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Leave GLA for SKW? Now a good time??

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Overspeed--
I too am an FO at Lakes. I posted a thread on here about a month ago under the Majors section asking a similar question. I figured I would ask some more experienced guys and I got a completely different answer. I have now decided to stay to get 1000PIC. Here is why.

1. Forecasted upgrade times are not always right. You may be able to upgrade at Lakes faster than you think and if you leave for SKW, it may take you 5 years.

2.Flying at Lakes will make you a better pilot. No autopilot. Flying around thunderstorms into mountain towns. There are a lot of ex-Lakers out there at Majors (I bet a few are on hiring boards) that know this. Lakes is like a Fraternity. Just go to one of the Christmas or Haloween parties. There will be ex-Lakers that fly for majors there.

3. It is difficult to compete for a job at a major if you are up against guys with 5000 hours of jet time. However, it is still who you know that will land you a job there. The way I look at it, I will leave once I get 1000PIC, and if I go to another regonal at least I am qualified and I can send out resumes to majors while I am sitting in the right seat. That's when I will really start networking. How crappy would it be if you left for SKW and then later met a really cool UPS pilot that wanted to help you get a job there and you didn't have their minns?

4. You will never complain about your future jobs. They will all be better than working at Lakes. Just read some of the threads on this site. You can't tell me that there aren't a lot of spoiled FO's flying an RJ with >1000 total hours complaining that they should be making more money (I know most of you guys arent, but I am trying to make a piont). They have never had to "rough it" like we have had to at Lakes.
The wierd thing is, I hardly ever hear of Lakers complaining about pay. We knew what we were getting into when we took the job.

well, that's all i got. Good luck with your decision.

cccccccceeeeeeeeeeeyyyaaaaaaaaa
 
I agree with eight8, get your 1000PIC first. Currently upgrades at SKW are a bit less than 2 years, but there has been a lot of hiring in the last two years. If hired on today, who knows it could be one year, could be 5. There are about 2200 pilots at SKW, those around 1500 are upgrading at SLC in the EMB and ORD in the CRJ. If you have the 1000 hours PIC you at least meet the mins if someone offers to help you get on at a major.
 
eight8kcabpilot said:
Overspeed--
I too am an FO at Lakes. I posted a thread on here about a month ago under the Majors section asking a similar question. I figured I would ask some more experienced guys and I got a completely different answer. I have now decided to stay to get 1000PIC. Here is why.

1. Forecasted upgrade times are not always right. You may be able to upgrade at Lakes faster than you think and if you leave for SKW, it may take you 5 years.

2.Flying at Lakes will make you a better pilot. No autopilot. Flying around thunderstorms into mountain towns. There are a lot of ex-Lakers out there at Majors (I bet a few are on hiring boards) that know this. Lakes is like a Fraternity. Just go to one of the Christmas or Haloween parties. There will be ex-Lakers that fly for majors there.

3. It is difficult to compete for a job at a major if you are up against guys with 5000 hours of jet time. However, it is still who you know that will land you a job there. The way I look at it, I will leave once I get 1000PIC, and if I go to another regonal at least I am qualified and I can send out resumes to majors while I am sitting in the right seat. That's when I will really start networking. How crappy would it be if you left for SKW and then later met a really cool UPS pilot that wanted to help you get a job there and you didn't have their minns?

4. You will never complain about your future jobs. They will all be better than working at Lakes. Just read some of the threads on this site. You can't tell me that there aren't a lot of spoiled FO's flying an RJ with >1000 total hours complaining that they should be making more money (I know most of you guys arent, but I am trying to make a piont). They have never had to "rough it" like we have had to at Lakes.
The wierd thing is, I hardly ever hear of Lakers complaining about pay. We knew what we were getting into when we took the job.

well, that's all i got. Good luck with your decision.

cccccccceeeeeeeeeeeyyyaaaaaaaaa

Brother you have hit the nail on the head. That sums it up perfectly. I have seen 1900 guys fly circles around the 5000 hour "jet guy". The fact is you learn to fly as a 1900 captain. The jet guys just learn to push the right button at the right time. Good luck man, keep that attitude and you will go far in this industry. Once a Laker always a Laker.

CEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
 
Leave Lakes unless you like it! There are too many people at Lakes that took the bait for the 1000hr PIC, only to go to Skywest and be in a position to get another 1000 PIC long before moving on to a "major". You need to be someplace you can be happy. If that is Lakes, by all means stay. I was at Lakes before Skywest and I can tell you its a no-brainer. You can't even put the two companies in the same category. Skywest is to Lakes (Regional Airlines), what a G-5 corporate job is to a navajo corporate job. Quality of life, pay, technology, maintenance, corporate culture, etc. are so far ahead of Lakes its not even funny. You are at Lakes which probably means you came from a cargo job or flight instruction (like I did), take the next logical step and go somewhere well managed, with good job securtiy, and growth opportunity. This is just a job, albeit the best one ever, but still something to pay the bills.

I wouldn't however leave if you haven't completed your training contract. You don't want to headache or possible black-balling that could lead to. Good luck. You can't really make a bad decision when you are doing what you like!
 
Leaving Lakes is a leap of faith. Staying at Lakes is a leap of faith. I'm taking one of those leaps. Just do a year by year, realistic progression on where you think you're career may go after either decision. Is there attrition/deliveries that will allow me to upgrade at the other carrier? Because Joe Blow upgraded in 1.5 years DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL. In fact, it probably means that you won't: he timed it right and got in prior to the growth and rode the wave. You can't chase growth that already happened. Do you have a long term plan to escape Lakes? I've said it before, to do the Lakes to Major transisiton you need contacts, networking skill, contacts(!), or remarkable charisma. In the absence of one of those, leave now while you still can. There are many who made the "right" decisions for a decade and are on the street right now (FurloughedAgain). Then there are those that made all the "wrong" moves and everything ended up peachy. You won't truly know if you made the right decision until you turn 60. Remember our friends who just left for another CRJ operator, only to discover that furloughs await them? Things change in an awful hurry, and even faster in BK court. Bottom line:

You never know.
 
Piedmont had never let anyone go when I went there, and guess what Comair had never let anyone go when I went there as well. Don't let that make you feel safe.
 

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