Great Lakes Info

[Cardinal]

OK if you're GFs sister's best friend's husband is the son of a Fedex regional chief pilot then you might have a chance

LOL. Accurate, but it seemed like anybody, jet driver or not, needed similar connections to land that job. The 3 recs + meet and greet system guaranteed an incestuous group.

Too many times did I hear from CAs that were turned down by top tier airlines because of no Jet experience.

I was one of those CAs. But I can't present evidence as to why I and my bretheren got turned down, only hunches.

Yet I think for the new 121 pilot, it's far better to be eligible to get hired most places (with PIC under your belt) than have the jet time but be scorned nearly everywhere because of an inability to ever upgrade.

 

[Future Furlough]

Lakes is the infamous "cockroach" in the airline industry.

Besides, they have to survive just 2 years for a new-hire to get the 1000 TPIC anyway.

If the hiring music stops (as it looks like it might, what with age 65 and oil at a gazzillion bucks) it could be a whole lot longer than 2 years. As I always say, you're better off going a company that treats you well. That way, if you get stuck there, you get stuck with a good quality of life, as opposed to just getting stuck.

 

[Crossky]

Maybe. But in my experience, turbine is turbine. 135 or 121. I've never known anybody turned down with not enough "jet" time. Again. Just my experience. Either way, Great lakes sucks. I inteviewed there @ 5 years ago and they were proud to offer $12.50/ hour with no promises. I said no thanks. I like some of their routes though, good flying.

It's actually a whopping $15.30/hr, been that way since approx. 2000.

Most pilots leave Lakes to go fly an RJ, frac or corp/charter. A few do get the big jet, but it's a fact a GLA CA is less attractive to a major/LCC than a Jet CA.

I know I had fun there.

 

[Guitar Guy]

It's actually a whopping $15.30/hr, been that way since approx. 2000.

Didn't the contract back in 2005 (or 2006?) change that, albeit just a little bit? Still poverty-level wages.

I think you are right, Crossky, as there is some debate that my employer may start getting a little more picky on jet and/or glass/FMS time.

But if one can survive Lakes and the 1900D, that person will be a better pilot for the experience.

 

[Cardinal]

Most impatient pilots leave Lakes to go fly an RJ, frac or corp/charter.

A few do get the big jet, but it's a fact a GLA CA is less attractive to a few major/LCCs than a Jet CA.

Fixed it for you.

 

[thepotato232]

It's actually a whopping $15.30/hr, been that way since approx. 2000.

Actually, GLA newhires are all the way up to $16.00, with another $.24 or so due next year. Big pimpin', indeed.

Most pilots leave Lakes to go fly an RJ, frac or corp/charter. A few do get the big jet, but it's a fact a GLA CA is less attractive to a major/LCC than a Jet CA.

Well, kind of. FedEx isn't going to be hiring any non-legacies off of the 1900 any time soon. On the other hand, if Alaska, fractional or corporate are your goals, none of them have a problem with turboprop drivers. SWA liked us back in the day, and F9 couldn't stop themselves from hiring Lakers. Kalitta and similar cargo operations get a steady flow of pilots from Lakes. Many captains are leaving for DAL and NWA these days. As long as they can dodge the furlough bullet, I bet they're happy with their choice. If your goals involve overseas flying, the rest of the world has a well-documented chubby for jets. There are quite a few people leaving for other regionals as well, and current Lakers don't seem to be busting their balls over it. To each their own. Without F9 hiring a new batch of Lakers every month, prospects might not be as good as they have been.

I know I had fun there.

The Halloween party alone was worth the price of admission. Meow.

 

[thepotato232]

Ooh damn, just to clarify my last post: I was referring to the whole GLA experience as my "cost of admission" for the Halloween party, lest anyone think for a second that the brothers Williston would charge at the door for the annual shindig. Blasphemy!

 

[Trogdor]

Fixed it for you.

Impatient for another regoinal, yes.

Impatient for a frac or corporate job, no. There are some guys who want to go fly biz jets.

 

[Cardinal]

Correct me twice in one day? Don't make me drive up there...

Of course you're right on both counts

 

[AdSo81]

No matter which way you look at it, the amount of and quality of flying you do at lakes has the ability to make you much more marketable down the road. You will fly nearly 1000 (or more) hours a year almost with out question. Even if you do decided not to upgrade, spend your 15 (or less if your brave enough) months as an FO and go elsewhere you still have some turbine time that will help you out in the future. Went down that road. Now, I have a nice gig, building TPIC in a transport category jet and I'm home nearly every night.

And for the record, being a laker didn't hurt as the guy doing the hiring happened to be an ex laker himself. I didn't know that until after the fact.