aopa.org and for info about the carriers them selves, hiring qualifications, pay how many pilots etc. http://airlinepilotcentral.com Those should give you a good start. Also take a look at http://eaa.org

nooner

#5) Go to a real college first, become an Flight Officier in the military, go to airlines when you get out. there are very few non-military guys flying 747's. Actually your odds in this career of even getting out of the regionals are very low, so you may want to rethink this career choice. You may learn to regret your decision no matter how great it is to fly.

ZKSUJ

1.do you get to choose where you get to fly?like, lets say you live in washington dc and you fly out of that airport,do you choose the airport you will always be flying to?if not how does it all work?Nope you do not choose. Basically you follow the roster and you do what you are scheduled to do. You can bid however for prefered routes etc etc... so that you may be able to layover there, but its not a guarantee2.what is the difference between an airline like Air Wisconsin and an airline like Delta Airlines besides the planes they fly and the places they fly to?I'm not an American nor am I an expert on regionals in the States but I can tell you how it works where I am. The general gist is that one is a major and the other is not. Majors will allow you to progress to larger aircraft and benifits with seniority. With that comes benifits, pay, larger route networks and in many cases in parts of the world, better job security.3.is it better to do the long flight sort the short flights?When starting out, many pilots wnt to fly 747s and 777 type aircaft on long haul so they can 'see the world'. But realistically, after a few years in a company, its all about your lifestyle. Some like being closer to home and choose short haul, others like having a week on and a week off and choose long haul. Both have their pros and cons and by no means is a 747 pilot better than an ATR pilot for example (unlike what many people think), its all about your lifestyle and what suits you as an individual. If you prefer being with your family then some airlines around allow 9-5 sort of shifts, where as in Long haul you mey be away for a weeks at times.4.how often do you get relocated?is it worth even owning a home,or is it worth it to rent a house (or apartment)?this comes with seniority. early on, generally you do not get to be picky with where you want to live etc etc... but as time goes on, you gain seniority and you can start to choose where you want to be based. I suggest renting until you gain seniority and start to settle down5.how do you progress to flying larger aircraft like the boeing 777,or 747,besides just how many hours and experience you have?Experience is key. As I mentioned before, the USA is a bit different to where I live but the basics are the same. Get a regional job, and work your way up. Once you gain hours you can start to look into the major carriers and work your way from there. Over here, it takes about 1000+ hours with 200+ multi time to get into a Beech 1900D. (here charter pilots need 750 minimum hours) in the States these requirements are a whole lot lower, some say around 350 hours. Instruct for a while, then work at the regionals for a while for a while, build a few thousand hours and then move on to larger crafts if you wish.don't expect to make captain of a big turbofan aircraft until you are at least 40-45ish. And just a note of caution, many people do not make it to the majors at all. So its a risk that you have to weigh up and choose to take.But main thing, persevere and with a bit of luck, things have the potential to work out very well.Good Luck