Mesaba Street Captains?

[OUPilot]

Have a few friends that turned in their resumes for interviews with Mesaba. What is the latest over there? The good, the bad? What is the next year or two going to be like for a street captain? Thanks.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

It's going to be reserve, reserve, and more reserve schedules.... But it will be PIC time when you get called...

 

[MEL'ed]

It's going to be reserve, reserve, and more reserve schedules.... But it will be PIC time when you get called...

How many hours do rsv pilots normally get? I'm guessing if they're hiring street CAs, they are probably needed and using them on a regular basis. Do they ever use the CAs for FO duties at XJ? If so, how much?

 

[xjhawk]

it varies for hours. But here this, you better live in base for a life like that. Oh and by the way, if you are planning to come here, here is something to think about. Will you act arrogant when you think how lucky you are to have a schedule right away and feel you deserve a better one a lot sooner? Do you think you deserve a quick upgrade? Do you wear your sunglasses in the crewroom with your phone earpiece in all the time?

here is what many XJ pilots have dealt with. Years, yes years on reserve, many times not living in that base. Being displaced from an aircraft or a captain seat. losing houses and cars because of a fake bankruptcy. Now ask yourself, when I get to XJ, how will I act? will it be as a professional? or will you make a fool out of yourself?

I say this, but I will be the first to welcome you to our airline. Just know what XJ's past is and what we have been through. Oh, and even though some of our management has changed, beware of them!

 

[MEL'ed]

it varies for hours. But here this, you better live in base for a life like that. Oh and by the way, if you are planning to come here, here is something to think about. Will you act arrogant when you think how lucky you are to have a schedule right away and feel you deserve a better one a lot sooner? Do you think you deserve a quick upgrade? Do you wear your sunglasses in the crewroom with your phone earpiece in all the time?

here is what many XJ pilots have dealt with. Years, yes years on reserve, many times not living in that base. Being displaced from an aircraft or a captain seat. losing houses and cars because of a fake bankruptcy. Now ask yourself, when I get to XJ, how will I act? will it be as a professional? or will you make a fool out of yourself?

I say this, but I will be the first to welcome you to our airline. Just know what XJ's past is and what we have been through. Oh, and even though some of our management has changed, beware of them!

If this was directed towards me, I was just asking a simple question about rsv hours. I was offered a CA spot and am curious about what I could expect my monthly hours to be. At my current airline, the past few months the rsv CAs have been used quite a bit as FOs. Does this happen at XJ? I realize it varies, but in the past few months, have the rsv's been breaking guarantee or falling way short? Working most, if not all days on call, or working only a few days a month? I do believe I act in a manner consistent with a professional and part of that is inquiring about life at a new job before I get there so I am sure I am making the right decision. I will move to base just as I did here since I have very little baggage or significant other at this phase of my life to move or worry about. Thanks for helping to answer a few questions.

 

[XJohXJ]

Hey, welcome to the company if you choose to come. For the most part, Captains may not be used as FO's. If you come in as a street Captain, you will not be qualified as an FO, so there would be no way whatsoever that they could use you as an FO. Line Check Airman can be used as FO's. In the fairly rare exceptions in which a recently upgraded captain could be used as an FO, that pilot would be paid at CA rate, anyways.

In short: don't worry about it, it won't apply to street Captains. As far as predicting reserve schedules, we are in a whole new situation here, so it's hard to draw from past experiences. In the past, sometimes pilots get used a lot, sometimes you might almost forget you have a job. Typically you wouldn't make more than guarantee, although I have once, and I know others have as well. Expect to get beat up a bit during monthly integration, when guys hit 30/7 or otherwise time out.

As far as the attitude stuff, I have heard some stories about some pretty arrogant stuff from out on the line. Just realize that a lot of people have been at the company for a long time, be they pilots, FA's, some of the rampies and station agents, or company office/HG/training staff and they have been through plenty of ups and downs.

In recent history the upgrade has been several years. Most folks who have been waiting appreciate the good fortune of those who don't have to wait, but don't necessarily want to have it thrown in their faces.

Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[SplitBar]

Welcome aboard MEL'ed

You will NOT be assiged FO flying if you are a Captain. Only LCA can fly the right seat. Also, reserve lines are published so you can bid different reserve lines depending on what days you need off. Not sure how that will change when PBS starts.

 

[Ridgeback]

I think what most pilots want to make clear to street captains is that you are more than welcome to come here, after all you'll always be junior to the guys already here. However, you, the street captain, need to understand the demographics of this pilot group and ask yourself if you'll fit in. The past three-four has been much like fighting a war, your buddies in the trenchs looked out for you and you for them. The threat of someone comming into what is a VERY respected pilot group without going through any kind of rights of passage is a little uncomfortable for some, if not most the pilots here. So, the best thing you can do for the guys that have suffered here during the bad times while you may have been riding the wave at 9E, Republic, Skywest, ect is to Not wear your sunglasses in the airports, or walk around with your Ipod, you get the picture.

So I for one welcome you, I hope you will respect the suffering I had to go through to make this an airline that you can walk right into and get what I had to wait 6-7 years for. Not to say that you didn't suffer, but...you didn't suffer here and a simple THANK YOU will go along way.

So please just try to fit in....

 

[Limeyflyer]

I also got offered the Street Captain Position, and am going to start training on Monday. I am truely excited to be coming in to this company. I have friends and family who are pilots with Mesaba. I know what they have been through to get where they are at, and I respect them for it. I am looking forward to the chance of having my brother as my FO even though he has a higher seniority than me and I know that when he is upgraded he will be ahead of me, and he deserves it. I am expecting to be on reserve for a long time and that doesn't bother me. I live 35 mins from DTW and can handle the reserve days. I am just excited to be done with my 6 yrs of Corporate flying BS (that I only went in to because of 9/11 screwing up my chances at the time of going 121). I will not be that guy with his I-pod/ backpack/ sunglasses/ bluetooth on. I know I can learn a lot from the guys already at Mesaba, and I hope I can throw in my 10 cents where it counts. Now just have to make it through training and I will see you all at DTW.

 

[PilotChapin]

it varies for hours. But here this, you better live in base for a life like that. Oh and by the way, if you are planning to come here, here is something to think about. Will you act arrogant when you think how lucky you are to have a schedule right away and feel you deserve a better one a lot sooner? Do you think you deserve a quick upgrade? Do you wear your sunglasses in the crewroom with your phone earpiece in all the time?

here is what many XJ pilots have dealt with. Years, yes years on reserve, many times not living in that base. Being displaced from an aircraft or a captain seat. losing houses and cars because of a fake bankruptcy. Now ask yourself, when I get to XJ, how will I act? will it be as a professional? or will you make a fool out of yourself?

I say this, but I will be the first to welcome you to our airline. Just know what XJ's past is and what we have been through. Oh, and even though some of our management has changed, beware of them!

Here we go again, the "Drama queen". I guarantee you that XJ isn't the only airline that has endured this kind of BS. And you're not the only pilot group that has endured bankrupty, dumba*** pilots, lost cars, houses and even families. So just stop before you start. Just welcome people with honesty and let them be whatever they want to be.