Eagle Jet International and Ameriflight

[embdrvr]

Had I known there would have been such a crash in the market I would have gone to school to be an electrical engineer and my dad would have got me a $100 k job a GM right out of school, then I could have bought my own plane and fly for fun. I didn't buy into this job to wallow at 10 to 15 k as a flight instructor for years working obscenely long days.

For your information. I no longer have any desire to work at an airline. Way to unstable and pay is dropping like a brick. I would much rather fly for a large corporation at this point.

Anyone got a kleenex for this guy?
Listen to him. "My Daddy could have got me a 100K job.' Wahhhh. B.S. I've spent my time in MI and know people at the automakers and not too many people get that kind of starting salary right out of school. Fresh grads are pretty worthless because they lack real experience and need a lot of training. Maybe you can get your Daddy to buy a big corporation and put you in charge of the flight department.
I've got news for you bucko. A lot of those corporate jobs aren't much more stable than the airlines. When a company starts losing money guess what gets sold off in a hurry? Also you've got fractionals swooping in and grabbing flying that used to be done by the flight department.
Do us all a favor and go back to school for that engineering degree. Then you can be another weekend warrior that we can complain about when he can't communicate properly with ATC. You don't sound like you have a place in this industry.
Sincerely,
A guy that did some wallowing for 10-15K as a CFI for too long

 

[hopeful]

I was just following the lead of the retard who could have gotten a job making 100K right out of school. Guess I won't do that again.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

OK back on subject. You say that the time eagle jet offers isn't legal to log because everything is single pilot. The FBO I used to teach at (before closing the flight school and charter dep.) Flew a C-425 conquest which was a single pilot airplane but required a copilot per it's 135 operations manual. therefor it was legal to log sic when on 135 legs. also last time I checked a learjet required 2 pilots per the a/c certification. So if I flew copilot in a lear reguardless of which regs flying under I could log sic.
As far as noone counting this time cause it's not paid flying. I work with a number of people that have taken "free flights" flying for angel flight, one got to fly a 421 to florida for his dad's company (no pay), some have offered to fly copilot for free around the cargo airports just to get flight time. does that mean they all are unhirable too? what is the difference buying 100 hours in a seminole or 100 hours in a king air other than the king air time is generally thought of as "better time" cause it is tubine time? why should it matter if the seminole is rented from an FBO and the king air is bought through eagle jet? EITHER WAY IT IS BUYING FLIGHT TIME.....JUST LIKE YOU DID AT LEAST TIL YOU GOT YOUR COMMERCIAL CERT.

 

[PCL_128]

About legality: As long as the 135 operator has it in their Ops Specs that an SIC is a required crewmember, then you can log SIC time legally. If this requirement is not in the Ops Specs, then SIC in a piston is a joke. Eagle Jet contracts with many different operators and I'm not sure if all of them have SIC requirements in their Ops Specs. I'd look into it if I were you. Don't just assume that Eagle Jet has taken care of all legalities.

About Eagle Jet: About a year ago a friend of mine was thinking about going to Eagle Jet. I was a flight instructor at the school he was getting his ratings at and I had just gotten the job offer from Pinnacle, so he asked for my advice. I flew down with him to Miami to talk to the marketing people at Eagle Jet. I was not very impressed.

There is no pay while you are in their "program." They have no figures about washout rates from the different programs. They give no promises of jobs or even interviews when the time you payed for is complete. They don't guarantee you any timeframe that you will finish your hours in. In short, it is a very shady operation. I'd avoid it if I were you.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

thanks for real answers instead of just going off the deep end about "pft" But that still leaves me without any known way to slip my foot into the door of something beyond flight instruction in a 172... There are no multiengine planes anywhere around me for rent, and the planes at the university I work at only 3 insructors get to teach in. (I'm not one of them, still have 4 others with higher seniority to get the slot before me and I've been there, with my MEI from the start, for 2+ years) and the university will not rent out the multiengine planes except to the students for syllabus instruction.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

What about pay for jobs info online sites like jetjobs and airapps?
are these a bunch of crap too?

 

[embdrvr]

There are no multiengine planes anywhere around me for rent, and the planes at the university I work at only 3 insructors get to teach in. (I'm not one of them, still have 4 others with higher seniority to get the slot before me and I've been there, with my MEI from the start, for 2+ years) and the university will not rent out the multiengine planes except to the students for syllabus instruction.

Hey there whiny snivelly kid,
Why don't you get off your lazy arse and move somewhere where there are better opportunities? Most of us have moved many times for this career path. I don't know if anyone has let you in on this secret but there are 47 other states in CONUS plus HI and Alaska. In this profession you sometimes have to move where the work is.
I'm pretty sure you're single because most women won't put up with someone so whiny so you probably don't have anything tying you down. Or perhaps you don't want to move very far from your Mommy. Here kid, have a lolipop, it'll be OK.
Quit with the excuses already. You're just trying to rationalize a stupid decision and a bunch of us are wasting our keystrokes on you. Listen to all the poeple that have posted trying to enlighten you.

 

[Freight Dog]

I ran into some Eagle Jet people when I worked at Ameriflight. Many were foreigners, but some were Americans which was pretty surprising.

The deal, at least at Ameriflight, was you'd get an SIC checkout (in a Chieftain?!), and you'd be assigned to a flight. Now, an interesting thing is if you didn't show up, the flight would go without you. So much for the "required crewmember."

As for getting hired by Ameriflight afterwards, that was a big NEGATIVE. If you got hired directly by AMF as a captain-intern, you'd get paid for the same thing that EJI people were paying for. The difference was that as a captain-intern you'd have a PIC job waiting for you when you broke 1200 hours and/or met the FAR 135 mins.

In short... EJI is a WASTE OF MONEY!!!

Oh and WMU... if you meet the minimums of FAR 135.243(c), there is work if you are willing to move. Don't be shy to start in a single engine airplane and get into a twin in a couple of months. A few examples are Flight Express. Check them out at http://www.flightexpress.com

Another place is Ram Air Freight. http://www.ramairfreight.com

Many places don't advertise... you just need to be persistant and you'll eventually get paid to build your multi time. I had 8 hours multi and a bare multiengine rating when I got my first twin job.

 

[embdrvr]

The deal, at least at Ameriflight, was you'd get an SIC checkout (in a Chieftain?!), and you'd be assigned to a flight. Now, an interesting thing is if you didn't show up, the flight would go without you. So much for the "required crewmember."

Hey Freight Dog,
Is it true that Ameriflight would bump the SIC if there was more freight than usual? Someone told me that the SIC would get bumped for weight and balance reasons and get stranded somewhere and have to find his own way home.
That is too funny. I can understand the foreigners doing the SIC gig since other countries lack the flying opportunities here in the good ole USA.

 

[Freight Dog]

Hey Freight Dog,
Is it true that Ameriflight would bump the SIC if there was more freight than usual? Someone told me that the SIC would get bumped for weight and balance reasons and get stranded somewhere and have to find his own way home.
That is too funny. I can understand the foreigners doing the SIC gig since other countries lack the flying opportunities here in the good ole USA.

Yep.. while i haven't seen them leave someone at the outstation, I've seen them get bumped in BUR at night. Most outstations have a layover apartment, so if an SIC gets bumped, they'd probably let them stay in the apartment till the next day. It would definitely suck if it was the last flight of the week, though.

 

[Country Wild]

WMUSIGPI

I bet this experince makes you wish that you majored in something diferent and flew on the side. Kinda been nice to have something to fall back on. You should apply to some 135 freight compnaies, such as: Airnet, Royal Air, Air now, Wiggins, Air Cargo Carriers, Mountain Air Cargo, Skyway, Murray Aviation, Kalitta Air Charter, Flightstar, Texstar, IBA, Grandaire, Cherry Air, Ameristar, Usa Jet, Air Tahoma, Flight Express, Indy Aero....and list goes on good luck.

P.S. find an air charter guide
CW

 

[WMUSIGPI]

I have sent resumes to almost every company you listed there (a couple I didn't meet all requirements) and many more you haven't but I never hear back. I have used email, snail mail, and even personally walked a few in when on x/c trips though I don't like doing this in front of my students. And yes every time I see my dad he keeps reminding me that he could have gotten me a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** good job at GM before he retired and I could be making enough by now to buy my own plane. But I never had an interest in electricity, I loved flying, though even that is changing.

 

[Freight Dog]

Persistance pays my son. Don't take no for an answer. Keep trying. That's what it's all about - PERSISTANCE. Believe me, if you meet the requirements, you'll get hired.

Try e-mailing a resume, then make a follow-up call and make sure they received it. Then, call them again in a week or so and make sure they still have it, and inquire about when they may be hiring. Believe me, most Part 135 employers like to see persistance.

 

[SennaP1]

Ok, well I wasn't going to pipe in on this one. However WMUSIGPI works at the same place I do. Its amazing how you can read people by just what they type. I think some of you have this SIGPI figured out, I unfortunately have to hear his whining almost daily. So to you like Hopeful and Embdrvr thanks for "enlightening" our friend here. The only reason I am wasting MY keystrokes is the fact that SIGPI is now taking his whining to Internet-scale proportiions and nobody should be submitted to that. And the other reason is that he is giving my workplace a bad rap. (It's like every other place nowadays-stagnant). I too have my MEI, and I too could have gotten a 100K job out of college, because hey my DAD works for the auto industry too. Come to think of it my MOM too, not in the auto industry. Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda. But you know what I love flying, even if is with primary students(RIGHT RUDDER, RIGHT RUDDER!). All the MEIs at our school deserve their positions by working for it and waiting for their chance at it. They are there for a reason. My day will come too. My thoughts thats all.

Anti-PFT and ANTI-Whine

Ohh one more thing...Typical day sitting in my cubicle
WMUSIGPI Student-" Have you seen _____(WMUSIGPI) around?"
Any CFI within hearing distance-"NO, luckily not"

 

[embdrvr]

And the other reason is that he is giving my workplace a bad rap. (It's like every other place nowadays-stagnant).

Senna,
I didn't assume that the rest of the CFI's at Western Mich U were all whiners. Sounds like you have a good attitude and that you're someone who will weather this storm by continuing to work towards your goal and when the economy turns around you'll be in a perfect position to take advantage of it. With any luck maybe you can get on with a regional before then. There are still some CFI's that get hired even though the market is flooded with people with 121 experience. Airlines like a little diversity in the work force and CFI's are a bit more moldable than people from other carriers.
Oh and it's actually a good thing that you have a whiny coworker. You'll get stuck in a cockpit for a month with a whiner. You're getting some good prep.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

My point was that there are more excuses and reasons not to fly around here than I can keep track of, I have students on deadlines to get out of school and can't afford to keep being blocked at every step. Obviously there has to be limits to everything and I understand that but what I don't like is the two faced way everything is presented around there. We claim to be a professional pilot school turning out professional pilots. But how many have shot an actual instrument approach to minimums or anywhere close to minimums.... none unless they went out to rent a plane on their own. How many of your students would you trust to fly into Detroit Metro or Chicago O'hare by themselves? How many times has your "lead" bothered to get back to you in a timely manner about those "thresholds" on the timesheets? How many 100+ hour to private pilots are in the program right now.
I am still amazed that we can now fly IFR at night (even if at higher minimums) and would bet that if it weren't for having to change a/c allocations we still wouldn't be allowed to.
When I show up on a beautiful morning to find out my student can't go on thier checkride because it's "too cold" I am going to speak up. True it probably won't do any good but not saying anything sure won't do any good, and in this job sitting back and not saying anything to something that is perceived as wrong has gotten a lot of people killed.

As for the multi issue, I never said that the ones teaching in the twins didn't deserve or earn it. I do think that, like most other schools, everyone after a certain number of dual given or months of seniority should be able to teach in them. I think especially now it could be a good way to keep instructors motivated. There has been a lot of grumbling (not just from me) about lack of turnover of multi instructors and multi time. And no I am not saying to not let the current multi instructors keep flying them just spread the opportunities around some more. Besides they are swamped right now anyway.

I try to push things around here to get stuff done maybe a little too hard sometimes. But flying is how I eat and as long as that is the case I need to push especially this time of year because this is my job and I don't get an allowance from mom and dad. Put me on salary and I'll be happy to just sit around and go to meetings just like all the other salaried people there and never say another word.

 

[roughneck]

I thought about buying a merlin. For $16,000 I will let you ride around in it. You will have to sit in the right seat an not touch the controls of course, but I will let you talk on the radio at the uncontrolled fields and put the gear up on occasion.

Sounds like a good deal to me. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[chalupacapt]

Roughneck, you may want to make him pay you an extra $25,000 just to put up with his whiney, snivelly, crybaby attitide. Maybe more.

 

[chalupacapt]

One more thing.

Sigmagay, the only excuses are yours. Certain restrictions exist to ensure a safe training environment. If you don't like them, go find a nice FBO that doesn't give a crap about you or your students. Why should your student get special treatment because it's below weather minimums?? Noone else gets to bypass the rules, not even the checkrides. The MEIs don't seem too swamped to me. Kept busy, yes. Swamped, no. It also helps your paycheck to show up to work before 2pm on nice, flyable days. Not to mention the effect on your students' progress.

So, my final words of wisdom: if you weren't always crying about EVERYTHING, maybe someone would listen if you ever had a valid point.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

I never said my students should get special treatment I said that it should be at the judgement of the instructor. If you don't want to take any of your students flying when it's cold or the celing is 500' then don't but don't take the option away from me because you aren't comfortable with it. I don't think anyone should ever fly if they aren't comfortable with the conditions. But I also don't think that because you are uncomfortable, I have to be too.
As for the "swamped MEI" that was word for word from one of them.
And I would show up before 2 if I could get a Mooney to fly before then... or at all. But I am not going to show up there hoping to drum up a flight anymore.
And lay off the name calling, I haven't been bad-mouthing you, don't start with me.

As for Roughneck. That's more than I do now. Not interested in paying for more work but if I can sit there for free and learn more about turbine flying I'll take ya up on it. If you are an MEI and want to train me toward a type rating then I'll pay up.