So if you had the Simcom training but it was right around a year old and say 1600 TT and 150 in type - would this company have anything good in store for someone who worked hard?
What is the QOL like? Do they hire PICs from the SIC group or are the SICs sort of a revolving crew of nitwits that are looked down on?
If you stuck it out for say a year would it be worth it? Can you live someplace nice and afford it? By nice I mean: you can go outside most of the year and maybe do something like ride a bike or go hiking.
How is the company doing. It seems like a good idea so I can't imagine they are doing all that bad. It is amazing what kind of f-edup business thinking I've discovered in this industry though.
Assuming you're well liked, you'll probably upgrade in no more than a year with those numbers. The 150 in type being the most important. I don't think anyone who came to Alpha and had time in type ever took very long to upgrade. There are some SIC's that will never upgrade. Typically due to a lack of skills or having ticked off the management pilots at one time or another. Ass-kissing never hurts.
Very rarely is someone brought from the outside as a PIC. Has happened before but not to someone with 1600TT.
If you stick it out for a year, it may be worth your while depending on the QOL you are already used to. The pay is very poor, even for the PIC's(they start at 36k or thereabouts). If you're coming from mostly flight instruction, have a roommate and don't eat out much, you'll scrape by. Keep in mind this is one of the most expensive areas in the U.S. to live and the starting pay is less than 30k. Go to craigslist.com and look up rental prices for an idea.
The weather has been nice this winter for the most part. Typically bike riding is not done very frequently from November thru the end of April. Great hiking area though.
The company is making money hand over fist! It is privately owned however so nobody outside of the CEO, CFO and maybe the head of sales really knows. The $$$ does not make it down to the pilots when it comes down to it. Per diem is good, $2.00 per hour, however it was $1.58 an hour for years before a change in the last year. After two years as Captain, pay is 50k which isn't bad but won't buy you a home in this area unless you have a spouse that makes decent $$$ as well. Supposedly a change to the pay scales is possibly imminent(How many times on this board has someone said that?). The company is dying for pilots and is moving to PSM this coming fall.
If you have the option to go to a place like Chatauqua or Skywest where you'll be looking at a possible upgrade in two years to multi-engine turbine aircraft, go there!!
