727 or Lear Jet 55???

[latinachick]

i'm kinda stuck in a situation.....have an offer to start training in a boeing 727.....or stay with the company i'm at now and fly lear jets??? i was hoping that you guys that are in the majors could help with some advice.....thanks for listening!!! oh quick question....what looks better on a resume......727 time or lear jet time when i eventually apply for a major?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

whatever one gets you PIC time.

 

[Shalam]

PIC time is great! PIC 121 time is better. my $0.02.

 

[latinachick]

727 or lear?

well the lear jet job is 135 and the 727 is cargo! but i do agree with the first guy....i need to think about PIC time and who will give it to me the fastest!!! i'm pretty sure the lear has a faster upgrade.....i have to be a flight engineer for the 727 for atleast 8 months....not including 6 weeks of UNPAID training!! then i switch over to co-pilot....then................................................i upgrade!!! seems like a looooong process!!! p.s. does it really matter what type of PIC time you get....i mean its jet time right?

 

[Lear70]

Go with the Lear.

You'll upgrade quicker (probably), get the PIC time faster, be able to apply to all the majors faster...

I flew Lears for a while then flew 727's and was a CA on both. Although the 727 time looks good (and is a lot of fun to fly), what landed me my interviews at the various places I've had offers from was more than likely the 2,000 hours of Lear PIC time, not the 600 hours of 727 PIC time.

Also, 727 freighters don't usually accumulate flight time very fast - I was averaging 500-600 hours per year. The aircraft was designed for short-haul 1.0 to 2.0 leg segments and night freight usually has a lot of sitting unless you're flying heavy metal coast to coast or transcon.

Good luck,,,

 

[Jim Smyth]

I guess it all depends on what your final goal is. If you want to fly lears around or fly somthing bigger. If you want to work for a 121 airline someday then it should be an easy decision. Times have indeed changed from when I was in the job hunting market but my goal was always to get with a major airline. The lear time I got was just a stepping stone to my final goal. The 727 wont be around much longer ( I always wished I had the chance to fly one) but the lears always will be. You will learn valuable 121 crew skill that will be what most majors will be looking for in the future when things turn around. Plus in time you will eventually ungrade in the 727 and get your PIC time.

 

[TonyC]

i need to think about PIC time and who will give it to me the fastest!!! i'm pretty sure the lear has a faster upgrade.....

I think you just answered your own question.

727 experience would be great, and even the panel time would be a high-quality learning experience. Most applications, however, don't have bubbles for "quality learning experiences." They DO, however, have bubbles for turbine PIC time. Go get it!

 

[George Zip]

A different perspective.......

1) Even if you only log 500-600 hrs./yr in a cargo 727, very few corporate outfits log anywhere near that much time.

2) PIC 121 Tranport Jet time absolutely trumps Lear PIC time. Don't believe anything else. I am NOT saying 135 PIC time isn't valuable, but given the choice between two applicants, one with 1000 PIC 135 Learjet, and one with 1000 PIC Pt 121 B727, whaddya really think will look more appealing to a 121 scheduled carrier? C'mon.

3) At all but the worst cargo outfits, your upgrades will be based on seniority, not the whim of the chief pilot as it usually is at most corporate/charter operations.

I have 135 PIC, 121 PIC, big jet, small jet, etc..., I have been the applicant, and I have been part of an airline's recruiting team, and have spent much time with other airline recruitment teams. I have no axe to grind, and I have seen this from all sides of the fences. I am not saying Pt 135 time is not quality time, but don't kid yourself or get suckered into a sub-optimum situation over shiny airplane and the better lifestyle. If you want to fly big jets for a living at a 121 carrier, it's a no brainer. Put up with the cargo job for enough years to get your time.

Good luck.

 

[RichardFitzwell]

Take the Lear job. It'll probably be more fun.

FE time only counts for building character.

 

[enigma]

latinachick,

Different employers want different qualifications. At this time, the only successful airlines who happen to be doing any real hiring seem to want PIC. SWA apparently doesn't care about the regs you were flying under, as long as you were PIC and they like it even better if you happened to rise to a leader ship position. AirTran likes 121 PIC, and the last time I looked, JetBlue wanted to see time in aircraft larger than 21K pounds. Continental may be looking for time in the right seat of a RV6, who knows. Even if you know, they'll change before you get to em.

About now, you wonder where I'm going. Here's the point. This business is at best a crap-shoot, there is no way to predict where you will be in ten years unless you have a better crystal ball than did thousands of pilots who happily accepted jobs at: Eastern, TWA, Pan Am, Braniff, Piedmont/Allegeny/Airways, United, MidwestExpress, Vanguard, etc, etc, etc, meaning that you should make the best choice at the time, and hope that fate is kind.

I'd take the job that lets me live the way I want to at the present if I were you. If that leaves you with a toss-up, then stay at the Lear job and get the command time. All things considered, command time is worth more than any other.

good luck,
enigma