AirTran/ATA Military Conversion Factor?

[hoya saxa]

Hi all,

I was hoping some ATA and AirTran folks might be able to fill me in on what (if any) conversion factor for military flight time their companies allow. You know, to help bottom feeders like me scrape past the 2500tt minimum in order to submit a resume!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[MDP727]

I'm certain there is no military conversion at ATA. The minimums are the minimums and much different than whats actually competitive.

 

[SNIZ]

Hoya,

Buddy of mine was called for an interview at ATA with almost your same hours.

I've only seen SWA publish the conversion factor on their Web Site. I have a .2/.3 conversion MS Excel spreadsheet. Send me a PM if interested. .

 

[inline]

Re: AirTran/ATA Military Conversion Fact

Hi all,

I was hoping some ATA and AirTran folks might be able to fill me in on what (if any) conversion factor for military flight time their companies allow. You know, to help bottom feeders like me scrape past the 2500tt minimum in order to submit a resume!

Thanks in advance for your help! B]

An F-18 pilot a "bottom feeder"? Gimme a break, you guys are the first in line to be hired by the majors.

 

[AV8OR]

Here ya go.....

2500PIC F-18 = 500PIC 121+any other ATA mins

Good luck. Bye the way, just messin with ya.

 

[hoya saxa]

no, seriously!

Just replying to my own post to get it back toward the top... Does anybody know for certain the answer to my original question? I had heard that AirTran for one did allow a conversion factor, but not exactly what it was. Keep throwing spears if you'd prefer; helps maximize visibility!

 

[golfc5pilot]

I don't think there is a military conversion factor used at AirTran. I just looked through my copy of the application and instructions I used when I interviewed several months ago and there is no mention of any type of conversion. I didn't use one.

They didn't spend a lot of time talking about flight time at my interview. (In fact it never even came up) I think if you have the minimums and get their attention somehow to get called for the interview, your flight time wont really matter after that point.

The best way of course is to have a recommendation from an AirTran pilot. I didn't have one, but I did go to a couple of job fairs and they said that helped.

 

[pipejockey]

Seriously now, a military pilot who is curently flying the F-18 doesn't even have to concern himself with minimums I thought. I always heard 1500 for a fighter pilot and 3000 for a military transport pilot are the competitive mins. for military pilots applying to the majors..

Come on hoya saxa, throw together a resume and cover letter and ATA will invite you for an interview as fast as you can say "an honestly different airline."

I'm still trying to figure out if your really concerned about meeting ATA's "minimums" or if your just being funny

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I'm sure that he is serious.

What U might do is add a 20% conversian factor on your resume, and make a note that the flight time has been converted. A lot of people are worrying about their time these days.

I know several pilots with 7-8,000+ TT and over 1-2000+ PIC 121 who didn't think that they met the mins for airlines such as JetBlue, ATA and AIrTran. When I showed them the mins, they then thought there was no sense in applying because everyone hired there had WAY more hours than they did.

A lot of pilots still find it hard to believe that anyone is hiring except for regionals.

Cliff
DTW

 

[ChichiAV8B]

they want the mins

Hoya,

I tried to get my apps with them at an airline conference. I got turned away by Airtran because I was short by a few hundred hours. I got plenty of jet pic time and a type rating which I thought would show that the extra few hundred hours really did not make a difference, especially since they dont mind if that total time requirement is filled flying single engine piston. Thats not to say that hours dont mean anything, but in my case, I dont think I need 200 more hours on a cessna to be a more qualified pilot. They seem to be just looking for their mins (regardless of the quality of the flight time). Anyways, good luck. They might like your shoes and invite you to an interview.

 

[RShebib]

Chichi,

Same thing happened to me too. I tried to give him a resume at an AirInc conference last spring and asked him if there was any military conversion and he looked at me like a pig staring at a wristwatch. Kinda tossed my resume into the pile (read: trashcan) and "thanked" me for my time, but to contact them when I met the mins. Don't add any conversion with those guys, and don't bother until you get the bare mins, and not an hour less. Good luck!!

 

[T-Bags]

ChiChi,
You know that, and I know that, and so does a vast majority of those in this would who have even the most feeble understanding of aviation and what a naval aviator has accomplished. It should tell you the kind of folks that AT employs in HR, the kind of pilots they are looking for (hmmm, high hour civilian pilots willing to work for low wages... probably had lots of hours when everybody else was hiring...wonder why they went to AT? wonder if they will ever be able to leave? keeps pilot turnover very low despite low wages). keep your self respect! look elsewhere! In any case, you should be able to add .2 (taxi time) to every sortie.

 

[Caveman]

I tried to stay out of this thread. I really did, but I can't help myself. Some of you need to get over yourselves. AirTran is a quality airline that hires quality people and is a much desired place to work. It is better than the best of the RJ airlines and even a few of them are great places to work. You have 2000TT. So what. There are plenty of furloughed airline pilots that have three and four times that looking for work and a lot of them are also prior military aviators. I can also pretty much guaran-dam-tee you that any one of them would leap at the chance to get on with AirTran. Just being prior military dosn't mean what it used to. Your 1500 single seat fighter time is no longer an e-ticket to the right seat of a Maddog. Go get the minimums and then apply. You'll still get your military head of the line priviledges and will have a real decent chance at a good job, but you gotta lose the "I'm special" attitude.

 

[Cyclone]

New Year's Resolution

Caveman...you should resolve to try harder.

 

[Caveman]

I really should. I'm working on it

 

[RShebib]

Cave,

Relax there buddy. It has nothing to do with whether military guys think their hours are "better" thank the civilians. Rather, the military count their time differently than civilians. For the Air Force, we count our time from wheels up to wheels down (+ 5 mins) and there are many companies that allow a .2/.3 addition for taxi time to get closer to how many civilians count their time. That's all I got out of this thread, not to say whether or not AirTran is a good place to work or not.......

 

[FLB717]

TBag,
I love it when you open your trap and dump your crap on my airline with no reason, you prove your a POS every time you do. Your right our pilots are low quality and have poor skills, we have prior AF1, (you know the President of the USA's plane), Thunderbird and the Navy Blue's here. One our our low time uneducated civilian guys is a recent World Aerobatic Champ. Now please respond with your better than us attitude.

p.s. You didn't add your traditional Value/Death remark, you slipping?

 

[Astra Guy]

Being a corporate type I dread sitting in back of the cattle cars. But I do have to say that you folks have got your act together. Your people are courteous, your 717s are great and beat the heck out of the CRJs that you commonly compete with on some routes. Your pilots know how to land, as well.

Unfortuante as it might be for fledgling pilots to bitch about not being able to make what the "legacy" airline types make now I am constantly reminded about why one would get into flying in the first place. It should not be completely about money. It should be because one loves to fly.

The airlines are not for everyone who loves to fly. I was offered a couple of times to be one of the airline types and it is just not my cup of tea. I am glad that there are those of you out there doing that kind of work so folks like me don't have to. Keep doing your thing and enjoy every opportunity you have to "break ground!"


__________________
Ron

" Being somewhat of a bullsh**ter myself I occasionaly enjoy listening to an expert, so please carry on!"

 

[Ty Webb]

T-Bags, you have once again demonstrated yourself to be a complete idiot.

Simply being a former military pilots does not ensure success in airline flying. Some of the worst pilots I have flown with have been Naval Academy grads, and yes, we do have some of those at AirTran.

We also have former test pilots, Air Force One pilots, Marine One pilots, Thunderbirds, etc.

One thing we don't have at AirTran, though, is you, and for that I am eternally grateful. One only need read a couple of your posts on this board to understand why no one has stepped up to offer you a job since UAL sent you packing.

 

[Caveman]

RShe,

Read these two quotes and then tell me if you stand by your statement that "It has nothing to do with whether military guys think their hours are "better" thank the civilians."

Example #1: "I got turned away by Airtran because I was short by a few hundred hours. I got plenty of jet pic time and a type rating which I thought would show that the extra few hundred hours really did not make a difference, especially since they dont mind if that total time requirement is filled flying single engine piston. Thats not to say that hours dont mean anything, but in my case, I dont think I need 200 more hours on a cessna to be a more qualified pilot."

Example #2: "You know that, and I know that, and so does a vast majority of those in this would who have even the most feeble understanding of aviation and what a naval aviator has accomplished. It should tell you the kind of folks that AT employs in HR, the kind of pilots they are looking for (hmmm, high hour civilian pilots willing to work for low wages... probably had lots of hours when everybody else was hiring...wonder why they went to AT? wonder if they will ever be able to leave? keeps pilot turnover very low despite low wages). keep your self respect! look elsewhere!"

I don't have a problem with any airline offering a conversion. Civilians count time chocks to chocks so there should be a way to weight the time of the military guys. I do think that multiplying TT by a .2 or .3 conversion factor is excessive. Adding .2 or .3 per flight seems to make a bit more sense. The fact that AirTran chooses not to is their perogative. My gripe was with these two knuckleheads complaining about it like they were entitled to something.