Major job w/o PIC time?

[CapnVegetto]

Everyone is right.....it just depends on how bad they need people and who's available. Hell, in the early and mid 90's, Delta, United, all of 'em were hiring guys off the street with nothing but Kingair time. I personally know a guy that got on like that, with no internal recs or anything. Right now, though, there's a million furloughed guys with 5 types and 3000 PIC in a 737 looking for a job, so things are different. In a few years, it may go back. It's basically just a crap shoot.

 

[AA717driver]

It's all supply and demand. You've got a bunch of RJ captains out there so eventually, some company will say 1000 hours turbine PIC OVER 50k lbs.

It's just one more thing to weed out people. It says nothing about the quality of those being weeded. TC

 

[pilotyip]

They were even hiring pilots without college degrees back in the late 90's.

 

[Caveman]

In this day and age 1000 turbine PIC is the magic number. There are jobs that don't require it to apply but almost any decent job will require that and more to be competative. I was one of those that upgraded at the very first opportunity because I felt it was important to get that PIC block checked. I had no intention of leaving the company I work for but I wanted the PIC time 'just in case'. Well, guess what? 'Just in case' just showed up. Man, am I glad I made that decision. It cost me though. I've spent the last 2 1/2 years as an extremely junior captain on reserve at an airline that is notorious for being very reserve unfriendly. Almost everybody anywhere near my seniority elected to keep their QOL and wait for upgrade. Can't say as I blame them, but now they are f*cked because they don't have any PIC time. I've been blessed with a couple of decent opportunities in the near future because I was willing to suck it up and get the PIC time. I'm not bragging though. If I've learned nothing else in my short 5 years in this business it's that good timing and dumb luck count more than planning. I would recommend that anybody that has the opportunity to get PIC time take it if at all possible given your current circumstances.