Pinnacle/Gulfstream situation

[willis]

Anyone out there know when Pinnacle will look to the streets for pilot candidates. With the Gulfstream flow-through program in effect how long before Pinnacle begins to look for other qualified applicants? Why would the company want the 500TT gulfstream academy pilots instead of others with four to five times the experience? Perhaps they are making money off of the deal!! I'm just anxiously waiting to hear something from them.
Thanks

 

[Longhorn]

According to HR, we have about another 170 in the pool to go. The classes are mixed with about 30% gulfstream and the rest off the street. When they start interviewing again, they will be going to those who were recommended by company people before other applications. The pilot group here was pretty upset that we had friends hired on but lost classes after 9-11. Then they started giving classes to some gulfstream people before they called back those who already had a class. It is not right and we (the pilot group) for the most part dont agree with it but its the way that HR wants to do things. If you have an application in just sit and wait or try comair or asa, aca. Hope this helps..

 

[VGerect]

I was told the reason NWAirlink/Pinnacle was at Gulfstream was due to the high washout rate of F/O's in indoc training. I know that several of the Gulfstream pilots that went to NWA were senior F/O's (1,000+hrs.) and a few captians. I dont know what they were promised as far as upgrades go.
I think most of the Gulfstream guys that are going, fall into the 500-1,000hr. range.
Even though thats not alot of time, these guys have all been through a Part 121 ground school and check ride. Not to mention they have a minimum of 250hrs of line experience flying into MIA,FLL,TPA and the Bahamas.
I think that beats the heck out of 1200hrs. in the traffic pattern instructing, IMHO.

 

[dondk]

I second Longhorn

The word from HR ( and this is about 10 days old) is that we may be looking start interviewing in late September or early October at the earliest.

37 GIA came over to us and went to class BEFORE many who already had firm class dates from last year. Of the 37 1 or 2 classes were all GIA then the rest were mixed in with those who had class dates of last September or October. Those who were in class or some part of the training at the time of the furlough have come back. But I will add most of those who were in the sim at the time of the furlough were directly let go and not offered another class.

170 in the pool sounds high as we were at 200 before the classes started in late Feb, but who knows it is very possible. All classes are filled through July and they are working on August right now.

Longhorn is right, HR will be going to the folder of recommended or walked in resumes first when they restart.

Currently we are about 520 strong and the word before 9/11 was we were suppose to go to 1300, but I do not know how many jets that was based on. We will have 84 by mid 2004, then NWA has the option for more. Then again, mid 2004 our contract is up so we will see if we get more than 84.

If you do the math, once we complete the pool we should be around 650-700 pilots. Staffing per aircraft I have heard is approximately 4.6 crews per aircraft (do not hold me to that number as it is only what I have heard). I really do not know how many pilots we will really need with 84 jets. Though 1300 seems a little high.

Most of the GIA people who came over were over 1200 hrs, although 1 or 2 were in the 800 range. (and we had minimums of 1500/300)

It is true that earlier this year we had a very high washout rate (70%) but that is down to 20-30% which is our norm. The 70% washout were some "new hires" and some were transistions. Our training department is not the best and some have spoken out that the "higher" failure rates are not all the students but our weak training department. That has supposedly been fixed or is in the process of being fixed.


Lastly, NWA has the option for something like an additional 125 or so jets after the 84. I hope this info helps, and if you can find someone to walk in a resume I would.

 

[Checks]

I applied with 2800TT, 1000ME.
Single pilot 135.

Havent called me yet, should have went to Gulfstream.