I've been at Ameriflight for 1 year now and I have been extremely pleased with the experience. Just over a year ago I was instrucing in Cessnas and the occasional duchess, now I'm just starting to fly single pilot metroliner with 300 hours of 99 time already in the book. That's quick progress, but not unheard of here, much of it is luck in timing. Though my opinion is clearly biased, and this may be a bit of wishful thinking, I must echo the previous poster's point that for each pilot it is what they make of it.
I guess you could say you'll work hard at AmFlight, but most days you're getting paid for 8 hours while working far less. True, you're gone a long time, but if you can make something of the layover time during the day, they usually get you a crew car and always put you up in an apartment or hotel. I've had jobs where I did work too hard for my money, but this is not one of them. I think Skywest pilots would resent the idea that they don't work hard. Six legs/day is no easy day at the office. They get more DAYS off, but at Amflight you will probably be on DUTY less.
I've heard of many people (certainly an exaggeration) who have gone on to the majors right out of Ameriflight and even met one. I think it is tough to do. But, I think it is probably tough given any background. A lot of the guys who are stuck at Ameriflight, you can tell why. They aren't very personable, they've been flying the same equipment to the same airports over and over, they don't "know their stuff" as well as they should, or they don't have a degree. Also, some very good pilots are just content with hanging out. I suspect there are many more variables in the hiring process than simply who has the most turbine PIC and who flies CRJs. There are a lot of guys with that background not getting hired, but there are some with different backgrounds that are getting hired. Go figure.
One thing that is clear is that within 2 years of being a flight instructor I will be meeting minimums for the majors. That would not be possible at any regional. Also, going to the regionals and logging SIC time for the next few years will only help you upgrade at that carrier. If you ever get laid off, your resume is not going to do much for you. So, while I recognize that the metro is much less sophisticated than an RJ and flying it is not as close to what the majors are doing, there is some security in knowing that if I lost my job I might be able to get a charter job that would keep food on the table.
Sorry this is getting long-winded. All this being said, I would caution anyone from getting stuck here too long. It is hard to continue growing as a pilot here after a couple of years. Even a lateral movement might make sense at that point.
Pay: Starting is as low as 24K. With training pay, specials, etc I'm at about 30-35 my first year and anticipating about 40-45 second year. Becoming a training captain is a good way to score some extra cash. You won't make much more than 45K unless you are giving training sometimes as well. I don't think anyone in the company is making much over 60K unless in managment.
I guess you could say you'll work hard at AmFlight, but most days you're getting paid for 8 hours while working far less. True, you're gone a long time, but if you can make something of the layover time during the day, they usually get you a crew car and always put you up in an apartment or hotel. I've had jobs where I did work too hard for my money, but this is not one of them. I think Skywest pilots would resent the idea that they don't work hard. Six legs/day is no easy day at the office. They get more DAYS off, but at Amflight you will probably be on DUTY less.
I've heard of many people (certainly an exaggeration) who have gone on to the majors right out of Ameriflight and even met one. I think it is tough to do. But, I think it is probably tough given any background. A lot of the guys who are stuck at Ameriflight, you can tell why. They aren't very personable, they've been flying the same equipment to the same airports over and over, they don't "know their stuff" as well as they should, or they don't have a degree. Also, some very good pilots are just content with hanging out. I suspect there are many more variables in the hiring process than simply who has the most turbine PIC and who flies CRJs. There are a lot of guys with that background not getting hired, but there are some with different backgrounds that are getting hired. Go figure.
One thing that is clear is that within 2 years of being a flight instructor I will be meeting minimums for the majors. That would not be possible at any regional. Also, going to the regionals and logging SIC time for the next few years will only help you upgrade at that carrier. If you ever get laid off, your resume is not going to do much for you. So, while I recognize that the metro is much less sophisticated than an RJ and flying it is not as close to what the majors are doing, there is some security in knowing that if I lost my job I might be able to get a charter job that would keep food on the table.
Sorry this is getting long-winded. All this being said, I would caution anyone from getting stuck here too long. It is hard to continue growing as a pilot here after a couple of years. Even a lateral movement might make sense at that point.
Pay: Starting is as low as 24K. With training pay, specials, etc I'm at about 30-35 my first year and anticipating about 40-45 second year. Becoming a training captain is a good way to score some extra cash. You won't make much more than 45K unless you are giving training sometimes as well. I don't think anyone in the company is making much over 60K unless in managment.