Ramp Agent to First Officer

[Flywrite]

I did it with a smaller regional back in 97. I had 1900/250 but didn't want to pay my $12k to FSI. Getting a job without doing that was pretty tough back then so I went to work as a ramper for a local regional in fall 96 even though they hadnt hired pilots in several years.

I got to know the CP and in spring 97 when they finally started hiring he came out on the ramp to find me. I think his words were "Be at my office at 9 on Tuesday. If you dont f*ck-up you have a job".

So this path worked for me and it gave me a lot more credibility a few years later when I was a Captain going to complain to the ramp head-honcho about poor sevice.

 

[MECH]

COEX internal mins are 500 and 100.

 

[Dodge]

Mesaba has hired many former ramp agents from many different stations as pilots. Hopefully you can get on as a pilot quickly because working the ramp for Mesaba is hard work, especially in DTW. Be prepared to work under supervisors that have one goal in life.....getting paid to hide in a broom closet at the terminal. Ramp Management (i use that term loosely) is bad beyond words.

 

[Guitar Guy]

As Cardinal said, it has happened quite a bit at Lakes. With a supervisor's recommendation, a ramper could get a pilot slot with lower time than someone from the outside. From the guys I knew that did that, they made a lot of invaluable contacts while throwing bags with the pilot group. Plus, with the chief pilot maintaining his office in DEN instead of CYS, a ramper would have a lot of opportunity to talk with the CP, thus helping his chances of getting a class date.

On the flip side, I knew of a few furloughed Laker pilots that worked as rampers for Lakes after 9/11. Lakes didn't get them back any quicker for recall (the seniority system, you know), but it kept them near the operation and near their friends.

 

[AnimalTale]

Hey Bro,

Anything is possible. Just go after it. I was cleaning toilets at an FBO..they would not even hire me as an instructor let alone a ramp agent. Now through pure drive and diligence I have been luckey to be furloughed from 2 airlines and employed by 6.

My advice, Dont quit also respect everyone, you never know if the yesterdays "toilet cleaner" is today's "Chief Hiring Pilot"

Good Luck

 

[RoyalAviation2]

I used to ramp for skywest, and was hired on as an FO with minimum time. However I had a ton of help getting the interview from a interview captain that I met once I joined the company. I was expecting to ramp for 1 to 2 years and I was in Salt Lake for an pilot interview 3 months after getting hired to ramp.

 

[smellthejeta]

When I worked for the company formerly known as Atlantic Coast, the rumor when I was hired on the ramp was that the company would hire internal applicants at bridge program mins (600/100). However, one guy I worked with had something along the lines of 1000/100 and they told him he had to meet street-hire mins. The one thing that I was told was that I would be guaranteed an interview for *any* open position in the company that I applied for. I didn't stick around long enough to see if I would get a pilot interview, and I didn't know anybody who went from ramper to pilot. Oh well, that's all water under the bridge, as the furloughs are dating back to my DOH as a ramper.