Aussies are flying regional jets in the USA

US Airlines are hiring Aussie pilots. What you need to know to fly regional jets in America.

If you’re into your first or second GA job with 1500 hours and aren’t having much luck with getting into the flight levels, then a trip to USA may suit your sense of adventure – especially if you’re single and willing to accept a share-house kind of salary.

American regionals are desperate for pilots, and they are unable to hire the number of pilots they need, leading to schedule reductions and flight cancellations by the thousands every week. They even have “referral bonuses” so that if you help them recruit new pilots they’ll give you cash.

Visa, travel, accommodation (during training), ATP exam, multi-crew training and type rating are all taken care of by the airline. All you need is a bit of common sense, flexibility to learn new rules, and to keep your idealistic socialist ideas to yourself. They’re also more than happy to hire pilots up to age 60 or so (the maximum age to hold an ATP is 65).

What are the minimum experience requirements?

In most cases you may apply a few months before you meet the requirements, and if you are accepted, let the airline know when you are ready. The exact entry requirements will vary from airline to airline, but below are the most common figures:

• Must be at least 23 years of age
• 1500 hours total experience
• 50 hours of multi-engine fixed-wing flight time
• 200 hours cross-country flight time
• 250 hours fixed-wing PIC
• 100 hours of cross-country as PIC
• 100 hours of night flying
• 25 hours of night PIC
• 75 hours of instrument time (actual or simulated – 50 hours must be in airplanes)

What is the interview process like?

Once you apply for a job, your interview will be scheduled via Skype, Zoom, or other videoconference. The interview panel will normally consist of one Captain and one HR person.

The HR questions are pretty standard airline interview questions:

• Tell me about yourself
• What do you know about XYZ Airlines?
• Why do you want to work for XYZ Airlines?
• What do you think you can contribute to XYZ Airlines?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Do you know what CRM is?
• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker and how did you handle it?
• etc.

The more technical questions asked by the captain would follow this style:

• I’ve just emailed you an ILS chart for Asheville NC. Take a couple of minutes to look at it and then we’ll discuss it.
• What is the highest obstacle on the chart?
  • How would you fly this approach from Sugarloaf Mt?
  • What does NoPT mean?
  • You’ve just gone past the ILS IAF and Tower advises visibility has dropped below minima. What do you do?
• Your only lavatory is unserviceable for a 1.5 hour charter flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco. What do you think are the considerations and would you depart?
• As you are doing the aircraft acceptance checklist before the preflight inspection you have reason to suspect the Captain has had alcohol. He also looks fatigued. What would you do?
• etc.

It’s a good idea to download an American “IFR cheat sheet” and start getting your head around how things work over there in regards to instrument approaches, planning alternates, etc.

How do I choose which airline to apply for?

Do your research: read all the information on their website, scroll through their social media pages, try to find someone who has been there, done that. You don’t necessarily need to find someone who has been to that particular airline – once you’ve been there you have a good idea of the reputation of each airline.

Things to take into account:

• Whether the airline has their own training facilities and simulators, or outsources the training.
• The pilot “domiciles” available, taking into account that popular cities will only be available with higher seniority.
• Which airline your regional airline flies as a subsidiary to. Any given regional airline may fly for 1 (eg. United) or several (see screenshot of Skywest who contracts to 4) different airlines.
• Salary including sign-on bonus. Note that due to the sign-on bonus, your year 2 salary will be much lower than your year 1 salary, so when working out living expenses it’s probably best to divide your sign-on bonus by 24 and average out your salary for the first two years. Note that if you leave the airline within 2 years, you’ll have to return a pro-rata amount of the bonus.
  Above a certain monthly minimum guarantee (normally about 75h), the more you work the more you’ll earn. Then there are the per-diems, which is a small amount paid for every hour you’re away from home base (including flights and overnights).
• How long is reserve? They probably won’t give you a straight answer, as this constantly varies, and also varies by aircraft type and by domicile. But if they say “about 3 months” that’s much better than “about 9 months”. See below “What’s life like as a regional pilot”.
• How long to Captain upgrade? Like the above, this constantly changes with the times, and they won’t be able to give you a straight answer, but it’s still worth asking. This will partially be dictated by your competence and readiness to take on the challenge, but will mostly based on seniority as well. Same as above, even if they’re not sure because it depends on many factors, if they say 2 years that’s still better than if they say 4 years.

The best thing to do is to pick two or three airlines, get interviewed, ask many questions. Then, use your gut instinct to pick the airline with the most professional approach. If the interview is a sketchy circus (for example they don’t have the information you sent them) then probably the airline is, too.

Examples of U.S. airlines hiring Australian pilots as of February 2022, with more likely to put the E3 program back on the table over the coming year:

• GoJet
• Skywest
• CommutAir
• PSA
• Breeze Airways
• Avelo Airlines
• Atlas Air (with multi-crew experience)
• Spirit (after FAA ATP and Part 121 experience)
• Frontier (after FAA ATP and Part 121 experience)

How do I apply for an E3 Visa?

After successful completion of the interview, you could be receiving your contract and visa application forms the next day. All you need to do is apply for the visa online (ustraveldocs.com) and wait for it to be reviewed by the consulate in Australia. You’ll then be able to log in again and book an appointment at the consulate, which consists of a 10 minute meeting where they’ll verify that your reasons for requesting an E3 work visa are genuine, you have the required qualifications for the job, and you don’t have anything against Trump. You’ll have to leave your passport at the consulate and after a few days it will be returned to you via Toll Express with the visa in it.

If you want to take your family, they can apply for the same visa as you. Your spouse will be able to work in USA, but only after applying via Form I-765 through USCIS. They need to be in the country to apply, and it may take around 6 months to be approved. My recommendation though is that they don’t come into the country until you’ve finished your type rating – firstly because you’ll need to concentrate on studying, secondly because you’ll be living in a hotel room, and thirdly because as soon as you’ve started training they can do the trip to USA (almost) for free.

I’ve applied for the visa, now what?

The clock is ticking. Don’t waste any time, start applying for things and getting documents verified. As an Australian, you’re in for a culture shock when you see how few things you can apply for via online form. At the very best, you’re looking at printing, filling, and scanning forms, then emailing them and hoping someone will get back to you.

Things you can do right now:

• Start the foreign licence verification process with CASA and FAA (check IACRA)
• Apply for a RR licence (Form 605) with the FCC

Things you should do on day 1 when you arrive in USA:

• Apply for a social security number, in person, at the nearest social security office. It could take up to 6 weeks to receive your SSN, and although it would be legal to, your airline may not let you start training until you have it, wasting weeks of your life waiting in a hotel room.
• Submit an AFSP (Alien Flight Student Program) request, online. Your school will need to provide details for this. The time frame varies, but can tipically take 3-4 weeks to be approved. You cannot start training without this.

Once that’s all done you could be sitting in your hotel room for about a month:

• Get your first class medical done with an AME
• Study for your ATP exam. Your airline will most likely sign you up for an account with a company called Sheppard Air, who basically provide you with a database of thousands of questions and answers. An interesting way to study to say the least.

In summary, how long it takes to start training after arriving in the country will depend on a combination of people’s incompetence (at the airline, social security office, immigration, etc) and your luck of the draw. It could be anywhere from 1 week to 6 weeks.

What’s training like?

Hopefully your training will be efficient. Since there are 4 different components to it, it may not be scheduled efficiently and in the worst case scenario you can end up with 6 months of training.

ATP-CTP course and ATP exam
For your ATP-CTP course (similar to the MCC course in Australia) you’ll most likely be sent to Dallas for about 8 days. The course will consist of 4 days of classroom talking about CRM and 3 days of full motion sim (could be any multi-crew jet, such as for example a full motion A320). Did I say “days”? Your sims will most likely be 4 hour slots in the middle of the night. On the last day, you will sit your ATP exam that you’ve been studying for the past month. The ATP exam actually has nothing to do with the ATP-CTP course, but since the ATP-CTP course is a pre-requisite to sit the ATP exam, it’s an efficient pairing so you can hit the ground running at your new airline.

Indoc
For induction (they actually call it “indoctrination” or “indoc”) you’re looking at around 2 weeks of classroom training. This is where you’ll learn all the generic SOP (rosters, pay, uniforms, passenger handling, general emergencies, life jackets, fire extinguishers, etc) including general technical knowledge revision to help prepare you for the type rating. This is also when you’ll most likely be able to bid for, and be assigned, an aircraft type and a domicile.
This is also where your airline will go through your logbook to make sure there aren’t any hiccups when doing your type rating “check ride”.

When you have your uniforms fitted, it will most likely come out of your salary – you’re looking at around $450, depending on what you require, which will come out of your salary over the next few months.

Type Rating
The type rating may be in-house or you may be sent to a training provider such as Flight Safety. You’re generally looking at two weeks of ground school and two weeks of sim.
The final “check ride” (flight test) will give you both an FAA ATP licence (without any need for any further licence conversion tests) and the type rating. Note that until you’ve done 25 hours in the real aircraft (not including line training) you won’t qualify to convert your type rating in Australia.

Jump seating

Before starting your line training, the airline will give you a few days to do some jump-seating. They will expect you to jump-seat a certain number of sectors (eg. 5 sectors) before your line training starts. You’ll be wearing your uniform and will legally be part of the operating crew (ie. if there were to be an emergency you would be expected to offer support).

Line Training
After successful completion of your type rating, you’ll be assigned a line training roster. You’ll be assigned trips just like a real airline pilot, only difference being you’ll be assigned “training captains” instead of regular captains. A normal amount of line training is hard to quantify (it’s competency based), but think along the lines of 25 to 75 hours. Once your training captain passes your “line check” you’ll be a fully qualified first officer.

What is life like as a regional pilot?

The most exciting things about the job are 1) operating a shiny jet, and 2) free staff travel.

1. The types you’ll be operating are most likely one of the following: ERJ145, E175, CRJ200, CRJ700.
   The E175 is the fanciest one (very new, with advanced automation and even autothrottles) but don’t get fooled by the shiny jet only, you also need to consider which type has the best domiciles, flight hours, and progression to Captain. For example, on the ERJ145 there may be quicker progression to Captain, but on the E175 you’ll be flying longer sectors (3h legs vs. 1h legs?), which means more pay for less work.
2. The staff travel is amazing, but also comes with its difficulties. I could write 10,000 words on the topic alone. You can basically fly wherever you want in the USA, with almost any airline, for free. Zero dollars. Just show up and hop on. On the other hand, because of this, aeroplanes are always close to 100% full. 70% paying passengers and 30% randoms on staff travel. There is a complex seniority system and half of the time you will not get on, even after doing the trip to the airport and waiting at the gate. You can also jump seat with FedEx which is very cool, when else would you get the chance to fly in an MD-11?
   For international trips, you’ll always have to pay taxes, and they vary for every country. For example, Chicago to London may cost $12 and the return trip London to Chicago may cost $120. You’ll pay a small premium, along the lines of $150, for business class.
   Your immediate family (spouse, kids, and parents) will get similar perks, with the only drawback that their seniority is even lower than your own. If you don’t have a spouse, you can pick 1 friend, which you can sign up and change once a year by paying about $100.

The least exciting things about the job are 1) living in a hotel for several months during training, 2) the months of reserve, and 3) living in the USA.

1. Living in a hotel has its perks. Mostly the hotels are actually nicer than you’d think. Free buffet breakfast, getting your bed made and bathroom cleaned, etc. But not having a car is hard, and living off ready meals and uber eats takes its toll on your health, your happiness, and your wallet.
2. During the first few months of work you will not be assigned a flying roster but rather a standby (reserve) roster. You won’t know if you’ll be flying, where you’ll be flying, and where you’ll be overnighting, until hours before departure. And often you won’t be doing much flying at all, with the impact that has on your wallet and your career progression. You could be on reserve for six months or more, which is awful, until your seniority number (at your domicile and for your fleet type) qualifies to bid for a schedule.
3. The USA is a pretty “interesting” country. Enjoy it while you get some experience, travel like crazy, and get out of there. But that was just my very personal impression of a country I would not like to live in for more than a couple of years – many people love it there and stay.

Can I expect progression onto the ‘majors’?

After spending only a year or two in the regionals, you can currently apply for Spirit/Frontier to fly an A320 or for Atlas Air to fly a wide-body B767, B777, or B747.

Without U.S. residency, which is difficult to attain, you are currently unlikely to have a chance with the major airlines (American, Delta, United, Southwest). Having said that, with the pilot shortage deepening further, green cards are likely to be an option for pilots in the near future.

How does the cost of life in the U.S. compare to Australia?

My advice is to never try to convert USD into AUD and vice-versa. Just take a Dollar to be a Dollar. If you’re used to paying A$4.50 for a coffee in Australia, it will cost U$4.50 in the U.S. also . A salary of $50k will give you a similar life style in both countries, considering that groceries will be very slightly cheaper and rent will possibly be slightly more. The price of rent and purchase of a car will of course vary greatly from city to city, so take the cost of living into consideration when picking a domicile, as the salary will not vary.

Anything else I should know?

If you move to USA be ready for a change of paradigm and a culture shock bigger than what you are possibly expecting. I won’t go into their tipping culture (and how the minimum wage is $2.13ph – by contrast in Australia it’s $20.33ph), but here are a couple of important things to consider when you arrive:

1. Health insurance:
   When you arrive in the country you won’t have health insurance until you’ve started work, which could be anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks down the track. So make sure you take out 2 months of travel insurance before leaving Australia in case you get sick or injured.
   What the company calls “health benefits” is really a Hobson’s choice where the company pays half of your health insurance, you pay the other half, and end up with a rotten deal where the insurance will pay for a small portion of your medical fees if you need to see a doctor. Even with health insurance, you could easily be $400 out of pocket for having the flu. Where is the “benefit” here? I’m not sure.
   Things have probably changed post-COVID19, but in 2019 it was cheaper to take out a world-wide travel insurance for the year (which would include medical, repatriation, missed flights, stolen documents, car rental excess, lost baggage… from Nigeria to Canada) than paying for 1/2 of your American health insurance (that would pay part of your doctor bills). To learn more watch this.
2. Credit score:
   In Australia your credit rating would be highest if you had a full time job, maybe some assets, and no debts. That actually makes perfect sense. In USA, if you don’t have debt, you don’t have a credit rating. So teenagers are forced to start using credit cards at an early age if they want to be able to ask for a car or home loan later in life. No credit card history, no loan. Your credit rating will also be important to rent an apartment/house. If you have a credit card with a big limit (ie debt) it shows you’re very trustworthy…
   So on day 3 in USA (after visiting the social security office and the DAME) open a bank account and also get yourself a secured credit card. You give the bank a $500 security deposit, and they give you a credit card with a $500 limit. Once you’ve been a good boy/girl for about 6 months you’ll be allowed a grown-up card if you ask nicely, and now you’re starting to build a good credit score. So start early! To learn more watch this and this.

I’m still thinking about it. Should I do it?

You’ll regret it if you don’t.

This article was written by David Roses and last updated in 2022. This content is not sponsored by any interested parties.