Aviation BS and Photo Thread

@MathewMay1, we don't have a lot to choose from, from my perspective....i live an hr away from the Birmingham Airport, 3 hrs from Huntsville and about 3hrs from Atlanta...trying to keep up that kind of schedule and work 40+ hrs a week... i really want to fly helos ( my dream), the closest Helo place i found is in Huntsville, i've done some research and from what i've read and the people i've talked to its pretty time consuming when you already don't have much...maybe if someone knows something i don't they can inform me, anything is always welcome and appreciated..maybe it'll just have to stay one of those "dreams" that most people have and never fulfill but i do enjoy watching, riding in and being around all aircraft

 

It's possible but it will be a long road to get there. Depending on how you go about getting your flight ratings will dictate the minimum number of hours required to obtain the ATP required for normal airlines. In general you'll need 1000-1500 hours to even qualify for an ATP and fly for the lowest paying regional airline. For my friends who went straight into the civilian side of aviation it was a long time of eating ramen and driving 1990 Civics before their jobs started having both decent pay and scheduling.

 

Technically, both pilots are concerned about safety of the aircraft and everyone aboard. After all, the crew sits at the pointy end and generally arrives at the crash scene first.

With that being said, every flight has pilot flying and pilot not flying duties. Somethings never change, such as captain has the tiller for taxiing. Other times the responsibilities may remain constant during an abnormal and emergency situations. Radios, checklists, running checklists, etc.

 

yeah, well now that you mention it.....I totally knew it. My apologies.

 

If I were to do it over again I would go to a 2 week intensive program. If you have the vacation time it's a great way to at least knock out your Private. Thrust Flight in Dallas is a good one.

 

Hey! I helped build that aircraft! (well, pretty much all Boeing products; tier 1 supplier of 70% of a 737)

I was volunteer staff for Airventure a few years ago. There were very likely more than a few prop stricken blades in circulation after the fly in days. A great experience, but a rough couple of weeks.

 

That's where I'm currently doing my CFI

 

...^^^... You hit the nail on the head ... from my experiences ...

I know a couple of guys with more hours than that and they still can't get on with a bigger carrier.

One is dating a female friend of mine and he has maybe 4,000 hours is still doing his 2nd regional carrier ??
. . . (I don't if any BS is involved here ... but this one didn't seem right with 4,000 hours ??) . . .

 

Hiring goes by supply and demand and right now there are still enough applicants with higher qualifications to sort through that it is really limiting who may be getting a call at the sub 5000 hour or so mark (for an all civilian background). I do know of a few people to have been hired at less at a major airline but usually there was a connection in the hiring department that may have helped them get the interview. That is all it can do though, is get you the chance to interview. It was still all up to them to prove to the companies that they were a good fit. Plus it takes more than just hours. Majors want something more like a college degree(s), type ratings, extra duties/responsibilities (safety officer, Chief Pilot, etc), volunteer work, and anything else that could help you stand out. Beyond that it is still a computerized system that scores your qualifications and decides who gets their app looked at. It is a puzzling process as there are highly qualified people that are not yet being called. Keep in mind there are still a lot of regional pilots out there who have 7000-10,000+ hours waiting for a call from one of the majors.

 

But but but...historic pilot shortage sky is falling better get in flight school right now or else you’ll miss out on the boom advertising that’s been going on for at least ten years....

 

There are definitely signs of a shortage but as expected it is being felt at the lowest levels where the pay and working conditions are the worst - Part 135 charter and regional carriers. The majors still have a solid pool of applicants to choose from. And who knows how it will look when the economy has the next downturn that will come...

 

How do you like it? I almost went there to finish my Private but decided to go home to Michigan instead. Was looking at them for IFR/CFI/etc. I'm definitely the type that likes to dive in head first and just knock it out rather than dilly dally for months on end.

 

You'd love it.

 

That's an oddly cut field.

 

Can I like this twice?

 

They’re at home just WAITING for Google to take the picture.

 

Not a pilot, but I love planes. Took this at a Blues airshow at Joint Base Andrews in '10.

 

As a USAF retiree, I wholeheartedly approve this message.

 

Every meeting I have ever been to.