Airnet/Ameristar vs. the Regionals...

[beech1900pilot]

50,000 lbs seems pretty heavy to me.

 

[Windsor]

Like an RJ is a heavy! I know of guys that went from Ameristar and Airnet to UPS directly with the falcon and lear jet the biggest things they have flown up to then.

I never said an RJ was a heavy, nor was I implying that. Also, I have never heard of a person going directly to Fed Ex or UPS straight from Ameristar with just lear and falcon time. For heavy time, I've know guys that went on to Gemini, Polar, Omni, ect, before they got their interviews. Maby in the past the jump has been made, but not in the last 5 years or so.

 

[phr8dawg]

Do you like hands-on work instead of sitting? Do you like a silent moonlit ramp instead of a crowded terminal? Do you like edging up to a thunderstorm and never considering if its "moderate chop." I HATE pax
flying. Cargo gets the best variety, hardball IFR experience, and the pay isn't bad. But the planes are old, the hours are long, and you don't get a catered
lunch at Signature. Our senior pilots get GOOD jobs down the road. Pick your
poison!

 

[FR8dognit]

If he is a young guy without a family I would say go the FR8 route. Most are hiring and have extremely quick upgrades. We had a guy at Cherry a few years ago that was a CFI before with ~1800 TT that upgraded to Falcon 20 Capt. in 9 months. Took me about 14 months because of our 2000 hour min TT to be a Capt (insurance).

He needs to know that life is very tough at these places though. Long days flying old airplanes through bad wx in the middle of the night.

I will say although it was hard, I would not trade the experience I gained over the four years there. Tell him to talk to some people in person that have done it. It takes a special person to do that job.

 

[Onlyflyfreight]

It's been said before but I'll say it again. Network, Network, Network

If you have your four year and the required time you can get a job most places.

It's a weird industry we are in and some times it seems like it all about timing. Right place at the right time. And being successful also seems to require patience.

But most important (or at least it makes it so much easier) is to network. If you have somebody to walk you in the door it takes a lot of the frustration out of the equation.

Freight vs. Commuters. I can only tell you what's important to me and do not want to get into a pissing contest like so many of these thread turn into.

I chose AirNet, I applied and they chose me. I wanted to go flying on my own, make my own decisions and have some fun. The night part never bothered me much and now I enjoy it. I have no 121 experience, only what I hear from buddies and others, but from what I understand their dispatchers do most (if not all) of their flight planning and the avionics onboard do the rest. I enjoy the fact that I'm responsible for my own flight planning, get my own fuel and I get a kick out of meeting that crossing restriction on my own.

I guess it comes down to life style. What's important to you! What are you willing to put up with in order to be a pilot? Off course I have complaints, but over all I enjoy what I do and I still look forward to go to work every time.

So the best advice I can give is to work on Networking and try to figure out what’s important for him in life and professionally so that he is able to put up with all the jazz this industry sometimes throws at you.

For me, flying is still fun and I have made a commitment to make that a part of my career.

GL,

 

[stupidpilot]

I have a nephew who has amassed some good instructing time and he is now debating whether to apply to Airnet/Ameristar or regional airlines like COEX, CHQ, etc.

He has asked me for advice (probably not a good idea) and some pros and cons of each. I have referred him to this website (probably mistake #2) and I would appreciate any advice from people who have considered these options in the past. He is well aware of the terrible state of the airline industry and the constant threat of either furloughs or declining wages/benefits. He is willing to move anywhere to get the right flight time...

He claims that he ultimately (pie in the sky dream) wants to fly for either a leading LCC or UPS/Fedex.

So, what are the pros/cons of flying for Airnet or Ameristar vs. the regionals? At Airnet, how soon could you get into the Lear as an FO and then move to Captain (3-5 years?)? For those who have chosen between the two options, what were the factors that caused you to make that decision - and do you regret the path you chose?

Thanks for any help.

I would advise against Ameristar. Their aircraft are maintained very poorly. Airnet's aircraft are maintained alot better and is a much more respected outfit.

 

[stupidpilot]

Like an RJ is a heavy! I know of guys that went from Ameristar and Airnet to UPS directly with the falcon and lear jet the biggest things they have flown up to then.

One female went directly to UPS from Ameristar. There are a few that went to Continental or Southwest. But not many. By the way a heavy is 248,000 pounds or more.

 

[belchfire]

He should go to dental school and by a Stinson or something to fly for fun on nice sunny weekends.

If he insists on flying go freight...

 

[falconvalley]

Airnet's scheduled? When were they scheduled? They're certainly not now...although we have the same departure times every night.

 

[osu_av8r]

Airnet's scheduled? When were they scheduled? They're certainly not now...although we have the same departure times every night.

Yeah, I almost commented on that too, but I know what he meant. I'm sure he was referring to the pilots being scheduled, not the routes.