For the past few months, like most pilots in the country, I have been keeping an eye on the industry and especially about the hiring trend. It looks like there might actually be a light at the end of the tunnel as almost every regional airline is gearing up for another round of hiring. Hopefully the economy including the fuel prices, will stabilize enough to allow each pilot to get an opportunity to move forward in their career. As of right now, thousands of skilled professionals are standing on the sidelines, waiting to get back in a cockpit ; and for a pilot, not flying is almost like saying goodbye to a dream. That is mainly because in order to be marketable and competitive for an airline, pilots usually have to be current in their skills. The longer you are grounded, the smaller your chance of being hired gets. I have been contemplating the possibility to jump ship too but because I have worked hard to get to where I am, I do not want to make a random move, as you always know what you leave but never know what you will get. I have targeted a specific company called American Eagle, an entity of the AMR group, which also owns the industry giant American Airlines. I had previously applied in 2008 with 300 hours of experience, but was caught in the fall of the industry and just like other airlines, AE had stopped hiring suddenly. Three years later, I decided to resend an application thinking that my extensive cargo experience across the country would be a good fit. Plus, I really would like to fly passengers and not be always working on the back side of the clock… just a personal preference. And it seems like my perseverance paid off because today Eagle invited me to attend an interview session in Dallas, scheduled for January 6th. I am thrilled. This is definitely a step forward.