I am a Captain on an Embraer 190 for Jet Blue.
How would you describe what you do?
I safely and efficiently operate an aircraft that carries 100 passengers. I fly a schedule from point A to point B and ensure that it’s a safe flight.
What does your work entail?
The schedule entails staying proficient on aircraft systems, staying proficient on flying normal operations, practicing in simulators for abnormal emergency operations that and a good understanding of weather and forecasted weather. I average about 15 to 16 work days a month and trips vary in length from a one day to a four-day trip.
One of the cool things is the fact that you get to fly free on all airlines. So you and your family have the ability to travel and really do exciting stuff…It’s one of the coolest perks in the whole world.
So on a four-day trip, three nights would be spent at three different locations away from my base, which is JFK. My trips all start and end in JFK and kind of take you everywhere in between.
How did you get started?
I was born in aviation. My dad was in airline management for the better part of 25 years.
What do you like about being a pilot?
I like the fact that I can arrange my schedule. I can change it or rearrange to meet requirements for things I want off for whatever reasons. So, I have very good schedule flexibility.
[qs_widget wtpl=”onestep” sub=”AIRLINE-PILOTING” framewidth=’600′ frameheight=’111′]I like the anonymity of being a pilot. We just go to work. We don’t have a boss, no one looks over our shoulder, no one checks our work. You just go to work and you’re part of a crew. On my airplane, it’s me and a first officer, and then two flight attendants and basically, that’s who you interact with.
[I dislike] being away from home. When the wife calls and the kids are sick on day two of a four-day trip, I just have to be supportive and she knows that I’m not going to be home for two more days, and that’s just it.
We don’t have anybody calling us and seeing how we’re doing. We just fly our trips. It’s really nice. Even though I do have a boss, called a Chief Pilot. I’m not in an office where I report to a boss by any means.
What do you dislike?
Being away from home. When the wife calls and the kids are sick on day two of a four-day trip, I just have to be supportive and she knows that I’m not going to be home for two more days, and that’s just it. And when you’re a junior pilot, you have the lowest officer seniority, so you have to work holidays sometimes. So when you’re a new hire and you’re a junior in seniority you’ll miss the little things. Sometimes you miss the first day of your kid’s school and little parties.
How do you make money/or how are you compensated?
We’re paid hourly based on the number of flight hours. We’re paid per flight hour, and that has a minimum. The minimum pay is 70 hours a month, so if we fly between one and 70 hours, it’s the same pay.
I like the anonymity of being a pilot. We just go to work. We don’t have a boss, no one looks over our shoulder, no one checks our work. You just go to work and you’re part of a crew. On my airplane, it’s me and a first officer, and then two flight attendants and basically, that’s who you interact with. We don’t have anybody calling us and seeing how we’re doing. We just fly our trips. It’s really nice.
Then above 70, each hour’s paid at time and a half of what the original pay was. I make $84 an hour up to 70 hours, then $128 an hour past 70 hours. And a typical month has 85 hours of flying time.
How much money do you make?
I’ve been here for two years and I average about $100,000.
What education or skills are needed to do this?
Most airlines prefer a four-year degree with no set recommendation of what that degree is in. So, in other words, they don’t care what they degree is in. They just want to see that you’ve completed a four-year institution. And then the flying, of course, is the second part of that. You just have to go through the training, and the accumulation of flight time and hours, and gaining the experience.
What is most challenging about what you do?
I would say the most challenging thing is staying proficient in all of the aspects of the job, and that includes like simulator training every six months that Captains go through. It’s a constant learning environment, which requires constant dedication. You don’t just get this job and it’s like, “Okay, I got it. I’ve made it.” It’s constant learning, you’re always trying to increase your knowledge.
What is most rewarding?
It’s the best office in the world, there’s just something about it. The schedule flexibility and the ability just to see the world. Traveling is an awesome, awesome part of it.
What advice would you offer someone considering this becoming a pilot?
A couple of things. One of them is get good grades and stay out of trouble. Things in your past really come back to haunt you in the airline business, DUIs, DWIs, things like that. So, basically, stay out of trouble. My advice would be to talk to as many pilots as you can. Try to get a good working knowledge of what it entails. Really my advice would be just to do it. If you’re interested in it, then really look into it and do it because it’s an awesome job.
How much time off do you get/take?
With vacations and everything else, I work about 170 days a year. I was just home for 10 days, and then I’m on the road for four, then I’m going to be home for four, back to work for three, home for three. So, it just kind of varies.
What is a common misconception people have about what you do?
One of the misconceptions about airline pilots is they think the airline pilots are all rich, and it’s not true. It’s a job that takes time to really start making money. The first initial airline jobs are very low paying and that’s probably one of the biggest misconceptions. People just think the airline pilots make tons of money, and they really don’t. I guess a misconception is people think that we’re just up to flying all the time and basically we’re good monitors. The airplanes are so automated and automatic that pilots kind of just monitor to make sure that things are done.
What are your goals/dreams for the future?
Mine are to maintain a very good level of health so that I can make it all the way up to the retirement age, and that’s sort of the number one goal. And to get to that age and fly safely with no accidents or any kind problems along the way. Then, as far as personal goals, I’d like to become a Chief Pilot.
What else would you like people to know about what you do?
I don’t know. One of the cool things is the fact that you get to fly free on all airlines, so you and your family. The ability to travel and really do exciting stuff is kind of made readily available to you, which is one of the coolest perks of working for the airlines. My wife can fly on American to Hawaii round trip for like $40. It’s one of the coolest perks in the whole world.
Thank you soo much! I have always dreamed of becoming a pilot. I have the biggest passion for flying and I love airline pilots!
thanks bob! i am 14 and i really want to be a jetBlue pilot also… is there any information you could give me or your brothers could? i have been told the best way to go is through the ROTC flying cargo jets and then you could come out as a captain and airlines would love to have you… and i also love looking in the sky looking at planes and knowing what type and airline it is… my mom was also a flight attendant for capitol airlines when it was around… thanks for all the info!!! 🙂
Greetings:
My two oldest boys fly for JetBlue – one on the 190 based in Boston and the younger
son on the 320 out of JFK.
I was in airline management for most of my 30 year airline career in California
and Alaska, and also owned a travel agency that I operated for many years and later
sold it. It is still operating to this day.
My sons are both Aviation Men…..they know every aircraft type and even most
aircraft engines and really everything they can about the industry. My two youngest
brothers are also pilots – one for Horizon, based in Boise and the youngest brother
flies for Emirates in Dubai. They have lived there eight years and love the place.
Jeff is spending more time in training and flies/trains only on the Boeing 777, all
series. (Jeff flew for the old Piedmont and was based in Charlotte and then after
the mergers, ended up with U S Air and was flying to Europe on the Airbus A330
out of Philly. Several of his pilot budies went to Emirates and he finally decided to
check it out and told his wife she only had to stay two years and they would move
back to the U. S. – that has turned into 8 years and there are no plans to come back.
I started the whole airline thing and my goal was to be a pilot but it was during
the Vietnam War and the airlines had plenty of former military pilots to hire and I
could never get the pilot thing to work for me. I stayed with the airlines, and my two young sons grew up watching airplanes and when we lived in Anchorage in the late 70’s, our home looked out toward the airport and the boys could identify any aircraft, (by type and airline) landing or taking off. (Those were the days when flights from Europe to Asia could not fly those routes non-stop and Anchorage was a busy re-fueling stop for many foreign airlines.)
My two oldest boys have seven sons between them and it will be interesting if
some of them become pilots in the future.
I was very impressed with this blog and those those from the company taking time
to respond to these young people who are thinking about being a pilot in the future.
It just seems to be a typical part of the culture at JetBlue.
Keep up the good work.
Take care, Bob
Hey wow thanks, loved the interview and thought it was really useful to aspirinng airline pilots. I am 16 yrs old and am in sixth form in UK London, I was wondering if anyone had any friends in London who is a pilot and if it was possible to link me up with the friend because I am 1 year away from university and would like to decide earlier so I would like to job shadow a pilot and see if i may like the job afterall
I am 14 and are really looking forward to growing up and becoming a pilot. Do you already have to have your pilots license, if so ow much will I get paid the first year of flighing for you. Please email me back my answers if possible. Thank you for your time.
you dont need your license but it might help… it depends on how you want to enter… i am also 14 and i am looking into going into the ROTC and flying the CARGO planes they give you the training and it is free… if you go through that and make sure you do the CARGO planes you can come out after your service time and almost any airline will hire you since you have experience with the big cargo jets… but if your going through flight school you dont need a license but it might help… hope this helps! 🙂
Joe
yes thats what i meant lol and ok cool thanks! does the e190 have better advantages?
Do the controls of the e190 and a320 influence your decisions? Like the e190 has the actually throttle in front of you and the a320 has the joystick to the side of you… just wondering
Both have the thrust levers in the same location…I’m assuming you meant that the yoke is in front of me in the 190 and to the side (joystick) in the 320. That isn’t a factor at all in determining which plane you would want to fly. Quality of life/base/trips/pay/seniority/etc. determines this.
Hi I am saving up for flight school so I don’t have to get a loan. I have a Bachelor of Science degree with a 3.9 G.P.A. and have a military background but not a pilot. My question is that I had a DUI 6 years ago, though I was not convicted, should I even spend money on flight school or am I wasting time and money? I have a security clearance now so obviously some entity deems me responsible enough to hold a sensitive position despite my DUI… please advice.
i would say piloting… you get to see the world and you have a room with a view! 😉 but its whatever you feel most comfortable doing and what you will be happy with! All the best! 🙂
Joe
Would Air Traffic Controlling be a better career than piloting, besides the said stress levels?
Define “better”? If you want stability, a government pension and want to be home everynight making a good salary then ATC is for you. However you must also like all of the aspects of ATC and all that it entails. Two totally different career choices that just so happen to work hand in hand. So it’s unfair to say the least to compare the both. The question is what (after proper research of course) would you prefer doing and why.
thanks for the information and thanks!
You’re away from family as well as your daily routine, bed, home and comfort 16 days a month at 24 hours per day which means you’re giving Jet Blue 384 hours per month. At $100,000 per year divided by the yearly hours you give to the company 384 x 12 months = 4608, you are making an hourly earning of $21.70 ($100,000/4608). To put things into perspective, an Engineer and Nurse make an average yearly salary of $85,000 giving 50 hours per week to the workplace or 200 hours per month (2400 hours per year). They are making an hourly earning of $35.41 ($85,000/2400) making it almost double a pilots salary without having to sacrifice quality time with his/her family. For a pilot to make the equivalent hourly wage of an Engineer, that pilot would have to make approximately $165,000 ($165,000/4608 = $35.80). The days of pilots being one of the highest paid in an economy with a much lower cost of living since the 1970’s-80’s is long gone. Airlines hardly need to convince pilots to sacrifice more time to the company than their own family priorities for the reason we all know. The “LOVE” of flying. I chose to keep it a hobby, went back to University and am no longer in the profession of flying. Good luck to those who choose this career
Interesting interview. What I don’t understand is how his salary is so high. He says he’s been there for two years. Was he a direct entry captain or something?
oh well i like the feel of both planes
The camaraderie amongst crewmembers (doesn’t exist on the 320 as the crews never stick together for a whole trip), schedule, leg-lengths, trip pairings and for the QOL. Notice everything branches off QOL as that is the most important aspect. When pilots are “new” to the airlines they have a preprogrammed mind-set and tend to think that the bigger the airplane you fly the “cooler” it is. These same people realize after years (some not long at all) it’s all about which airplane (not type persay) will give you personally the best QOL. I’ve been flying for almost 15 years since being a student pilot and learned this rule very quickly. Just food for thought…
*why
ohh nice wy did you chose to fly that one?
well i think one thing we can agree on is that jetBlue is the best airline and glenn do you fly the e190 or a320?
No problem Aaron.
I fly the E-190 Joe.
Hey glenn,
Forever my goal and personal dream has been to be an airline pilot. Just recently I have grown to love jetblue and more so the erj 190, Yet i have not been on both. I would really love if you gave some advice to me on how you became a pilot for jetblue and your personal experiences with them and the erj. I am only 13 so I still have a long way to go. I need to start saving up money for getting my private licence. I have already taken a flight lesson and i’m positive that being an airline pilot is what I want to do for a living. Any advice or help would be much appreciated as I would love to follow the steps of yours.
thanks
-adam
Hi Adam,
For a 13 y/o you definitely seem to have a good, solid and smart head on your shoulders and that’s the first most important thing to have
going into this career (I didn’t mature till I was 16 which is when I had my first lesson). Now listen, I’ll be honest and could shower this career with the pros and cons, great views and respected authority along with the doom and gloom of the industry as a whole, BUT ALL jobs have this so I’ll refrain instead. Just be keen and know this, it’s an unstable career that its only consistencies are being inconsistent. You be the judge if you like it or not, don’t let others persuade you otherwise from here on out.
Now…as per your question: Now my route is just that, my route. Many other people/aspiring pilots have taken completely different routes and made it to the same seat (whether it be jetBlue, Delta, etc.). I choose the civilian way and that worked best for me as I wasn’t into the long commitment the military option involved. I grew up on Long Island and went to a Part 61 school (nowadays they have more part 141 training facilities and is far superior which I highly recommend). I obtained my PPL at 17 (took me a year because I was in school and could only fly twice a week…besides the fact that I was lazy). Then after I completed that certificate I decided it was definitely for me and went to college (www.erau.com) in Daytona Beach, FL to commence my education (4 year degree in Aeronautical Science) and complete my instrument, commercial and multi-engine ratings. That school is number one for this career when it comes to education/flight training (but VERY expensive and not necessary), also if you want a gold star on your resume as I’ve been at 4 airlines and one flight school and never had a problem with an interview. That school however stinks when it comes to the social extravaganza that comes standard with big state schools that may also have a flight training program. So, after graduation (GET GOOD GRADES) I went back home to NY and got both my CFI/CFII ratings to instruct. After about 3 years of instructing part/full time I landed a job with http://www.commutair.com flying B-1900D 19 seater turboprops for a year to gain some part 121 (airline) experience. Then off to http://www.expressjet.com (formerly known as ASA before they merged) for 6.5 years where I flew CRJs and upgraded to Captain which is almost always necessary in order to get to the Majors like jetBlue.
It took me 3 years to upgrade to Captain there at the time. Be advised now it takes over 6 years to upgrade to Captain at that same airline…back to that thing I told you about involving the inconsistencies of this career. From there on I got aboard JetBlue Airways where I plan on retiring (fingers crossed).
Listen man, this is the extremely short version of what I had to do. I left out several times that I had to move (commuting stinks), got displaced due to economic hard times back to an FO (captain to First Officer), the price of oil and terrorism preventing me from moving on in my career at a faster pace, the craziness of the regional airlines which is a must if you want to get to the majors, etc. I could write a book and many more could write a series I’m sure. BUT, here I am 14 years later from my very first solo flight at a great airline. I like it here and the plane is cool to say the least. To be honest I don’t care what I fly anymore as long as it’s a jet that has air conditioning and is something I can depend on. You’ll figure that out down the road it isn’t about which plane you fly but how you get treated at a particular airline, the compensation and the particular routes that that type of equipment flys that my interest you. My experiences have all been good at this airline and on the E190 respectfully.
So to sort of sum it up…get good grades, don’t be arrogant (too much of that in this career and for some odd reason changes people into believing they are a tad more important than they really are), get your degree in something (doesn’t have to be aviation if you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket), get good grades, do your research when choosing flight schools (many will try to rip you off, so price them out accordingly), ask parents for $$$ (heck I did and wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t…they will hook you up I’m sure), get good grades, remember that it took me approximately 13 years of training, teaching others how to fly and flying at 2 airlines (I was hired at another but never got a class date due to the fact they were about to go out of business {ACA/Independence Air}) to get to a Major but it may only take you 6, remember what I said about this career and it being inconsistent to the 9th degree, get good grades (did I say this already??) and most importantly keep your chin up because it may be a bumpy ride (outside of it being weather induced)but never give up and if you want it, YOU’LL GET THERE.
Thank you very much for giving me this helpful advice on how to become a pilot for a major airline. I really appreciate you taking your time to give me a detailed response and I bet you are a good writer and a smart man through the way you used your words. I have always wondered that. Now onto another boring question. Do you chose the plane that u fly? Now I understand that you now fly perminantly the erj 190 but when getting hired by JetBlue were you offered a choose between the 320 and 190?
Does the type depend on where you are located? Thanks
-adam
**ADMIN, please fix the formatting on this page as the right margin is cut off the posts making it difficult to read, also the reply button isn’t visible on all posts**
Adam, there was no reply option on your post so I had to reply to mine…
Anyways, to answer your question, yes we choose what plane we want to fly, however, you only get it based on your seniority or if they need people on that particular aircraft etc.. When you get hired, sometime during new-hire training they put out a bid for the type of aircraft and what base you’ d prefer to fly out of. I wanted JFK (from Long Island), I got it. Our whole class was assigned the 190 because they only needed pilots on that at the time. Every quarter the company puts out a system bid that permits pilots to change aircraft/base but once again is entirely based on seniority. You are never permanently assigned an aircraft except for the fact that we have 2 year equipment locks. Basically, the company doesn’t want people constantly moving around because it costs lots of $$$$ to train pilots on new types so once you move to an airplane, you have two years before you can move again (if you so choose). Location as you had mentioned does indeed determine what aircraft as well. We have 5 bases and it goes like this: JFK- 190 or 320, BOS- 190 or 320, MCO- 190 or 320, FLL- 320 only, LGB- 320 only. JFK and BOS being the most junior bases newbies usually end up at regardless of what they may have bid in class.
Thanks for telling me this as I really need better help to understand the industry. Do you ever happen to fly to Pittsburgh Airport using the E190?
I live in pittsburgh about 15 min from the airport and if you ever had a long lay over there I would love to be able to go meet you at the airport and talk some more about the industry. After all most cites Ive looked at say the best thing to do at my age is to TALK AND TALK TO CURRENT AIRLINE PILOTS! Anyway thanks again and I would love to meet you if at all possible.
my email is [email protected]
cheers:)
-adam
No problem Adam. I do fly to PIT however it’s seldom to say the least. The last time I actually did an overnight there was several months ago. But hey, if I’m there I’ll try to remember to email you ahead of time. Take it easy!
Thanks Glenn,
A technical question for ya!
What is the Vspeeds for your e190 when the weight of the plane is 38000 kg?
Thanks
-adam
Your unit of measurement was cut off but I’m assuming you were talking 38000 kgs (83776 lbs). When you talk of speeds I’m going to assume landing…depends also on whether we are doing flaps 5 or full…since 5 is the normal setting for landing I’ll give you the numbers for flaps 5. Keep in mind this is no wind, normal conditions and also that landing at 83776 is highly unusual since we are normally heavier than that as our max landing weight is 97000 lbs and are normally at 90% load factor….but here ya go:
Vref: 124
Vapp: 129
Vac: 152
Vfs: 177
hey glen thanks for the v speeds. I recently went on B6 and the flight was awesome. The crew was BOS based so you may not know them but the cpt. let me do the preflight annoucement=)
D
Im kinda confused about the b6 crew bidding system. Do you bid on your monthly schedule the month before or do you bid on seperate trips in the month? Are you with the same crew all month? Im starting to get a good idea for B6 as I have made an nice friend who is an FA at B6!
thanks
-Adam Hart
You bid the month prior and are rewarded the next month’s schedule according to your preferences and seniority. For example I bidded for January’s schedule December 1st. The bid closes (for FO’s the 8th, Captains are the 6th, FA’s are the 7th) the 8th and I’ll know my January schedule. After it comes out (the finals) you can manipulate it up down and all around which is what people tend to do. So you can keep what you got OR alter it to your liking (if possible, available trips to swap, trips available to pick-up, etc. all based of course on seniority or first come first served) up to the last day of January. It gets a tad involved with some but for me if I got my weekends off and decent credit ($$) I don’t care. If i don’t? Then I move stuff around till I get it (and not always does it work). We use a PBS (preferential bidding system) that after you place multiple preferences into it (i.e. weekends off, duty in later than 6am, layovers in MCO, there are literally thousands of possibilities, etc.) it will award you on them according to availability and seniority…all about seniority.
As for being with the same crew? It is customary to stay with the entire crew on the 190. The 320? Pilots stay together and the FA’s stay together…so you may fly with 9 different flight attendants in one day on the 320 and on the 190 you fly with the same 2. This is the norm but definitely not the rule.
Awesome,
Do you like being based in JFK?
Would you consider changing aircraft to the a320 in order to get more pay?
-Adam
I live on Long Island so being based where you live is perfect, nothing beats it. Nah, QOL (quality of life) is much more important to me then money (only a 10% difference between airplanes) and since i’m half way up the list on the 190 (better than i’d be on the 320), i’ll stay on this plane :).
Haha yep:)
Do you know the job requirements for B6?
Cheers
-Adam
Experience experience experience. Minimums are an ATP license (which will be mandatory in a few months for all airlines due to regulation changes) but historically there’s a lot more that goes into consideration. Such as college education, how much PIC turbine you have (captain at another airline such as a regional or in the military etc), total time in excess of 3000 hours and more.
Glen,
I don’t know what I should do. I know that you said that you went ERAU and that would be the school I want to attend, but I’ve heard that it is very expensive and it will take along time to pay off the debt. I have also heard of going to a regular state school and getting a good flight intructer and getting all my rating, and get a regular degree(not aviation related). What path do you think would be better? Mainly for the flight training side?
-Adam
AWESOME!!! 🙂
I’m a jetBlue pilot and can tell you this when it comes to income: We can make anywhere between 50k-300k (some check airmen have made over 300k). It all depends on how long you have been here, what type of trips you are getting, how much you want to work (a lot if you want to make a lot) and if you are a check airman or regular line pilot, etc. Do it for the love, not to get rich.
Glenn, thanks for the comment. You’re thoughts are great additions to interview, thanks so much!
Aaron
JobShadow Team
jetBlue pilots can make up to 150000 i am pretty sure i saw it look up jetBlue pilots salary on google
also, can anyone tell me this guy’s name? that would be helpful, reason for that is because i am conducting a senior project (interview someone who works the same career you would like to do some day) and his name is a requirement
Matt,
Hi, just cite the website as your source for right now. http://www.jobshadow.com…the interviewee did this particular interview anonymously. Have your teacher contact us if she/he has any questions. [email protected]
And yes, typically starting out in the airlines you don’t make much money at all.(enough to live on for the most part though). As you build up more time in the jets you move up. While we haven’t interviewed a full on 747 Captain yet, I’ve heard of salaries north of $300,000/yr when you make it that high up.
Thanks,
JobShadow.com Team
does anyone know how much a starting pilot makes? some say websites and books say as low as 15,000. others say up to 30,000. can anyone confirm this for me? i’m a senior in highschool and am very intersted in being a pilot. i would like an immediate reply if possible.
Thanks, Matt
Actually they can make over 100,000
Actually, you’ll be lucky to make above $25,000 your first few years as an airline First Officers. And with a new law out, it’s going to take longer than ever to get the requirements to even be elligiable for a job with an airline. You will be making $100,000/year… After at least 6 or 7 years. Also, each time you go to different airlines is more than likely a pay cut until you work up their senority list too
I am a former 10 th grade student at Shorewood High School and we are starting the job shadowing assignment. I am interested in becoming a pilot or someone who rides with children who travel alone. I would really love to be able to job shadow you, if its possible please contact me at [email protected] thanks for your time,
Barbara Medina
Im not flying a jet blue airliner yet.. im still in training. Im adding more flight hours each time i fly
Oh that is great pilot pizarro what is it like to be a jetblue pilot and do you fly e190 or a320
im on the road to success. Becoming a Jet Blue Pilot Is Def. what i wanna do.. i have over 120 flight hours.. still gotta make more hours.
Hi this is a great interview. I wanted to know are all the pilots for Jetblue just for a e190 or a320.
thanks i was really wondering about the 4year college thing…and does anybody know if an airbus is easier to fly than a boeing?