Are there any airline pilots here? Regional/legacy/non-US carriers?

[Flightlead]

OT I know, but I'm considering switching careers and trying for an airline job and I'd like to talk to a few pilots first. Yes, I know I won't make any money, but I'm getting sick of flying a desk everyday

Path I'm considering is FO on a regional, expecting to make Captain in 2-3 years, another couple of years as Captain and then looking at a non-US carrier with probable overseas domicile.

PM me if you can give me some insight.

 

[konakoma]

Former airline pilot and owned my own air service for years. If you are smart, you'd forget it. Down cycle for airlines just starting again, 2 more bankruptcy's in last 10 days, fuel prices skyrocketing, insurance hassles, unions.... need more info? If you must fly, start a business, make money and buy your own plane.

 

[Flightlead]

owned and flew my own airplanes for 15 years, lots of fun and offers an unparalleled opportunity for personal bankruptcy

yeah, saw 3 have gone tango uniform in the last week. seems like every time I think about it, the industry nose dives. last time I looked into it was august 2001!

however there are a lot of flight crew set to retire in the next few years, and aircraft orders are high. supposedly world wide the demand for pilots is expected to skyrocket.

I was planning on supplementing the meager income from flying with some consulting work, which is what I do now. I can make a regional FO's annual salary in a month. how feasible is it to expect to be able to put in 80 hours a month on outside work as well as fly?