Importance of PIC time?

[maddmax10001]

I am not sure if I understand why the PIC time is considered so valuable. Obviously everone wants to move up etc. I have been advised to keep instructing for time and I always hear about guys going to the companies that run 1900's etc for quick upgrades - but the pay is still poor. So is the PIC importance for eventually getting hired with the majors?

 

[avbug]

I'm not sure I understood a single thing you said.

You don't understand why an employer might value pilot in command time? You don't understand an employer who is going to hire a pilot might conceivably want that pilot to have experience as a pilot, making decisions, taking responsibility, and showing that the pilot is worth hiring? Of course an employer wants to see PIC time.

Is PIC experience valueable? Yes, far more valueable than SIC experience.

You are apparently instructing. You understand that all your instruction time is PIC, correct?

 

[maddmax10001]

Yes of course I understand the PIC time shows responsibility and capability. I guess I was thinking more that if you stay with the companies you choose to work for I thought it was all about seniority and not PIC time?

 

[avbug]

Some companies upgrade based on seniority, some by merit, some by nepotism, some by whim, some don't upgrade but hire in people off the street...and others by seniority, but only applicable to those who have the qualifications and ability to upgrade.

If you lack the qualifications to upgrade and your seniority puts you in line for an upgrade, then you're probably not going to upgrade.

I stiill don't know what you're saying. Are you asking about a pilot working for an employer who quits his job and goes elsewhere to obtain more PIC experience, before coming back to work for the employer he quit?

I've seen that happen...people who were hired as a SIC, but were unable to upgrade due to their lack of experience...who then went elsewhere to obtain some experience and some education before returning to continue their progress.

All depends on the employer, the person, and the circumstance. Do you have something specific in mind?

 

[pilotyip]

As soon as you have 1200 hrs, start looking for a 135 IFR PIC job and start building resume that will get you future jobs

 

[FlaZoomie]

Don't forget, the insurance companies/underwriters make the rules now.

 

[AerroMatt]

I am not sure if I understand why the PIC time is considered so valuable. Obviously everone wants to move up etc. I have been advised to keep instructing for time and I always hear about guys going to the companies that run 1900's etc for quick upgrades - but the pay is still poor. So is the PIC importance for eventually getting hired with the majors?

Often those 1900 jobs just promise quick upgrades... but won't deliver. If you look at the regionals you will find guys who are being hired at 400TT but will not see the left seat at their airline for seven years or more. This is largely due to the lack of PIC experience. The more PIC time you show on your resume, the more you are telling a potential employer that you have been in the hot seat and know how to survive.

Now that the majors are beginning to hire again, they are requiring plenty of Turbine or Jet PIC time before they will even look at your resume. Even with that, a job with the majors is a far cry from what it was during the golden days so don't have blinders on and overlook the other jobs out there that can be great careers.

Take PilotYIP's advice and go get a freight dog job once you have 1200TT. Go fly for a year or two with an outfit like Amflight flying single pilot IFR 135 and you are gold to operators whose insurance requires lots of PIC time for upgrade.

Just my .02

 

[Freight Dog]

That's crap. I was a DHC-8 captain prior to coming to Aloha. Aloha at the time had 3 year upgrades, so instead of grinding it out for 1500 hours in the left seat of a DHC-8, I chose to come fly a 737 at higher pay figuring upgrade would remain there as we had plans to add more 737-700's to the fleet. Well, things changed, and I'm stuck in the right seat for years and years to come. I don't think I'll see the left seat here for at least another 8 years or so and I'm in my 5th year.

The whole PIC requirement is absurd given that at least our airline system is all strict seniority based. So basically, despite 2000+ hours in a 737, I can't apply to SWA or Alaska for that matter because I didn't grind out a few hundred more hours in the left seat of a DHC-8. On the other hand, a guy flying a Beech 99 at Ameriflight or Alpine can meet the mins.
So according to this logic, I need to leave my 80k+ job to go back to fly a Caravan just to have a shot at slinging gear in a 737 at another company. It's a flawed logic as it doesn't look at the overall picture.

 

[Freight Dawg]

One Dawg to another, becareful for what you wish for because you might just get it. You jumped ship based on current information, not forecasting future performance of Aloha. I will stay put waiting for a FedEx or UPS interview.

 

[HA25]

I think once you get some Jet/Turbo prop PIC under your belt (especially 121) you don't need to keep flying PIC.. I got some ATR, Citation X and Citation V PIC and now am going back to the right seat (possibly for a few years).. I don't care anymore, as I've got my resume filled.. the difference between 1500PIC Turbine and 5000 PIC turbine is meaningless in the world of hiring.. after your first 1200-1300 it's usually all who you know..