Flight Express question

[Inconceivable]

Couple questions:

1. What is actualy on a VFR 135 checkride?
2. How is their training different--do they still flight train the approaches?
3. Is there a sim check on your first day of class?
4. Do the VFR pilots actually get a line or are they sort of a reserve?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Boris Badenov]

Inconceivable: Someone with more current knowledge will chime in shortly I'm sure, but I talked to a guy who went through training with some VFR guys the other day. As best my beer-addled mind can remember, the VFR guys do exactly the same training as everyone else (except, obviously, for the checkride, and I've no idea what that entails), meaning that the training still has approaches etc. When I went through almost two years ago the sim check had just been done away with...don't know whether it's come back or not, but I would guess not. The VFR guys are, and again this is hearsay, but I'm told they're all put on high time runs in Florida so they can build time fast in VFR conditions and then get sent to wherever they want to go/the company wants them to go.

ualdriver: 407 is no more. The only run out of OPF is 405, which is OPF-CRG-SFB-OPF four nights a week and a saturday daytime OPF-ORL-OPF. I know this because I've drawn the short straw and gotten TDY'd on it for two weeks after returning to FLX tail-between-legs. If anyone knows someone who wants to live in Miami and work for FLX, this is a golden opportunity. They can't get anyone to take this run...it's become sort of a purgatory for the unlucky.

PS. They seem, inexplicably, to be getting better staffed recently, despite the "pilot shortage of 2007", so if you know someone who wants to get on VFR, they should do it soon. It's still a good place to work, and you can't beat the money for a low-time guy.

Regards,
Boris

 

[jim718181]

I actually left two weeks ago but as of then there were no more vfr guys being hired. They still train the approaches and the vfr checkride is similar to the ifr ride. I believe it's just one less apprach but dont quote me on that. If your planning on signing up I would be ready for an ifr checkride. Keep in mind that once you are on the line you can still legally fly ifr on part 91 legs. If that is something you are not comfortable with and you want to stay vfr only you should talk that over with gary/ernst BEFORE you get hired. And they did give the vfr guys their own run once the checkride was passed. Most of them are based out of TPA.

 

[ualdriver]

ualdriver: 407 is no more. The only run out of OPF is 405, which is OPF-CRG-SFB-OPF four nights a week and a saturday daytime OPF-ORL-OPF. I know this because I've drawn the short straw and gotten TDY'd on it for two weeks after returning to FLX tail-between-legs. If anyone knows someone who wants to live in Miami and work for FLX, this is a golden opportunity. They can't get anyone to take this run...it's become sort of a purgatory for the unlucky.

PS. They seem, inexplicably, to be getting better staffed recently, despite the "pilot shortage of 2007", so if you know someone who wants to get on VFR, they should do it soon. It's still a good place to work, and you can't beat the money for a low-time guy.

Regards,
Boris

Boris-

They got rid of 407!?? That's too bad. It had a little bit of everything- mail, DHL boxes connecting to their 727 in MCO, lab samples in coolers, film, checks, etc. I imagine Flight Express is not so short staffed now that the pay is much higher. Why tail between legs?

 

[Boris Badenov]

I imagine Flight Express is not so short staffed now that the pay is much higher. Why tail between legs?

I think the pay went up because they found themselves competing with all the twin piston operators for a shrinking number of guys with 1200 hours, what with everyone going to the airlines at 600 hours. It's now $12.50/duty hour to start...you can do the math, but it isn't bad if you don't mind driving a 210 for a while.

As to tail between legs...well. I went to Chautauqua for training and let's just say that we didn't agree.

 

[Boris Badenov]

Update: They're now hiring for every base in the system. Not really, but pretty close. I heard Kansas City MO, Little Rock AR, Tampa FL, Orlando FL, Cincinnati OH, Knoxville TN, Jacksonville FL, Jackson MS. And the way we're chewing through pilots I'm sure you could probably get any other base pretty quickly.

They're also back to hiring VFR guys, I'm told. Not sure what the restrictions are beyond the basic 135 minimums.

Here's the better news: The baron is going something like 3 months right now, if that. There's no way to know whether this will continue, but one of the guys who just upgraded to the twin was a vfr guy...he did his 135 ifr pic checkride in the baron. I'm naturally very happy for him but angry at fate.

Pay remains the same. $12.50/duty hour. You can't beat the feeling of being paid to sleep. A long run is a good way to catch your breath after the spending-sprint of student/training loans.

They're going to run another class next week (30th). Please go to it so they don't TDY me somewhere again.

 

[I Hate Freight]

It has to be tough for companies like FLX when the regional airlines are hiring at 500 hours.

When I first got my commercial license, my intention was to go to Comair, Eagle or Xjet which were hiring at 1000 hrs back then. But Sept 11 happened and hiring went into the toilet for almost three years. Going to FLX for that time instead of right into an airline was a GOOD thing for me because that freight flying WILL make you a much better pilot. I'm not sure I could have gotten through the RJ training if I didn't have the freight experience. The weather, flight planning and heavy instrument experience was invaluable to me

If you are a young (in experience, not necessarily age) pilot and not in a hurry, go to FLX for a year and you'll do great when you hit the airlines.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

Do they have a training contract? The OPF run actually looks like it could be acceptable if I don't get stuck for a year or two in it...

 

[tathepilot]

Do they have a training contract? The OPF run actually looks like it could be acceptable if I don't get stuck for a year or two in it...

When I was there last year, there was no training contract. A $1000. sign-on bonus was included. If you leave prior to 6 months, you have to repay..

 

[Boris Badenov]

Still the case with the bonus. $1000 (minus taxes) is paid to you when you finish training (on top of what you earn while in training). If you leave prior to six months from your DOH, you pay them the $750ish back. Still definitely no contract.

Jedi: If you want the OPF run, I'm sure you will have absolutely no competition for it. Give Gary Hillyer a call: 800OPSKORL ext. 610 or 613 and he'll give you the low down. Gary is FLX's secret weapon...once you talk to him you can't help but want to work for him.

 

[EatSleepFly]

Gary is FLX's secret weapon...once you talk to him you can't help but want to work for him.

We need one of those where I work!

With our "recruiting" department, I'm not surprised we're understaffed.

 

[Rxflyer]

Hmmm. Wonder if BNA is looking. (Although they crunched a Baron yesterday with a balky MLG).

 

[1flier]

Flight Express Upgrade

Boris a 3 month upgrade now!! Wow, I wish it was like that when I left early last year or I would have never left. My roommate in training took 14 months to upgrade. Its nice to hear that upgrades are coming faster. Gary the recruiter says its getting harder to fill with the regionals hiring like they are. For the questions about how much they log per month. My run out of BFM was 3.5 a day then my last day on the run another stop was added which put it at 4.5 - 5 per day. Duty time was 13 - 13.5 hours a day. A pretty cake run, BFM-MSY-BTR-MSY-Lafeyette LA-BTR then on the ground for 4 hours. BTR-MSY-BFM. All day run 0500 - 1800. Basically 42K a year at current pay, weekends off. Mobile actually wasnt a bad place to live. Low cost of living, decent nitelife and close to alot of other places like New Orleans, Biloxi and Pensacola. If you go to FLX, its a good company to start or stay with. You learn alot, the training is fast but doable if you apply yourself. Great bunch of pilots to work with and while I was there management didn't bother you. You do your job and they are not looking over your shoulder. You will learn to fly IFR that is for sure but I was never questioned if I delayed a flight for thunderstorms on the field or below mins. The memory flows are similar to what you may find in 121 training so it makes the transition easier. Safe flying.

 

[Boris Badenov]

This thread is worth it just to hear from the "graduates of the program" (that's what my mom used to call people who taught special ed. She was a teacher). But seriously. Yeah, a guy who I think was on his first day of flying the baron had a gear leg fold up on him in BNA yesterday. Not by any means how things roll around here as a general rule. Obviously, I'm biased towards CPS maintenance (these guys would never let anything like that happen!), but of course even the LESSER maintenance bases have the occasional problem. That said, I've flown all over the system, and the stuff that really matters generally works...more importantly if it doesn't, you write it up and don't fly and no one says anything about it.

PS. If you like, feel free to private message me with questions.

PPS. 1flier: Yeah, the times have come down. I think a lot of has to do with the fact that we're recruiting a lot more guys who are older/don't have an immediate ambition to "move on". So a lot of them are attached to their base and don't want to move to BNA to get the baron. I've heard that they passed over a lot of florida guys to upgrade the VFR guy to go to the baron at Nashville. That said, if you're willing to move, it's CURRENTLY a 3-4 month upgrade to the twin with a $12.50/duty hour to start. Not too shabby if you're willing to be Gary's little freight pingpong ball.

Glad to have a thread running where it's remembered that we're all out there flying around in the dead of the night so you can go to the bank tomorrow.

 

[RSixer]

Boris a 3 month upgrade now!! Wow, I wish it was like that when I left early last year

Cool, I was working there 2 years and and 5 months before my turn in the Baron came. This was about four years ago.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

ualdriver: 407 is no more. The only run out of OPF is 405, which is OPF-CRG-SFB-OPF four nights a week and a saturday daytime OPF-ORL-OPF. I know this because I've drawn the short straw and gotten TDY'd on it for two weeks after returning to FLX tail-between-legs. If anyone knows someone who wants to live in Miami and work for FLX, this is a golden opportunity. They can't get anyone to take this run...it's become sort of a purgatory for the unlucky.

What's the downside of this run (other than living in Miami)? It looks like an easy flight run...

 

[Boris Badenov]

Negatives:

1) Miami
2) About half the run is at night
3) Nearly a minimum duty run...relatively low paying

However, every negative is someone else's positive:

1) Some people inexplicably want to live in Miami
2) If you work at night you can actually get things done during the day...go to the doctor, get your license and registration renewed, etc etc. This stuff can be difficult if you have a day run. I think 405 duties on at 1:30 in the morning and is done by 9:30.
3) You're flying a lot on this run...if you want to build time fast, it's not a bad way to do it. Also, you're still only gone for about 8 hours, so you can have a Life Outside Aviation, something the rest of us vaguely remember.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Are there any lifers at Flight Express?

 

[Boris Badenov]

I know of at least 2, plus the chief pilot and director of training.

 

[yzf6]

i thought he'd left, but i heard the belgium lifer over missouri the other night. who's the other one?
and about this 3 month baron upgrade.. back in my day we had to wait 3 months just to get on a waiting list to look at a baron!!