Make a living being a regional pilot forever?
I want to be an airline pilot(majors) but I'm not going to college so I know the majors won't happen.
Become a plumber/HVAC technician. You will make more money. And you go home at 5 pm. Everyday. Time and a half for labor on the weekends/holidays.
Chances are that without a college degree even the regionals won't happen either. In 2016 SkyWest Airlines, a large regional based in St. George, UT, hired 36 new pilots. Only one didn't have a college degree. Do you like those odds?
These days, any regional airline worth working for in the USA (meaning they operate jets) expects a pilot applicant to have a college degree. Those regional air carriers who only operate turboprops or piston aircraft and don't care whether an applicant has a degree or not are generally not worth spending a career with. This does not mean it is impossible to get hired by a decent company or that you can't eventually earn a decent wage, but by not getting any sort of degree you will be restricting your options and you will be less competitive for employment. Besides all that, what do you think your employment prospects and income potential will be if you become a pilot and then lose your license due to health problems, a major violation or an accident? At least with a college degree you'd have something to fall back on. At the very least, consider getting an aircraft mechanics certificate.
"Forever"? Nope. You'll still have to retire at age 65. But there are lots of older pilots flying for regional airlines in the USA today. While you probably will never see that big 6 figure airline pilot's salary, it's still possible to live well on what you can earn from flying for the regionals… And you MIGHT even be able to sleep in your own little bed every night.
- Would flying between 40k and 45k miles a year make me a frequent flyer? The past few years I have kept track of the amount of (real) miles I have flown -- I say real miles to distinguish them from airline miles, because I don't always fly with the same rewards program -- and the average is about 40 to 45k miles a year. In everyday conversations, would it make sense to consider myself a "frequent flyer," or is that only for people who fly like 100k plus every year?
- Is it weird that I like being on airplanes MORE than the actual vacation? Being at airports, seeing people from different parts of the world together in one location, and the excitement of traveling is awesome. Going on airplanes is fun too because I'm high up in the air, about to go somewhere for vacation. But when I get to my destination, I feel less eager yet I don't know why. I just like being on airplanes. Sure, I like traveling around different countries and tasting different food, too, but being on airplanes is twice as fun for me.
- Are US airport CBP officers notorious for being rude? I'm curious about some of you guys experiences with them because I recently started flying overseas to fulfill my quest of seeing the world. Am I expected to anticipate rudeness every time I land back in the states? Is that apparently "the culture" in our country of USA?
- Is becoming a regional airline pilot one of the few great jobs that you can have without a college degree? Many regional airlines don't require college degrees. Is becoming an E-170 or CRJ700 captain much better than working as a bus driver or a carpenter? You think sleeping at Motel 6s or Motel 8s and drinking that free coffee is bad? It would be a very nice treat for bus drivers or people with other jobs that they could find with no degree. I would be honored to sleep at Motel 6 or Motel 8 for free. At least it is much better than hostel or Airbnb.