Flying for a regional airline has been bastardized by pilots, the media and passengers alike. Sure, there are a lot of outstanding issues that need to be resolved, but working for a commuter isn’t all that bad compared to other entry-level flying jobs. These are my top ten reasons to work for a regional airline.

1. Safety – Regional airlines are airlines and as such, they are watched very carefully by the FAA for compliance with established rules and regulations. They simply can’t get away with the sort of questionable procedures you might find at any number of night freight and charter companies. Pilots generally experience less pressure from the company to fly when it is unsafe and have plenty of resources to draw upon when that line is crossed.
   

   A portion of American Eagle's ERJ fleet.

2. Support and Teamwork – Airline pilots have a large support network comprised of flight attendants, captains, first officers, check airmen, dispatchers, maintenance controllers and members of management that they can draw upon when things get difficult.
3. Maintenance – All airplanes run into issues, and it’s good to know that a mechanic is only a radio call away. In many cases airline maintenance will be able to fix the problem on the spot. When it doesn’t work out, items can be deferred and operated under approved MEL procedures. Even when the list of deferrals grows long, it’s rare to find a more impeccably maintained commercial aircraft than an airliner.
4. Solid Training – Airlines operate their own in-house training programs designed to keep all pilots on the same page. Pilots are trained and re-trained both in class and in the simulator to cope with any number of emergencies and to ensure a safe and standardized flight deck environment.
5. Steady Pay – Flight instructors, charter, and corporate pilots often live from paycheck to paycheck. Though they may be compensated quite well per flight, there are periods of time where business is poor and budgets are tight. Although regional pay is far from what it should be, it is good to be able to count on a guaranteed paycheck from month to month.
   

   One of Pinnacle Airlines' CRJ-200s in flight.

6. Benefits – Airline work offers affordable medical and dental insurance in addition to company matching 401(k) retirement plans. Benefits like this are hard to find at Ma’ and Pa’ charters and flight schools and can save a fortune on overpriced hospital bills.
7. Free Travel – By flying for the airlines, you are privy to the greatest perk in any industry – free travel! Depending upon the airline, travel benefits could extend to your immediate family and even to your friends with discounted buddy-passes. Want to see Paris on your day off, just hop on the next flight, no problem!
8. Having a Set Schedule – After flying for an airline for a while and accruing a bit of seniority, pilots are no longer on call and are awarded set schedules known as lines. After working your life around student and client demands, it is simply fantastic to know your days off a full month in advance.
   

   The CRJ-1000, Bombardier's next generation regional airliner.

9. Commutability – When most people take on a big job, they have to relocate to a new city. Airline pilots can live anywhere so long as they can commute into their base. So long as you live within driving distance of a large airport, and don’t mind losing time riding around in jets, there is simply no need to move into domicile.
10. Protection – Flying the ‘line offers a level of personal protection for pilots. On the one hand, if the FAA comes after you while operating “by the book” under company guidance, the airline will absorb all or most of the blow. If, on the other hand, you mess up, you do have the benefit of a union representative who will fight to protect your interests. It’s rare that these issues come up, but it’s nice to know that somebody is watching your back.

This is one question I hear echoed throughout flight schools, internet message boards, and anywhere else student pilots can be found, “how do I pass the private pilot written exam?” Here’s the deal: the written exam is a game. Plain and simple. Much like the ACT or SAT, it is a measurement of one thing: how well you can take the FAA Written Exam. On the one hand, the test is fairly easy. It’s a bunch of multiple choice questions, many of which can be solved by the process of elimination. Other questions are downright tricky and you really ought to be ready for those trick questions.

This is why I suggest you study for the test with Gleim’s study guide. It’s a cheap book that presents the material on the test and only the material on the test in a quick-to-study outline format. As you study, you are presented with every known question in the FAA test question databank, followed by a few random practice tests. Once you get through this book (which shouldn’t take much more than one month), you will be ready to pass – period. It just takes discipline.

Here’s the problem with Gleim’s. They prepare you for the written exam – no more, no less. You really need to use other sources to build the understanding necessary to become a good pilot, not to mention passing the oral exam. But as far as passing the FAA written, I have never seen a more efficient and effective study guide.

The following post is a guest post by Jason Schappert of MzeroA.com. Visit Jason’s blog for flight training videos and informative articles.

What causes airplanes to overshoot runways, clip wingtips, and miss airports entirely? Two words: Pilot Error. The media is very unforgiving when it comes to televising aircraft mishaps, and the effects of the big airliners trickle down into the general aviation community. How can we learn from these mistakes?

Flying Within Your Limits

Aviation experts deem the main reason American Airlines Flight 331 overshot the runway was because of pilot error. More specifically the pilot flying outside of his and the aircraft’s limits by landing with a 14 knot tailwind.

Anyone who has tried to land even a Cessna 150 in the slightest tailwind knows it’s a difficult process.

How can we correct this? Know your limits and the limits of your aircraft. Today read through your aircraft’s POH and locate things like it’s maximum crosswind component or max gross weight and compare these to your personal limits. Just because your aircraft is equipped to handle a 17 knot crosswind doesn’t mean you personally could go handle it.

Stop Going Through The Motions

Jason Schappert was named AOPA's Top Colligiate Flight Instructor in 2008 and is the editor of MzeroA.com

This is something as pilots it’s hard to avoid. For a while I was flying to Key West pretty regularly. I flew the same airplane on the same airways and talked with the same controllers. Seems pretty easy to get complacent. I find a lot of my veteran pilots get this way on their preflight. Being the practical joke instructor I am, I occasionally will put a piece of tape on the static port that says “I’m clogged!” 100% of all my students that have their private pilot certificate have missed it. 100% of my students who were training for their private pilot certificate found it! Now what does that say? Once we get our certificate we stop paying attention to details? There is a reason my slogan at MzeroA.com is “A Good Pilot is Always Learning”

These are two quick and easy ways to make each time you enter the airport a safer experience for you and everyone else in the air. Find your limits and stay within them. Avoid becoming complacent by constantly learning. Just because you have your certificate doesn’t mean it’s the end all. It’s a license to learn and any good instructor will tell you that.

Anybody who’s ever taxied an airplane in low visibility knows that situational awareness is critical. In most cases, radio communication is the only way air traffic control can positively identify an aircraft’s location. If the pilots don’t know where they are, then neither does air traffic control. This was a hard lesson learned by the crew of United 1448 in what could have been another Tenerife.

Aside from heavy fog, it was business as usual at Providence, Rhode Island on December 6, 1999. United 1448, a Boeing 757 has just landed and they are cleared to the ramp via taxiways November and Tango.

The first mistake is made by United 1448 as they make a wrong turn on taxiway Bravo which leads back to 5R/23L – the active runway.  Unaware of the situation, Providence Tower clears FedEx 1662, a 727, for takeoff.

Perhaps out of caution, or maybe sensing that something is wrong United 1448 asks “are we cleared across straight ahead on November?” 1448 unknowingly misleads ATC into thinking that they are holding short of the inactive runways 23R and 16, and they are cleared to cross. Mistake number two.

What follows is nothing short of terrifying. Amid a confused transmission you can actually hear the thrust from departing FedEx 1662 as United exclaims “somebody just took off!” But the story doesn’t end there.

Realizing the existence of a problem, ATC tells United 1448 to stop – a sound plan. At this point United 1448 makes it clear that they are lost. At this point only three facts are known:

1. Somebody just took off close enough to scare United 1448.
2. The flight crew are on a runway.
3. United 1448 is near the Kilo taxiway (which only crosses one runway – 5R).

At this point there is enough information out there for ATC to piece together the whereabouts of United 1448 – or at the very least raise a red flag that the airplane may be on the active runway. As United 1448 attempts to explain their situation Tower cuts them off, “United, stand by please.” That’s ATC lingo for shut up.

What follows is unthinkable. Amidst the confusion, Tower clears another aircraft, US Air 2998, for takeoff. Strike three. Knowing the inherent danger in this situation, United 1448 makes one last plea to the tower controller. “Ma’am I’m trying to advise you, we’re on an active runway.”

But the controller is still locked into the premise that United 1448 is on the other runway and hastily clears US Air for takeoff again! There’s the fourth link in the accident chain and there appears to be nothing the United crew can do about it.

And here’s where exceptional decision making comes in. US Air 2998 saves the day by choosing to remain clear of all runways despite continued pressure to take off from Providence tower.

This is a vivid reminder that we all need maintain a “big picture” view of the airport environment and do our part to maintain safety. There’s just no guarantee that anybody else, even ATC, is going to operate in your best interests.

Any pilot with a few years experience can tell you that good landings come and go. Your landings may be picture-perfect every time, but then you suddenly find yourself in a dry spell. You can’t nail the landing to save your life. It doesn’t matter if you fly every day for a living or if you’re the valiant weekend warrior: we all struggle with this. At times like these, it’s time to get back to basics.

Before we begin, it’s important to understand just what constitutes a good landing. Is it all about a smooth touchdown? Hardly. I’m more concerned about landing in the proper pitch-attitude at the intended landing point. For light airplanes, my criteria is as follows:

• Proper pitch (main wheels touch down first)
• On runway centerline
• +100/-0 feet from intended landing point
• Proper crosswind technique with no landing gear sideload

Admittedly, we all bust these criteria at times. But if you find yourself consistently outside the margins of a “good” landing, then it may be time to re-educate yourself on the basics.

Remember those days as a student pilot. Your instructor broke every maneuver into simple bite-sized steps for you to execute. Now that you’re a pro, those steps may be long forgotten. If you want to do a steep turn, you simply do a steep turn! And when it comes to landing, you simply land the plane. It’s easy and there’s almost no thought involved.

Herein lies the problem. By not thinking about the landing, you are actually forgetting how to land.

Try talking through the steps to landing the airplane. Are you right on speed crossing the threshold? Did you remember to transition your eyes towards the end of the runway? Do you flare too early or too late? It’s troubleshooting like this that can help you get back on track to making stellar landings each time.

If you still can’t figure it out, grab your favorite flight instructor and ask for help. That’s what they’re there for!

A favorite question among private pilots. Should I get my instrument rating? In short, the answer is a resounding yes! Pilots who continue their training are 52% less likely to have an accident. Not only are the statistics in your favor: imagine this.

Now if you had your instrument rating you could have easily made a routine
IFR flight with minimal “actual” conditions.

I’ll be the first to tell you that my instrument rating was one of the hardest
things I’ve done. My instructor was very demanding but it made me into a much better pilot.

I’m a firm believer that a good pilot is always learning! So why not step up to
the plate and make an appointment for your first or next instrument lesson.
Your instrument rating will not only make you a safer pilot but a more confident pilot.

Even after flying for the past thirteen years, I still get a kick out of manually steering the airplane around. But I’ve also come to understand that autopilots can be a life-saver. If you’re like me, you probably hate to relinquish the controls to a machine but there are times when you ought to take full advantage of an autopilot.

Hands-on flying is a necessary skill, and is certainly a lot of fun but it takes a good portion of brain-space away from the important task of decision making. There is only so much that the human mind can effectively process before becoming “task-saturated.” This is the point at which performance suffers because your brain can’t keep up! To stave off task saturation pilots should maximize the use of automation is high-workload environments.

Diamond with a G1000

Consider engaging the autopilot in areas of inclement weather. Sometimes the decision making process is clean cut: nasty clouds to the left, maybe we’ll go right. Other days, the choice is not so clear. By letting the autopilot fly the airplane, you can focus a little more closely on the weather and make more effective decisions en route.

Going into a busy airport? Turn that autopilot on and focus on those radio calls and keep your eyes open for traffic. A lot of airplanes are even approved for “coupled approaches” where the airplane will actually intercept a localizer and fly an instrument approach. This frees the pilot to shift to a “big-picture” focus and stay ahead of the airplane. Just a word of warning: be ready to manually intercept the final approach course. Most of the airplanes I’ve flown do a fine job of blowing through the localizer on a coupled approach.

Long cross-country flights are the perfect time to make use of the autopilot. Why fatigue yourself by wiggling the controls to keep the wings level for several hours? Turn on the autopilot and relax. You’ll be that much more alert when it comes time to land.

Anytime you feel task-saturated, consider raising the level of automation to help you catch up and stay ahead of the game. Remember, physically maneuvering the airplane is only one part of flying. Good pilots are also good decision makers, so take advantage of any tools at your disposal to increase your situational awareness and aeronautical decision making skills.

Our logbooks are the record of our flying lives. For some, they are journals of aerial exploits. Others, a portfolio of on-the-job experience. But for all of us, it is our legal evidence of currency and proficiency. Your training, career, and memories all encapsulated to a single book. With so much riding on your logbook, its important to safeguard it from such disasters as fires, tornadoes, or whatever misfortune hopefully will not befall you. So how can you keep your logbook safe and sound?

A Pocket Sized Logbook

Carrying your logbook back and forth from your house to the airport only increases the chances that it will get lost. Maybe some good Samaritan will find it and send it back to you. Then again, maybe not. I recommend breaking your logbook up into two separate books. Keep your “master logbook” at the house and record your day-to-day trips in something much less valuable.

A lot of professional pilots carry pocket-sized logbooks to keep track of day-to-day operations, then transfer their flight time to a real logbook once they get home.

After a hole opened up in the fuselage of Southwest Airlines flight 2294 from Nashville to Baltimore, there has been a lot of talk about cabin depressurization and structural failure. The jury is still out as to the cause of this failure, but the incident does bring the topic of depressurization and emergency descents to the forefront. So what happens when the airplane loses cabin pressure, and what is a pilot to do?

A hole in the tail of a Southwest Airlines 737

These emergencies are real attention getters. Pilots will physically feel a “kick in the chest” as their lungs adjust to the change in pressure. Cabin temperature will instantly drop well below freezing while moisture in the air condenses to form a thick fog within the airplane. Amid these distractions, the pilot’s number one priority is to retain consciousness by donning an oxygen mask, then to initiate an emergency descent.

Complete structural failure of a 737-200 in Hawaii.

Not knowing the cause of depressurization, it’s a good idea to assume the worst: structural failure. It may be tempting to dive down at maximum speed, but any increase in airspeed will increase stress on the airframe. Say you are flying at 300 knots when the event occurs. Since the airframe hasn’t completely ripped apart at 300 knots, you must be “safe” at that speed. Consider that to be your new never-exceed speed. Chop the power, extend flight spoilers (if you have them), and pitch down to maintain no greater than 300 knots.

For those of us working as professional pilots in pressurized aircraft, the decisions are black and white. Commercial operators train their pilots in procedures for cabin depressurization. From a pilot’s perspective, it is as simple as following a mental checklist, backed up by the appropriate emergency checklist at a later time.

Last April, I dealt with diversions, windshear, flap failures, and Category-II ILS approaches. All of this in just over four hours of flight time! Well, maybe it wasn’t actual flight time, but after a few minutes in a full-motion flight simulator it’s very easy to forget that you are only “playing a game.” You can read my account of airline LOFT training in the CRJ-200 in my post at PlasticPilot.net.