AboutDottie Norkus Expertise I can address questions concerning: airline pilot employment & entry level airline careers in the Unites States, women pilots, flight training, pilot certification, flight scholarships (mostly for women), aviation & airline safety topics, aviation accident investigation, air carrier accidents and airline operations.
***Please note, I cannot address flight training or career queries from outside the United States. If you are not in the USA, please direct your question to the message boards at www.PPRUNE.org as you can surely find an answer there. For those in India try http://www.indianpilots.com
Also, I cannot address questions about aero engineering degree programs/careers or aviation management careers.
Experience U.S. Regional Airline Pilot. I have also had 15 years previous experience in airline ground operations, as well as a part 91 commercial skydive pilot and ferry pilot.
Organizations I belong to I am a charter member of Women In Aviation International as well as the International Organization of Women Pilots: the Ninety Nines. I keep a database of flight scholarships for women (mostly SW USA) and mentor student pilots.
Education/Credentials Embry Riddle Aeronautical University certificate in Aviation Safety/Accident investigation.
Question Dot,
Hello again, following up on my last question, would there be a pretty good chance of becoming stationed in Charlotte of Atlanta as a junior regional pilot? My wife basically has concerns about moving too far from her family in SC. I told her that Charlotte or Atlanta are big airports with lots of airlines to get on with. Do you forsee it as a big possibility of having to move somewhere very far away from SC? Or do you think it would be easy to find something close? Thanks, Dan
Answer Dan,
Your wifes concerns are valid. There is always the possibility you will be based very far from where you'd like to live. (When I was first hired I was based in Boston and lived in Southern California. Luckily, I was able to transfer to a west coast base later on.) While Charlotte is large and Atlanta is the biggest in the country (depends on the years statistics), only a handful of regional and major airlines base their pilots at either airport. Amongst the regionals, only PSA (Charlotte) or ASA/Atlantic Southeast (Atlanta) have domiciles there, so if you don't get a job offers from them, you won't be based in either city. Other airlines with nearby bases are Chautauqua, Colgan, Mesa, & Piedmont.
As a prospective new regional pilot, you need to be prepared to go anywhere for the job. This means 1) that you move to where ever they base you OR 2) that you commute there to work and live where you chose. The latter takes quite a bit of time away from your personal life just getting to/from work- especially if your base is a time zone or two away from your home. It can also be expensive as you will need a "crash pad" or a hotel in base for late night finishes or early AM report times when you can't get between base and home on the same day. There are pilots who commute several states or even coast to coast, but it is not recommended for your sanity or the happiness of your spouse.
Your wife also needs to be willing to do what it takes to support you in your career choice- even if that includes relocating for a time. Quite literally, your marriage depends on it! They don't call it "A.I.D.S.- Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome" for nothing. When working for an airline, being too far from family isn't that big of an issue as you and your wife will fly for free (or close to it). An exception would be the need for daycare and the family offered to help with that.
I cannot downplay the sacrifices you, and your wife, may have to make for your career to be realized. It is very difficult in this industry to pick and chose pilot jobs. You may get 3 interviews and get offered jobs with all three or none at all. It all depends on how competitive your resume is against the other applicants. (Read quality, as well as quanity, flight time!) There is a saying: The BEST airline is the one that hires you. For example, if the only job offer you get is from American Eagle and on the first day of class you are awarded San Juan, P.R. as a base then guess what? You both move or you will see your wife less than 10 days a month.
