Can I decide where I’m based out of?

A

Audrey Dana

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Audrey
Im currently a pilot in training and the end goal is to work as a commercial pilot. I understand that I need to take what I can get, but would i be able to pick where I’m based out of?

The few pilots I know are are based out of larger cities, like ORD (Chicago) and ATL (Atlanta). Do I just accept what is given or can I put in what I’d prefer? I am hoping to be based out of a larger city.
 
It’s based on seniority. First base assignment will be the company’s most junior base and then you climb the ladder from there.
 
It is all by seniority bid, but many people commute. Some commute completely across the country. That *may not* work out well during your probationary period depending upon company policy.
 
Here you go. Swayne does an excellent job with his videos. He's documented the commuting vs inbase living, reserve vs line holders, and a few other things while getting started with Envoy. His past videos are pretty good as well.

Brian

 
It all depends on what type of commercial pilot you want to be.

If it’s Part 121, then what our highly experienced expert airline guys in the first couple of replies said is true.

If it’s another type of commercial pilot job, not so much. You need to define what you mean by commercial pilot.
 
Audrey Dana said:
Im currently a pilot in training and the end goal is to work as a commercial pilot. I understand that I need to take what I can get, but would i be able to pick where I’m based out of?

The few pilots I know are are based out of larger cities, like ORD (Chicago) and ATL (Atlanta). Do I just accept what is given or can I put in what I’d prefer? I am hoping to be based out of a larger city.
Click to expand...

Commercial pilot or airline pilot? Two similar but different things.

Bob
 
Working at as a commercial pilot you definitely get to pick where you're based. This is because you get to pick which jobs you apply for. This assumes of course that you have the minimums required to apply for said jobs. Obviously there's nothing to stop you from applying for jobs with higher minimums than you currently have, but you'd be unlikely to land any of them. This applies to part 91 which is where you'll be starting once you've got your certificates and ratings. To a large extent it carries into part 135 jobs which tend to happen once you get hours doing a 91 gig.

If you then decide to jump on the 121 bandwagon once you get the minimums for it, things change a bit. In that game bases are assigned by seniority and jump seat/commuting options vary by carrier.
 
My neighbor who is months away from retirement at AA has only for the past few years been working at a base he could considered "home" to where he was living.
 
Audrey Dana said:
The few pilots I know are are based out of larger cities, like ORD (Chicago) and ATL (Atlanta). Do I just accept what is given or can I put in what I’d prefer? I am hoping to be based out of a larger city.
Click to expand...

If you are referring to flying for the airlines, you will most likely have a pretty long seniority list to wait on. Depending on who you fly for, the needs for pilots, and where you want to live, will dictate your success. Could be anywhere from a few years to 15 or more.

Of course a lot can change between today and the time you have the flight experience to apply for that job. It's very possible you may become aware of other options out there that seem more appealing to you.

Best of luck.
 
for A major you will be based in a big city. A new hire will be based in the least favorite and most expensive base in the system. For the most part all our new hires go to New York or la followed by Miami. Getting in to a preferred base could take years. Some airlines have small bases at smaller cities like San Diego and San Francisco because of the small numbers of pilots ther those can take a long time to get there and you spend a long time on reserve once you get there.
 
Starting off you go where they have openings. Oftentimes, inside a year you can trade towards where you want to be. Much depends on what’s available where you desire to live, with any particular airline.

If you want ATL with Delta, highly probable. If you want Orlando with Alaskan, not happening.
 
And the entire process starts over again when it comes time to upgrade.... stay a senior first officer and keep your base, or take the first available upgrade and possibly have a long commute while on reserve?
 
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