Thank you for your mentorship to us junior guys. I know it takes a lot of your time to put these videos together but it really helps us junior folks and aspiring pilots. By far your videos are second to none when it comes to representing your profession and helps guide others in their decisions along the way. Your ability to translate the complexities of an airline pilot career into a simple to understand format is unmatched anywhere on the internet. Again, thank you.
As someone who got in within the last two years this gentleman is on the mark with his assessment. I got to a lcc right around 1500 and skipped the regionals even tho I had a CJO at one of them. At a year of employment at the lcc I got picked up by a major and life has been great ever since . No training contracts, no training department busting my back over silly stuff like I’ve heard of at the regionals, no doing 4 legs minimum a day I got to the regionals even quicker than people that I had to ask for help when I began and even my cfi from back then. That said ….the pilot shortage still exist but the dynamic has definitely changed . It’s not the same pilot shortage once advertised. For reference: I didn’t really have to compete. Just had to show my hours and tell them why I’d be a good fit for this company. If I was some one still having to get to this point I’d be competitiveness focused. And don’t focus on the route that I happened to take but focus on the regionals first and then majors. I certainly believe things are finding normalcy of the old days where they want at least 1000 hours 121 candidates. Whereas a year ago my major took me with less than 600 hours 121 . Good luck to you all and stay focused .
Thanks for this video. A lot of doomerism going on places like r/flying. Important for people to know there is still a good opportunity for them in this industry.
Hello Darren, I'm subscriber 10K so glad to catch your channel. I have watched some of your other videos and you are an excellent presenter. Keep them coming.
I have 5.5 PIC hours. I love flying so much but I’m also making a great living right now as a 32yo. It’s just so hard to make the leap and go all in with the uncertainty of the industry and AI. Can you speak to these ? Love this video.
I could never understand only wanting to work 3 days. I get I can’t physically do 20+ days a month consistently but I’d hate to be off from flying, what the hell else is there to do, the couch?
Hi Darren, thank you so much, I’ve been recommending you do these type of videos for a while lol. Do you see the hiring picking up again once Boeing starts certifying & pumping out the 737 max 7s & 10s? Thanks!
worth noting Darren that those guys hired in the last 2/3 years (me but not in the US...) were training during covid which was an incredibly horrible time to be reading headlines about recruitment... yes we got 'lucky' when we were hired, but all through training we were wondering if we'd ever get jobs... there is no good time to start training, there is only a good time to finish.
Do the pilots union sit with you pilots to ask all these questions about days off, lay overs etc before contract talks? or is it you guys cover everything. Great union to me!!
It's not done, it is just slower now and will remain more consistent instead of the big boom we had two years ago. Most airlines are only hiring cadets of the airline in an effort to slow hiring down.
For me personally I would hate a schedule like this. I love flying and need to be in a flight deck after 3 days off. Hence ai would struggle to consider long haul. I will but the lack of flying exposure is a big hurdle. After a week of leave my wife and kids are ready to kill me. 😂
could you make a video discussing whether AI is going to reduce the number of pilots in the future? I’m interested in how advancements in AI technology might impact the aviation industry and if we could see fewer pilots as a result. Thanks!
Long call pilots get used before short call pilots generally giving an opportunity for not getting called as a Short Call pilot. There’s also advantages to certain RAP times. If you get the 3PM RAP you can do morning activities on that first day of a block without worrying about getting called.
If I understand from your prior videos , you have to meet minimum numbers in take off and landing hands in a 90 day period. With fewer hands on hours, how many times a year are you in the simulator ?
Just a portion. My current RAP is 11AM until 1AM but only have to actually be ready to go until 11PM. After that I have to respond but won’t be called to go anywhere.
It’s complicated. I made a video but will have to really make sure it’s kosher to post. There was an oversight in the trip construction that made it not comply with our contract.
Maybe because it is. Just my perspective... I highly recommend people attend industry conferences such as WIA, LPA and OBAP. Although things are slowing, there are still (the right) opportunities out there
Thank you for your mentorship to us junior guys. I know it takes a lot of your time to put these videos together but it really helps us junior folks and aspiring pilots. By far your videos are second to none when it comes to representing your profession and helps guide others in their decisions along the way. Your ability to translate the complexities of an airline pilot career into a simple to understand format is unmatched anywhere on the internet. Again, thank you.
Hey thank you Kevin. Honestly. You’re the reason I do this.
As a Commercial student waiting for my checkride, I appreciate you and your videos so much!!!!!!!!!
Let me in! (North of the border)
As someone who got in within the last two years this gentleman is on the mark with his assessment. I got to a lcc right around 1500 and skipped the regionals even tho I had a CJO at one of them. At a year of employment at the lcc I got picked up by a major and life has been great ever since . No training contracts, no training department busting my back over silly stuff like I’ve heard of at the regionals, no doing 4 legs minimum a day I got to the regionals even quicker than people that I had to ask for help when I began and even my cfi from back then. That said ….the pilot shortage still exist but the dynamic has definitely changed . It’s not the same pilot shortage once advertised.
For reference: I didn’t really have to compete. Just had to show my hours and tell them why I’d be a good fit for this company. If I was some one still having to get to this point I’d be competitiveness focused. And don’t focus on the route that I happened to take but focus on the regionals first and then majors. I certainly believe things are finding normalcy of the old days where they want at least 1000 hours 121 candidates. Whereas a year ago my major took me with less than 600 hours 121 . Good luck to you all and stay focused .
Americans are so lucky, no pilot shortage here in the UK, I can’t even get a job. Enjoy every moment, thanks for sharing ✈️💫
Grateful for this video and your bright personality and perspective. Thank you for sharing! Would love updates as things progress into 2025.
Thank you for the kind words.
Thanks for this video. A lot of doomerism going on places like r/flying. Important for people to know there is still a good opportunity for them in this industry.
A lot of doomerism in general, Mentally Transmitted disease lmao, look it up.
I’m not going to even go to Reddit. It’s cancer.
I spent the two days last week with United Execs and the heads of the pathways program.
You assessment is in line with everything they said.
Hello, this is crew scheduling, we need you to start tripping asap.
Hello Darren, I'm subscriber 10K so glad to catch your channel. I have watched some of your other videos and you are an excellent presenter. Keep them coming.
Thank you for subscribing!
Thanks for your thoughts :)
Thanks for the videos. Congrats you're about to hit 10k subs!
My brother also flies for your airline as a relatively new A320 FO and he also had a similar schedule so this checks out.
I have 5.5 PIC hours. I love flying so much but I’m also making a great living right now as a 32yo. It’s just so hard to make the leap and go all in with the uncertainty of the industry and AI. Can you speak to these ? Love this video.
I will try to in a future video
@@geekontheflightdeck Thank you!
Great insight
I could never understand only wanting to work 3 days. I get I can’t physically do 20+ days a month consistently but I’d hate to be off from flying, what the hell else is there to do, the couch?
Hi Darren, thank you so much, I’ve been recommending you do these type of videos for a while lol. Do you see the hiring picking up again once Boeing starts certifying & pumping out the 737 max 7s & 10s? Thanks!
worth noting Darren that those guys hired in the last 2/3 years (me but not in the US...) were training during covid which was an incredibly horrible time to be reading headlines about recruitment... yes we got 'lucky' when we were hired, but all through training we were wondering if we'd ever get jobs... there is no good time to start training, there is only a good time to finish.
100%. Training during COVID was stressful from multiple angles. Huge bet as airlines were parking planes around the world
I sure hope hiring resumes soon at AA. im a CA at a AA wholly owned and am stuck until flow starts back up 😢
They are giving CJOs at job fairs
Do the pilots union sit with you pilots to ask all these questions about days off, lay overs etc before contract talks? or is it you guys cover everything. Great union to me!!
So close to 10k
Congrats on 10k subscribers Darren, I remember first discovering you when you had maybe ~1-1.5k subscribers.
Thank you for sticking around. I hope to always be able to respond to questions and comments
@@geekontheflightdeckDon’t worry you have succeeded at that :). I love your insights on all aspects of the job, flying, family, crew scheduling, etc.
Its already starting to pick up, most regionals are hiring again albeit very selectively at the moment.
@@Gmantsb Selectivity? My airline is only hiring cadets currently and others are only hiring those desperate enough to sign bad contracts.
@@Gmantsb what is done? You aren’t making sense
It's not done, it is just slower now and will remain more consistent instead of the big boom we had two years ago. Most airlines are only hiring cadets of the airline in an effort to slow hiring down.
@@f3nd13ythe only thing done is his brain cells and ability to not think the world going to end for atleast 5 minutes
For me personally I would hate a schedule like this. I love flying and need to be in a flight deck after 3 days off. Hence ai would struggle to consider long haul. I will but the lack of flying exposure is a big hurdle. After a week of leave my wife and kids are ready to kill me. 😂
could you make a video discussing whether AI is going to reduce the number of pilots in the future? I’m interested in how advancements in AI technology might impact the aviation industry and if we could see fewer pilots as a result. Thanks!
I’m not an AI expert by any means. I’ll consider it. I can’t see AI reducing passenger pilots in my lifetime.
Is the difference really only $850 a month for you between short and long call or are there more perks for short call? (3 hours of guarantee pay)
Long call pilots get used before short call pilots generally giving an opportunity for not getting called as a Short Call pilot. There’s also advantages to certain RAP times. If you get the 3PM RAP you can do morning activities on that first day of a block without worrying about getting called.
If I understand from your prior videos , you have to meet minimum numbers in take off and landing hands in a 90 day period. With fewer hands on hours, how many times a year are you in the simulator ?
I’ve only been on the 777 since April. Just one landing sim since then.
Trying to understand the RAP. Are you on standby/call for a portion of the day or the entire 24 hours?
Just a portion. My current RAP is 11AM until 1AM but only have to actually be ready to go until 11PM. After that I have to respond but won’t be called to go anywhere.
@@geekontheflightdeck thank you for the information and quick response.
You’re welcome. I do my best.
Good to see we are both on the pineapple on pizza team🤭 Enjoy your family time and I hope you get assigned a few more trips in October.🤞🏼
So picking up trips during day off adds on top of guarantee?? 🤓
Correct. Any trip that touches a duty free period all goes on top of guarantee
@@geekontheflightdeck Sweet! Thank you
The schools are full of students, and the airlines are not hiring, so much for the pilot shortage.
Did you actually watch the video? You do know this is temporary and there will always be highs and lows in this industry.
How long can you go with out flying and stay current?
3 landings in a rolling 90 day period then back to the sim.
Can the crew swap positions once they get to the plane? Say you need landing currency and are the FB , can you swap spots with the FO?
Not at this airline. You fly what you get.
3:00 How did you decline a trip???
It’s complicated. I made a video but will have to really make sure it’s kosher to post. There was an oversight in the trip construction that made it not comply with our contract.
I’m holding off on signing a regional contract. It feels like a trap
Maybe because it is. Just my perspective... I highly recommend people attend industry conferences such as WIA, LPA and OBAP. Although things are slowing, there are still (the right) opportunities out there
I was hired to a legacy from being at a regional for 2 years for some perspective. Never upgraded
do new hires get 777 right from the start
No. If a new hire gets it right away then it means it’s not desirable.
There is no pilot shortage. Qualified pilots continue to quit low pay and bull Sh*t quality of life! I repeat, there is no shortage.
Are you the official spokesperson?
Colbert?? These two are voting Harris…
What does this have to do with my video? Is your sole purpose in life to inject politics into every possible thing?
I had to go search for the 3 seconds I mentioned that. Amazing that was your takeaway. Truly Bless Your Heart