AIR Inc. Job Fair D.C.

[AirJobs]

PilotYIP

Dear PilotYIP,

I attended the DC AirInc seminar. Unfortunately the pager went off just before the "job-fair" portion.

My company was desperately seeking an F/O (urgent!, emergency!, Can you help us out?) so, being the kind of guy that I am, I raced to the airport to do my part.

Unfortunately that meant that I did not have the opportunity to speak with you. After hearing your presentation I was sold. You made it sound challenging, fun, and exciting and I had really hoped I would have the chance to talk with you about it further.

I did, however, manage to get my hands on an application and mailed that to a friend of mine (one of your pilots) to walk in for me.

What are the chances that, given a deeper recession or war with iraq, there will be furloughs at USAjet? Obviously there are no guarantees in this industry and, although my wife and I are anxious to move to the Detroit area, we want to make sure that we would be making an educated decision.

I hope that I will have the opportunity to interview with you soon and have that conversation that I missed out on in DCA. I am excited about the possibility of joining the USAJet family and finally enjoying a little stabilty in my so-far turbulent aviation career.

Respectfully,
Mike in PIT

 

[CCDiscoB]

Nice cover letter!

 

[bobbysamd]

I agree . . .

Wonderful letter. He should send it to PilotYIP as is, with his resume and a copy of his app in case H.R. can't locate it.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

US Airways

Why do you think the representative from US Airways spoke?

He wasnt listed on the schedule of presenters and his speech appeared to be somewhat "off the cuff"?

I wondered how appropriate it was for him to speak at a pilot-hiring/jobfair event while his company was in the process of eliminating 30% of the pilot jobs.

Did this strike anyone else as odd?

 

[FurloughedAgain]

Execjet

Just found out that Execjet was handing out applications at the job fair to pilots who earned one in the mini-interview session.

I didnt get one.

So now that the industry is in a severe downturn and good jobs are few and far between --- whats everyone think of ol' Kit Darby. I mean, he was obviously swimming naked in money like Scrooge McDuck after that meeting ... did we get our money's worth?

There are what, 3 or 4 of those a year? Just deciding if I should start putting money away for the next one.

 

[Bluto]

"Why do you think the representative from US Airways spoke?"

I have a theory on that one. He spoke at the L.A. Air Inc. a while ago and had a very similar speech. While it seemed spontaneous, the "stand up and applaud Kit Darby" part was verbatim what he said last time. I think Kit brings him in as a ringer to make people think that the high-level people in the industry respect his career fairs. Kind of made me queasy when I saw him do it the second time. Of course, as much as it makes me feel unclean, you know I'll be at the next one unless I get a call in the mean time. I have no scruples.

 

[Ty Webb]

Re: 6 figures in 6 years

Yea, it is only a job flying jets that puts you in 6 figures in 6 years, I can understand how some airline pilots would look down on this

It's pretty clear why you didn;t have much of a line going on, there, YIP. Rules like that, and your attitude clearly spell out that unless you like being treated like dirt, don't apply here. If you limit yourself to pilots who are willing to run out the door on 20 minutes' notice for three weeks at a time, well, you get what you pay for.

I got an interview letter from your fine firm back in '99 that made that clear to me . . . it was so far out in left field that I remember it now, almost four years later.

It informed me that I had been selected for an interview, but it advised that " . . . phone calls are accepted from pilots only between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays" and some other stuff that made it clear to me exactly how pilots were viewed at your company. Of course, I never bothered to call. Some times, being willing to do "whatever it takes" only sets you up to be treated like dirt, and all new pilots would do well to learn that lesson early. Some times, it's better to wear the orange apron and keep looking.

Flight departments are like families. Some are more dysfunctional than others, and some are SO dysfunctional that they could be right off the Jerry Springer show. I like to call it the "battered pilot syndrome". They seek out the guys who are willing to put up with anything.

Jerry: "So, let me get this straight . . . Even though he calls you up at all hours and then expects you to show up in 20 minutes, ready to be gone for up to 3 weeks at a time, you stay with this guy?

Pilot: "I love him, Jerry, and he says that no one else will have me if I leave him".

Audience: "Boo!"

 

[pilotyip]

Honesty

For Ty guy
It is called honesty, we do not want to sell something that is different than what we have. So we are up front. Most of our guys working here are somewhat happy, they get great training, their pay is above average, 6 figures in 6 years, they are going to have a variable days off schedule of thier choice, working whatever you want between 14 days of and 8 days off every 28 day bid period. communter lines 7 days off in a row. When airline hiring is going on, our guys end up with fantastic resumes and get hired by just about everyone, from EJA, Air Tran, Spirit, American etc. Right now no one is leaving. We are only looking for a few good pilots, 8-12 in the next year. But it is hard work and we do not hide that. Ask for input from USA Jet pilots on this board and ask them what they think, I may be out to lunch. My interview schedule in filled through January, with some extremely qualifed pilots. Our pool has some great highly motivated prospective pilots, who think flying for USA Jet is the right move for them. Besides the flying is fun, no routine routes, different airports, but it is not for everyone. I am glad you elected not to answer our invite, you probalby would not have fit in at USA Jet. Pax ops start next year, you would have been a DC-9 Captain, making about 80K, 13 days off per month, by now, but who cares.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

Ty

Ty,

May I offer some advice?

After 15 interviews, 5 airlines, 2 furloughs and a bankruptcy I have learned something very important.

This is a small industry.

Use a little less gasoline when you burn that bridge, ok?

-FA

 

[Ty Webb]

Re: Honesty

For Ty guy
It is called honesty, we do not want to sell something that is different than what we have.

Fair enough. I agree, it is much better to be uprfront about the job requirements.



We are only looking for a few good pilots, 8-12 in the next year. But it is hard work and we do not hide that. Ask for input from USA Jet pilots on this board and ask them what they think, I may be out to lunch. My interview schedule in filled through January, with some extremely qualifed pilots. Our pool has some great highly motivated prospective pilots, who think flying for USA Jet is the right move for them.

For those pilots who are looking, I am glad you are hiring.


Besides the flying is fun, no routine routes, different airports, but it is not for everyone.

Yep, I must agree, when I was flying 135 it was more varied flying, and more fun. But I willingly gave it up for a great schedule, bennies and a seniority number at a growth company.

I am glad you elected not to answer our invite, you probalby would not have fit in at USA Jet.

Very true. I would have wanted a job that paid more and had more time off, and, thankfully, I was able to find one.

Pax ops start next year, you would have been a DC-9 Captain, making about 80K, 13 days off per month, by now, but who cares.

Thanks, but I am fortunate enough to be at a company where I can do much better than that. But what you have still sounds better than some of the places that my friends are at.

I thank you for your intelligent response to my post.

As far as the Jerry Springer bit, that wasn't directed at your company specifically, but I am sure we can all relate to it.

 

[FL717]

pilotyip:

Your posts do indeed reflect honesty... and that is a good thing. Your posts also reflect a lot of indigenous negativity regarding the company and position. Not to pick you apart.. but only to make my point - here is a breakdown of your posts:

"Pilots are somewhat happy" - not acceptable. Most people want to simply be happy at their company.

"No one is leaving/interview schedule full through January" - well I think obviously the job market dictates that

"You'd be a DC-9 Captain making $80k with 13 days off"- well Ty is only slightly junior to me, and I can say that a 2 year FO at our company can make $60k - $70k with 16-18 days off, and NO call outs as a line holder, and the quality of life and lifestyle is much better.

My point is that your posts are not selling the company, and by your own admission it is a stepping stone, and it just comes across as "be ready to be stepped on" versus "this is a good company".

BTW - In 1999, I turned down an interview with USAJet, and turned down a job offer as a DC-9 FO with Reliant. I felt this same "attitude" and I probably could/would have fit in, but I was not willing to concede in order to "fit in" and I passed. At that time (1999) both companies couldn't get enough qualified applicants because they had this same "attitude" in that job market (1999), and USAJet can get away with it now(2002) due entirely to the job market, not because of the job.

Folks - read the fine print and do your homework before going to any company, don't do it for $35k and a job flying a "jet". Do it because you want to work and fly that type of lifestyle because this type of job becomes your life while you are there, and your gonna be there a while.

 

[Ty Webb]

Re: Ty

Ty,

May I offer some advice?

After 15 interviews, 5 airlines, 2 furloughs and a bankruptcy I have learned something very important.

This is a small industry.

Use a little less gasoline when you burn that bridge, ok?

-FA

Always good advice. Every corporate pilot learns that from Day One.

Another one is "Be careful of who you step on on your way up the ladder, because you'll see them agian on your way down".

 

[Ty Webb]

pilotyip:


"You'd be a DC-9 Captain making $80k with 13 days off"- well Ty is only slightly junior to me, and I can say that a 2 year FO at our company can make $60k - $70k with 16-18 days off, and NO call outs as a line holder, and the quality of life and lifestyle is much better.

Very true. I was going to post it also, but then I just started feeling extremely grateful for what I have and just let it go. . . . . .

 

[FL717]

We are very fortunate, and I think we all are grateful. I also think that USAJet is a decent company, and thay are hiring and making money during one of the (if not the) worst times in this industry. pilotyip is also a realist when it comes to his company and the industry, and I appreciate his honesty, though I don't think my post reflected that and I apologize to him if I was unable to convey that. My post was about the career/lifestyle of that particular part of our industry, and how those/that companie(s) operate and interact with their pilots, in my opinion. Reading the USAJet workrules as they are is not a very good lifestyle versus other opportunities.

 

[pilotyip]

Pigs ear

The business USA Jet is in is the pig's ear of the flying business, no silk purse, no life style, our prime directive is "No trip will be refused, if it can be safely flown" we know that and we can not change that . But we trying to make it the best pig's ear out there.