Competive Mins for CAL or Frontier

[Patriot328]

Wow, that's enouraging. I didn't think CAL was hiring anyone without an internal rec. You didn't know anyone in management or anything? Congrats by the way.

Thanx. Believe me I was as surprised as anyone. I never expected a call and I thought the message Cynthia in recruiting left on my cellphone was a joke at first. I have absolutely no basis of fact with this, but talking to people from a few classes, there always seems to be a couple/few guys that are "totally off the street" so to speak. I think it's just random, though. If you have a connection, better go buy them a beer and butter them up!

Gotta get back to studying so I don't rejoin the job search market again......

 

[NEDude]

From what I have heard it is a lot of who you know, not your experience (for the most part) that counts with CAL. I know of turboprop F/Os getting hired because of family connections (no PIC). I know of a guy who got hired because he got to know one of the Chief Pilots really well.

It is encouraging that there are guys with no connections getting hired there. However if you know someone, you could get in with relatively low time.

Now hopefully my two walk-ins pay off .

 

[Dave Benjamin]

I've seen turboprop FO's with no 121 PIC or jet time get hired by Continental. Maybe they have less restrictive criteria because their domicile choices don't appeal to a large segment of the population. Seems like a good place to work and if I didn't hate commuting I'd probably consider it.

F9 on the other hand seems a lot tougher place to get hired. My perception is you need the internal LOR's and some 121 PIC experience. My coments are limited to those of us with civilian flying background. I'm sure they hire military guys with no 121 experience. (Insert flippant comment about F-16 drivers lack crew experience and watch flame war erupt.....) Kidding gys, just kidding.

 

[igneousy2]

From what I have heard it is a lot of who you know, not your experience (for the most part) that counts with CAL. I know of turboprop F/Os getting hired because of family connections (no PIC). I know of a guy who got hired because he got to know one of the Chief Pilots really well.


Now hopefully my two walk-ins pay off .

This is true of any operation, from the smallest mom & pop Cessna operator to the legacy carriers.

later

 

[FurloughedTwice]

I've seen turboprop FO's with no 121 PIC or jet time get hired by Continental. Maybe they have less restrictive criteria because their domicile choices don't appeal to a large segment of the population.

I really doubt they are lowering their minimum requirements because their bases don't appeal to a large segment of the population. Especially at a time when there are thousands of applicants to choose from. Actually if you want to compare them to Frontier then I would say they would have a larger selection because they have 4 bases to choose from. Nothing against Frontier but unless you live in that part of the country it's a very long commute for a "large segment of the population".

Most of the major airlines minimum requirements are pretty low but obviously there are competitive minimums too. If you know someone and you meet the minimum requirements send in a resume because you never know.

 

[propjob27]

I was hired at CAL in August.

Background:
Total time 5500
PIC Turbine 2000
Types in 737,757,767,CL-65,EMB-120
No recs.
Furloughed ATA, Skywest and Great Lakes before that.

Maybe they have less restrictive criteria because their domicile choices don't appeal to a large segment of the population.

Working at SkyWest, I can see how one might think that. But you'd be surprised at the number of pilots from New England who hate anything west of Pennsylvania. Not to mention the guys from Texas who never want to leave Texas. So I don't think the domicile issue is causing a shortage of qualified applicants.

The low time guys slide in here by "knowing" someone. CAL is really big, too much so if you ask me, on the 'who you know' factor.
A guy in my class was very young, a CRJ FO, and had only a commercial license with an ATP written. No PIC turbine time obviously. He knew someone that I didn't.

 

[Freight Dog]

I thought CAL offers furloughed ATA preferential interviews...

 

[FurloughedTwice]

They do but that's the first story I've heard of a furloughed ATA pilot getting an interview without a recommendation.