Question for YIP

[hooker23]

What is the area around YIP like? I've never been anywhere near Detroit. Is there decent housing in the area? How long has the company been around? Thanks for all the info.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

What is the area around YIP like? I've never been anywhere near Detroit. Is there decent housing in the area? How long has the company been around? Thanks for all the info.

Forget it. You dont have to go to college. Just worry about the Turbojet PIC.

 

[hooker23]

Question is for YIP! Most good aviators have high attention to detail.

 

[Cold_Outside]

What is the area around YIP like? I've never been anywhere near Detroit. Is there decent housing in the area? How long has the company been around? Thanks for all the info.

The area around YIP is a dump. It's called the armpit of america for a reason. To call this place "belleville" is a joke. If you can afford it, find something in either Canton, Livonia or Ann Arbor.

As far as USA Jet goes, well, do search in here. Focus on the timeframe 05/2005 till 08/2005. Suggested search terms are "paycut" and "layoffs".

You'll find plenty of threads, read them all! Oh, I almost forgot, everything you heard about Detroit is true. Whatever it was.

 

[Junkflyer]

You might be squeezed to make that 45 minute showtime in the winter if you live in Ann Arbor. It is certainly much nicer than Belleville.

 

[Xfr8dog]

YIP F*cking SUCKS. 8 month long winters. Dismal ugly terrain. Absolutely nothing to do (especially if youre on a 20 minute leash ie: pager from Willow Run) Housing prices are outrageous. Rents are like NYC and its freaking ANN ARBOR for gods sake! You get to pay all the rent without actually living in a city. I will find a new line of work before I move back to the Detroit area. I'm serious. I'd rather move to f*cking Greenland. At least its not pretending to be civilization there....

oh, USAJet was a great place to work when i was there, its just that the location made me want to rub sandpaper on my eyeballs. If only they could relocate to a REAL metropolitan area it would have been alright!

 

[kingaira90]

not bad if you like snow!

What is the area around YIP like? I've never been anywhere near Detroit. Is there decent housing in the area? How long has the company been around? Thanks for all the info.

Have to say that this area is MUCH better than I expected. Before visiting the area, I had this picture in my mind that all of Michigan was like Detroit. Not so. Detroit is for the most part pretty run down and dumpy (read much like Lebanon in the 80's, with casinos). But we are 30 miles from detroit. Belleville is a nice little town. Apartments in the 700-850 range, crash pads for a lot less (if you like sharing), with a Walmart and a Meijer's plus a few resturaunts. Ann Arbor is very nice, but outside the standard call out area and much much more expensive. It is usually in the top 10 places to live in the nation, resturaunts, music, museums etc. The University is a very big very stable employer, wich gives Ann Arbor a very stable base. I live on the edge of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, and we like it. Lots of shopping, and resturaunts, and within the callout too. Winter sucks, but it makes you appreciate the spring sooooo much more ;-) -kingaira90

 

[Cold_Outside]

You might be squeezed to make that 45 minute showtime in the winter if you live in Ann Arbor. It is certainly much nicer than Belleville.

Well, that 45 min showtime went bye bye. As per the latest Pilot Handbook it's now supposed to be 35 mins. Might as well hang out in the smelly pilot lounge when you're #1. Since we're so slow right now, that won't happen to often anyways. In summer you might spent four weeks at home waiting for a trip, so better live in a nice place.

Looks like we're on track for the next paycut in April or May. I heard they told the last new hire class during basic indoc that there will be a paycut and they should be prepared.... Pathetic.

Xfr8, is Seattle really that much better? I hear they have the highest number of overcast days in the US?

 

[Xfr8dog]

Seattle rocks! I moved there in February and didnt see a single rainy day until November. The rainy season is December trough Feb. and yes it rains pretty much every single day those months. But hey, you dont shovel rain now do you? In the winter it rarely gets below 35. The rest of the year is absolutely perfect (for me) hovering between 55-75. Summers are never hot and muggy. Beautiful scenery year round. Its not called the Emerald City for nothing! The people are awesome, the women are gorgeous (they still have all thier teeth and 200lbs. isn't a "slim little thing") I wouldn't trade Seattle for anything... except maybe Hong Kong or Rome!

 

[Cold_Outside]

Seattle rocks! I moved there in February and didnt see a single rainy day until November. The rainy season is December trough Feb. and yes it rains pretty much every single day those months. But hey, you dont shovel rain now do you? In the winter it rarely gets below 35. The rest of the year is absolutely perfect (for me) hovering between 55-75. Summers are never hot and muggy. Beautiful scenery year round. Its not called the Emerald City for nothing! The people are awesome, the women are gorgeous (they still have all thier teeth and 200lbs. isn't a "slim little thing") I wouldn't trade Seattle for anything... except maybe Hong Kong or Rome!

That sounds pretty good, hope to get there soon. Rome rocks, yeah, haven't been to HKG yet.

Hey and your teethless "sweet little things"... That's so Belleville Walmart...

 

[pilotyip]

YIP is a cool place

hi hooker23, YIP is what you make of it, for a native Michigander who has lived all over the US I kinda like it. No hurricanes, no floods, a couple tornadoes once in while, and ice and snow. However, in Michigan ice and snow is not really a big deal like it is down south, they are equipped to handle it. The season change is something you really enjoy, unlike living in FL. where you go Ho Hum another beautiful day, so what. In Michigan, people call in sick on beautiful days. Flying out of YIP will make you one of the best instrument pilots in the country, YIP ranks up with SEA for the number of IFR days. In YIP you will learn the real meaning of clean airplane, deicing is a way of life you get really good at understanding holdover time. At YIP you will develop flying skills that allow you move onto your career destination, even if you do not care for the area like xfr8dog. It gave him the resume fluff to move to his next job. We all pay our dues in some way; YIP is only one way. Our turnover at USA Jet is very low so some other people must have found YIP an all right place to spend some time. How many major airports are there in the country where you can live 10 minutes from the parking lot on an acre of land for less than 200K? Where else can you still get one dollar drafts at places like the Wedge? As I said at the start YIP is what you make of it, some people say it is OK, others do not like it here and do not apply. Simple choices.

 

[PCL_128]

How many major airports are there in the country where you can live 10 minutes from the parking lot on an acre of land for less than 200K?

Pretty much everywhere on the good side (read: south) of the Mason-Dixon line. In fact, in many places down south you could do it for $150k. For the life of me I can't figure out why the people in Michigan put up with such ridiculous housing prices. A house that would cost me $200k in Atlanta would cost double that in the area around YIP, and the area isn't anywhere near as nice. You guys at USA Jet need to get rid of that whole "live in domicile" thing.

 

[pilotyip]

yes but compared to NYC, LA, SFO, CHI, YIP prices are reasonable. And again if it is not your choice make another decision. Pilot that live in the YIP domicile make around $20K per year more than commuters and spend more time at home that commuters. Really the best of both worlds if you like living at YIP as most of our piots do.

 

[Metroman]

Yip,

Is USA Jet still hiring?

 

[pilotyip]

interviewing for a pool, hiring will depend upon turnover or increase in the fleet.

 

[NJA bound]

Check into Netjets, 7 on 7 off, FO pay 46,300.

www.netjets.com

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I think PDX is better than Seattle.

Hillsdale, MI has 60 sunny days a year, which is less than Detroit, AND Seattle. If you have the chance to move to Hillsdale, don't. But, if you're ultraconservative, Hillsdale College is a good choice for an education. It used to be one of the most liberal colleges in the US. How things change.

Oh, and I would say, Ann Arbor, Belleville, Canton, whatever. It's all the Detroit metro area. Lots of concrete and big, gas guzzling cars.

Cliff
YIP

 

[pilotyip]

No Hillsdale stood still and as the US tilted further and further to the left, it slid by Hillsdale and although they have not changed relative to the US Culture they look right of center.

 

[Cold_Outside]

Yip,

Is USA Jet still hiring?

Sure, we need to replace the 80ish% of new hires that quit within their first year.

How many major airports are there in the country where you can live 10 minutes from the parking lot on an acre of land for less than 200K?

Not a lot and DTW isn't one of them. Are you trying to prove my point that Belleville is ugly and housing is cheap?

 

[pilotyip]

Cold your are guilty of bad math, we hired 12 pilots in the last year prior to the new hire class that started this month, 6 of those quit in the fall exit. Help me math majors; but is that not closer to 50%. Our turnover has returned to its historic low level of about 10% per year. Our pool has a good number of high quality candidates, so if we have to hire we are in good shape. You seem unhappy if you do work for USA Jet you should go someplace else and be happy. There are too many satisfied people working here, like the pilot who is ram rodding the CASS compliance, they do not need guys like you in their ranks. So low cost housing is bad thing? and again ugly is in the eye of beholder, you must have ugly thoughts

 

[727RedTails]

I live in Canton, only about 15 minutes from YIP in a great little neighborhood. Check out www.cherryhillvillage.com. We are 8 miles from Ann Arbor and in one of the safest communities in the United States. The Canton website is www.canton-mi.org. I grew up in Baltimore and lived in Florida for 8 years before moving up here and I will say I like it a lot more than south florida. We have a good time waterskiing or snowmobiling 15 minutes away, but really anywhere is what you make of it.

 

[hooker23]

To those of you that think the area around YIP is ugly: Have you ever lived in a pure military town? Just asking. I'm in the Army and my expectations are pretty low. Can anyone out there tell my how long USAJet has been in business, perks, benefits, etc? Thanks

 

[2LT]

I've done both...

And yes, it's ugly. The only difference is that when I was on active duty I could take my POV outside a "20-minute" call-back radius. And, if I did go somewhere, I didn't have to have my BDU's on,"...just in case I get paged..."

http://www.activeaero.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Home.main

http://www.aviationinterviews.com/pilotgougedisplay.php3?company=usa_jet

If that last link doesn't work, just go to:

http://www.aviationinterviews.com

Check out the gouge on USA Jet...

 

[Sunnfun]

To those of you that think the area around YIP is ugly: Have you ever lived in a pure military town? Just asking.

Belleville is pretty bad compared to the surrounding areas. That's why you only pay 200K for an acre lot. Outside Bellevile you pay twice as much. Cherry Hill Village is nice, btw. It's in Canton. There are nice areas outside Belleville, they are pricey though and some might be outside the 20-min call-out range. Look at google maps to get an idea.

Can anyone out there tell my how long USAJet has been in business, perks, benefits, etc? Thanks

Active Aero has been in business for a long time, since the 80's or so. The owners then founded USA Jet as a 121 ailrine to operate DC-9s. AA stayed 135 with the falcons. They then merged the 135 part of AA with USA Jet. Active Aero is now just a broker and let USA Jet bid for trips just like any other company (Ameristar, IFL, Kalitta Charters, Cherry etc.). If we're too expensive we don't get the trip. If we don't get trips we get paycuts or layoffs. If that's not enough, they'll shut USA Jet down. AA will always stay on top. That's what of some of the more senior pilots fear most.

Last year in May we were supposed to be bancrupt within 3 months. An average 26% temp. paycut across the pilot board and an above average busy July and august kept that from happening though.

The years before we had regular layoffs during the slow times. This was the first time we just had paycuts instead of layoffs. It's pretty unstable right now, with all the US automakers being close to bancruptcy. The three PAX DC-9s are flying charters during the college sports season, rest of the year they're pretty slow too. We'll see if that changes next year.

Benefits are medical, dental, vision by BCBS, paid vacation after first year and guaranteed days off; I think, one big advantage over other on demand places. Vacation has to be bid one year in advance now, awarded by seniority. CASS is suppsoedly in the works.

Be aware this is not a place for timebuilder, you will sit around A LOT, you can "sell" days off and fly more if the company asks you, but don't count on it. Guarantee is 55 hrs now on all A/C. Breaking guarantee is not easy, this summer some people spent two weeks in a row in Laredo, sitting in a hotel, being on a 20 min call out. Others had 4-5 weeks in a row with no trips.

Hope that helps. Merry Christmas!

 

[Gulfstream 200]

I kind of like the part about sitting two weeks 20 min callout in a hotel in Laredo Texas. (what if you have to take a dump when they wake you? can you get 25mins?)

thats real special.



forget college, PIC turbojet on demand freight is where its at, bro.

 

[Cold_Outside]

I kind of like the part about sitting two weeks 20 min callout in a hotel in Laredo Texas. (what if you have to take a dump when they wake you? can you get 25mins?)

In Laredo we normally get 1 hr from page to block out. So you have enough to take a dump.

 

[pilotyip]

Sunnfun, that is a pretty accurate description of USA Jet, I will just add this for a pilot who spends 12 months in seat, no time off for training, will average about 500 hrs a year on the DA-20 and 400 on the DC-9. On the DC-9 in months of Aug, Sep and Oct we had a lot of cargo pilots break guarantee, many took home around 20K for one month’s work. We are in tuff business, but we a have very low turnover other than the mass exodus in Aug/Sep due to the cut back in guaranteed hours in May of this year. DC-9 Captain turnover is very low, we only trained two new DC-9 Captains in 2005. Active Aero is adding new customers on a regular basis; these new customers keep us flying at a lower rate when the auto companies slow down. Pax flying is up 150% over last year at this time. That will fill in the slow winter months with flying.

 

[pilotyip]

Belleville Ugly?

I don't know about Belleville being ygly, but at mile post 189 on East bound I-94 coming up to the Belleville Rd exit there is a billboard that says "Got an ugly home you want to get rid of? Call 1-800-ugly homes we will take it off your hands" Maybe they live in a different part of Belleville than I do. Actually I live in Van Buren Twp.