Expert: David A. NewMyer - 3/30/2004

Question
Thank you for helping me out!! I'm thinking about visiting some Pilot Colleges in the next few weeks and I want to  go into the Charter part of aviation. Almost all the schools train for the airlines. I was wondering if you thought a place like Flight Safety is a better school to get into,  the Charter sector or is Pan Am also the same? And also about charter vs. Regional, Which one do you think is better over all? I don't want to fly anything like a 737 as of right now, just be a captain in a crj, in that in mind, would you fly regional or charter? Thank you very much
         Shawn Culp

Answer
Hi Shawn:

Nice to hear from you again.  

As far as specific preparation for the charter or regional airline portion of the industry, I would think that any basic training that you get will be helpful to meet those goals.  Some schools will, however, be more specific in their training in favor of regional airlines...several such as Embry Riddle in Daytona have a CRJ flight training device (a simulator) that would give a nice head start on training.  I am not sure if Flight Safety Academy or Pan Am Academy has such a device but I do know that they both have some sort of placement program to get their graduates into regional airlines.

The charter section of aviation runs quite a range of companies....from small companies flying single engine aircraft to large companies flying nothing but jets.  The charter business is not only a matter of learning to fly, it is also a matter of learning the ins and outs of Federal Aviation Regulation Part 135, which governs the charter business.  That regulation sets limits on monthly flight time and also on minimum equipment lists that you need to fly with, and so forth.  Normally in the charter business you work your way up from the beginning flying in the smaller aircraft to co-pilot on piston and turbo prop twins to jets.  That can be fast or slow depending on where you are based and who you are working for.  As I mentioned before, most charter companies will not look at you until you have at least 500 hours of pilot in command flight time.

As far as a school to select, I would attend a school that will give you BOTH a good foundation in instrument flying skills using both the old and new instumentation (since charter fleets of aircraft can have either).  So, learn GPS but learn the older technology, too, to be more flexible in the job market .... and, to be safer as a pilot.

Remember also that you might want to step up to a 737 later, maybe because that is where your company goes in terms of aircraft that they fly.  So, do not turn down any sort of opportunity to learn to fly new and bigger equipment.

I hope that this helps.

Take good notes on common questions when you visit each school so that when you get back from the visit you will have common information to compare when making your decision.

Best wishes and make sure that you rate me via the Allexperts webs site.

Thanks!

Dave NewMyer
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu