Mesaba Hiring Pilots with Less than 600 and 50 with Chief Pilots Approval

[CFIfornow]

If the low time pilots are a safety issue as is being implied then what should commercial certificate minimums be raised to? Should all crew members be required to have an ATP for 121/135 operations?

Absolutly, any operation that requires that one pilot has an ATP should require that both do (if a second pilot is required) You should have to meet ATP mins to be hired and the ATP should be part of your initial checkride

 

[YourPilotFriend]

As a matter of fact, yes. Every new hire to a 121 airline should meet ATP minimums or have the ticket. This should be an FAR. ALPA is actually looking into it, according to Prater. Just like the AMA controls entry into their field, we should control entry into ours.

Hundreds will have to die before that rule is made.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Hundreds will have to die before that rule is made.

Agreed. But CRJs are now certified up to 90 seats and EMB-195s can hold 110. Only takes one wreck.

The FARs are written in blood.

 

[Dash27]

Upgrade at Mesaba is now less than 5 months!! Newest vacancy has a guy that was hired April 23 2007 as a MEM CA position, starts training on Oct 15!!!! WOW upgrade went from 7 years to 5 months!

 

[bluefishbeagle]

How low can you go?

Do you have to ask? Just count how many "will fly for food" T-shirst have been sold.

 

[PCL_128]

The latest vacancy award is out. The junior Captain award (MEM) was hired in April 2007. Looks like Mesaba is gonna run out of people qualified for upgrade real fast.?

Holy crap! I never thought I'd see that day. I remember jumpseating home on Mesaba and regularly talking to 8-year Saab FOs.

 

[captainv]

Should all crew members be required to have an ATP for 121/135 operations?

A good idea in theory, perhaps, but unrealistic in the current environment. Shoot, I've been at a regional for almost 5 years and I still don't have an ATP (waiting for that elusive upgrade), although I've been taking the equivalent of an ATP checkride since I got my Learjet type 7 years ago.

Double the current pay/bennys at the regionals and maybe you could require everyone have an ATP.

 

[norskman2]

I've been at a regional for almost 5 years and I still don't have an ATP (waiting for that elusive upgrade)

Eagle??? Horizon???

 

[Andrew_VT]

A good idea in theory, perhaps, but unrealistic in the current environment.

Double the current pay/bennys at the regionals and maybe you could require everyone have an ATP.

uhh, I think you got your thinking process a little backwards on that one.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Upgrades did NOT go from 7 years to 5 months overnight.

Major pilots (DAL, NWA, etc.) are telling people how long the upgrades are based on the same logic as above.

There was NO hiring for years at DAL, NWA and Mesaba.

For instance, I know a DAL guy who is saying it will be 12-20 years+ for captain upgrades.

Then, the latest DAL bid came out, and DAL guys said a 1999 guy would make captain. That's an 8 year wait for captain, right?

NO. DAL hired in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2007. So, a 1999 guy has 3 years of seniority.

ALL the regionals are hiring very low time people, and the upgrades are coming fast and furious, because of the former and current pilot hiring situation.

The numbers of PAX are steadily expanding, and the numbers of new pilots are not.

We had guys at 3.5 years to upgrade, and now it's down to 5 months or less, same as everybody else.

cliff
YIP

 

[captainv]

Eagle??? Horizon???

Comair. I was awarded an upgrade in March, but it was canceled when we closed two of our bases. I barely missed the last bid, which was half the size of the previous bid) and I should get the next one, whenever that comes out...


Andrew_Vt - At most regionals, a first-year pilot might get paid $23,000, (probably less). Netjets pays about double that, and doesn't have a problem attracting pilots with a minimum of an ATP. We seem to be getting mostly guys with less than 1,000 TT. So, if you double the first-year pay at the regionals, perhaps you could expect to get more qualified pilots.

Of course it won't happen, because we won't let management double new-hire pay unless they increase our pay just as much...

 

[XJohXJ]

I'm sure any ALPA MEC would be happy to enter into talks with any management group, and come up with a TA that increased pay for ALL pilots. If management wishes to pay more to the new hires, a TA that benefits all pilots is the only way for that to happen.

 

[flyboyike]

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I love it, that's gotta be one of the funniest things posted around here in some time!

 

[Simon Says]

Two years ago, who would of thought the day would come.

 

[Spiritflight]

Holy crap! I never thought I'd see that day. I remember jumpseating home on Mesaba and regularly talking to 8-year Saab FOs.

That's what happens when 350+ pilots resign in about a year and a half due to a sham bankruptcy. But hey, I guess management is happy, they got their pilot costs down!