Question About These 300 Hour New Hires

[GEUAviator]

So, I'm flipping through my latest copy of AOPA Flight Training while sitting on the porcelain god, and I see TONS of ads from overpriced flight schools offering guaranteed airline interviews for their graduates.

As a struggling CFI at a Part 61 school, I'm a little disturbed by this.

If and when there is another hiring boom for the regionals, will these 300 hour wonder pilots have an edge over someone like myself who may have tons of time but did not attend one of these schools?

You know the ones I'm talking about...

Thanks in Advance,
GEUAviator

 

[Be200pilot]

i think the only people who would have an advantage over you would be comair academy graduates because they are owned by comair and most of them get hired by comair. i know for a fact that the gulstream academy guys are getting interviews at a few hiring regionals, but they come out of the program with pt 121 beech 1900 time. both of these places cost a ton of money but seem to work. but i really do think you will do just fine when you are up to 1500 hrs and 250 multi. dont sweat it

 

[Publishers]

yes and no

The answer is both yes and no. It is now an accepted practice to have these relationships and right this minute they work. Still, even a Comair tries to get a cross section in their classes of the new graduates, mid time people, and even some with more experience. Still they will get the interview and have some advantage. What changes is the proportion that will come from outside these programs.

 

[flyboy]

Mesa Pilot Development guys will also get hired with 240 hours after they complete that program. However, MAPD is a bit different that the high priced schools. They at least come out of it with an associates degree. I currently work for mesa (ramp) and I've met flight crew members that were hired as low as 240 hours that came out of the program and the instructors are getting hired with 1000 and 100 after a year of service. I wish I'd known about MAPD when I graduated high school in 96'. I'd be a captain now enjoying life as an airline pilot. Instead, I'm instructing at a small part 61 flight school getting ready to hang it up due to financial problems.

 

[Deftone45075]

I hope they havn't gone so low as to hire guys with 300 hours now. I know most of these wonders get the bridge programs with about 600 or so hours. And that is still quite low to be flying an RJ.

I think applicants who have gained a bit more experience will have as good a chance as any ERAU miricale. I would only hope that regionals will prefer to have someone with more hours and especially prior experience in turbine equipment and or 135 experience.

 

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

SkyWest won't hire anyone with such low time. They have minimums of 1000 total but now they are hiring people furloughed from United and Delta with much much more time. I imagine some regionals will hire someone with real low time but if I were a captain I wouldn't want a brand new FO to be flying with me in an RJ with only 300 hours total time. There is a lot to be said for experience. You can buy a few hundred hours of flight time but you can't buy experience in the cockpit.

 

[RUhiring?]

I'd be a captain now enjoying life as an airline pilot.......

How many regional captains have you seen on this board that could be described as "enjoying life?"

 

[Visceral]

I wouldn't go so far as to say the regional captain posters on this board represent the opinions of all regional captains.

Most people don't like their jobs, but I'd say I'd be happier as a regional capt than as an Initech employee.

 

[Cardinal]

Regional airline life beats the hell out of instructing or being a student, I can tell ya that. Of couse I hear you can make more selling magazine subscriptions than you ever could at Initrode.

 

[MetroSheriff]

I'm just a regional FO. It beats sitting in the left seat of a Metroliner hauling boxes for twice the $ and sure as heck beats actually working for a living.

I think a lot of the real hard core whiners have probably never actually had to work for a living. They spend a little too much time wishing their lives away. You need to take a little satisfaction out of what you do even if it is not the your dream job yet.

Remember, often the journey is it's own reward.