How long did it take you?

[floats4fun]

So how long did it take you, to start from no experience (first instructing job, dock, sky diving etc) to your first airline job...if you took that path? Airline job as in anything from Regional turbo-props to bigger machines.

Not that it matters in anyway, I never really had opportunities to talk to fellow pilots about their career and hey, Im nosey

[Sulako]

Nothing wrong with corporate flying either :p It took me 7 years from the time I started my first flying job to get into the left seat of a corporate jet.

[red323]

Started flight training in'97 and got hired to a regional in late 2006. lots of cool stuff in between.

[frog]

7 years between the class 4 instructor rating and the right seat of a 737

[sissyphus]

5 years to a jet, 6.5 to left seat.

results not typical. use at own risk.

[Sumup]

Took 6.5 years from comm. to left seat corporate jet seems to be a theme. Should also be to the first $100,000 on t4. still looking

[JZA]

10 Years, 2 Months...and quite a trip it was.

[sticks37]

4 years from first job to 737.....5.5 to the left seat.

[Panama Jack]

3 years + 9 months from instructing job to the right seat of what was then called a "Tier II" carrier.

[teacher]

9 1/2 years and 3 industry down falls to get from CPL to 705 ops.

[Gards]

9 years from Commercial multi IFR to Right seat 767 in Asia.

[sidestick stirrer]

My experience was very-much one of being in the right place at the right time: I passed my MIFR ride on a 150-hp Apache in September and was flying a DC-8 ( albeit as a Second Officer) the next spring, totally behind the curve and hanging on for dear life. Total flying time when I began groundschool on the thing was less than 275 hours.
Been quite a ride since then, in my fourty-first year of flying the line now.

[leftyxl]

Lesson one in Sept '89
"The Bear" in August '99
on to a 737 in 2003
lotsa "stuff in between"
it's been an interesting ride

[raven54]

2.5 years to 705 right seat. 6 years to the left seat.

[Niodatchi]

8 years to a right seat on an A330 in a democratic country. And a mix of instruction, charter, and regional left and right seat mix in between!Cheers! Nio

[Joe Blow Schmo]

Personally, it's not the size of the aircraft that matters it's the size of the pay cheque and the quality of the life. So...

3 years to the 1st job with a real schedule
4 years to making over $50k
7 years to making over $100k

Now if I could only get somebody to pay me that to fly a Beaver in Tahiti.

[KAG]

Graduation March 1998, left seat King air March 2001, Regional job offer Sept 2001, started regional Feb 2006. Lots fun had in between. I'm glad to took the scenic route.

[Mig29]

4 years from my first hour as a working commercial pilot to place in a regional, hoping to move up soon...

[Mister]

I must say, it is time as well some luck, perhaps a lot of luck. I know it took me from start of ground school to a decent 206 job...4.5 yrs. From that, an additional 2 yrs to a right seat Be 20 and then another 1.5 yrs to the left seat. This was at a time when the industry was doing well. Now that things are picking up again, hopefully not more than a year to the airlines. In the end, I have spent 10 yrs in this profession, and so far I don't regret one second. It has been so much fun and I have met many wonderful people along the way. As many have said before, the first few years are the hardest...hang in there and don't give up...I am thankful I didn't...trust me there were times I really wanted to!

[buss]

Interesting post.
My first twin job took about 3 years in 1997. The beech captains had on average 8000 hours. One very capable guy had over 17000 hours. Now these guys were not happy and looking for advancement. This was at a very slow time in the industry. You have to realize nothing is more important in this industry than timing.