Question for Frax folks

[F.Gump]

Ill fill in the blanks before I ask my question. I am on the furlough bubble here at Mesaba. I dont know if I will, but if I dont life wont be very good for atleast the next two years as we are in contract negotiations. Im considering applying with Flight Options, Net Jets, Flex Jet and Citation Shares in the next six months.

Im at roughly 2000tt right now and will be at 2500 by June of 03. Here is what I think I have going for me.

-by that time alot of turbine time in a crew environment
-a strong professional resume that says I know a thing or two about customer service
-the guy who owned the flight school where I instructed is at Net Jets now


Here are some questions:

Im in the process of getting my ATP. Would getting a C500 type raitng as well be helpful (I know it wouldnt for Flex Jet). Would a type with no more experience in the airplane be worthless? It will cost me $1500 all in costs to do it in a Seminole, so the type at All Atps would only cost an additional $5k beyond what I was already planning to spend. The difference between what I will make next year at Mesaba if I even have a job and first year frax pay would pay for the type in a year. Or am I delusional.

Since I would be at the absolute mins, would the type help me get noticed?

If all else fails though there are a ton of Citations out there and if I get furloughed and not hired at a frax company, I would think I could find work somewhere, huh.

As always, thanks in advance for any input.

Gump

 

[Larcifer]

I wouldn't waste the money on a type rating. NJ doesn't require it nor would it help without time in type. The majority of the corp. jobs are the same, without time in type it is not worth much.

If you are interested in the frax side of flying you probably want to get your stuff out asap. NJ is backlogged about a year.

 

[F.Gump]

Maybe here is a better way of putting it. Im going to spend the money on an ATP because I think that will make me more qualified. There are $5,000 C500 type programs out there. I cant send my stuff into NJ now cause I dont have their mins.

When I have the mins, will I stick out more than the guy with 2500tt and no type. Ive got to think so. If you pull a stunt like this and get hired you feel ten feet tall. If not you feel like an idiot. You will never know I dont think. I just dont want to be sitting here in two years and have done nothing at all.

Gump

 

[cgmason1]

NetJets was giving preference to pilots that had experience in the C560 cause they were hiring right into the CPT Seat.
I don't think just having the type would be any advantage at all if you did not have the experience with it.(just my opinion though)
NetJets still sends pilots through initial even if they are already typed. When I went through Hawker initial two of the pilots in my class already were typed in the Hawker-talk about an easy course for them.
The thing that seems to help the most at NetJets is a Letter of Rec from a NetJets pilot that you have flown/worked with.

Fly Safe
Chuck

 

[F.Gump]

I surrender. My point is that Im going to spend money on an ATP in a piston twin. A Citation type/ATP is not that much more. I would never assume that the type would get me hired anywhere. If I made it to FlexJet I would feel like an idiot for not doing it in a LR but those types are $10k.

Thanks for all the input.

Gump

 

[Gulfstream 200]

dont waste your money on a type rating, no one cares unless you have some good time (PIC prefered) in it.
1500 for an ATP -vs- 5000+....
big difference to me!

You may ge some funny looks when people ask you where and how you got your type rating..."I bought it"...why????
really, some people will think thats strange and somehow hold it against you....!!

I say put that 5K in the bank for beer and resume paper money if you are worried about getting furloughed.

just an idea

 

[EMB145]

Save your $!

I had the Ultra type from FSI, in the same sim, as a matter of fact. Did not do any good. I had to do the exact same tng. and NJA would booted me if I failed. One positive thing; my checkride was a no FAA jeopardy, with two retrain opporunities during checkride "time-outs". The others had the normal first mistake, stop the ride and pink slip type of ride.
I asked and the type did not help me to get hired. It possibly put me in the Ultra left seat, but I would preferred the DA 2000 or G 200 right seat any day. The training was a bear.
Good luck, hope to see you here.

 

[Skyking650]

My suggestion;

Use the $ 5-6K that you would spend on a type rating and move to FXE or somewhere with busy flight departments. Several have operations where you can fly the right seat of a business jet on a rotating basis......doesn't pay much if anything (but you've got money in your pocket that you didn't spend) but will build you JET TIME in the corporate environment. Time in the airframe for a candidate with your total time is more important than a bought type rating. With this in mind, there are several charter companies that fly under the certificate or are approved and prefered for use by the fractionals. One of them would be an excellent choice as their pilots are trained to the guidelines of the fractionals that they represent.

Also, you will learn to hone your customer service skills as most fractional aircraft to not use flight attendants. The Pilot is the final communications between the Company and the Customer. No briefing tapes, baggage handlers or ticket agents, just YOU.

Checking weather, Flight Planning, NOTAMS, ground transportation, catering, heck..just remembering the lead passengers name for 3-6 different flights a day can be cumbersom at times. These things are just a few of many items that seperate the fractional environment from the airlines, and these are what our HR personnel are looking for.

In any event, good luck with whatever you choose,

JEDI