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regionals to avoid ? advise please ....

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pairways

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Posts
15
i got offered a job with a regional airline after i got my hours instructing ( 1500TT and 250 ME)here and there; the company has a quick upgrade, operates both props and jets but has its own transition program ( 200 hrs to FO) .

if the majors are your goal, are there any regionals that you should avoid working for? are any regionals a disqualifier - or black listed - from the majors?

sorry if this is a damm question, i just need some advise from some people who know about the hiring process / screening.

thanks in advance.
 
"200 hours to FO" What does that mean?
 
i think you start as a comm pilot or student, you get your licenses and then you go through a transition programm and then you get the interview..
 
to help answer the original question....

DIE MESA DIEN MESA DIE MESA DIE MESA DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DI EID EID EID EID EID EID DIE DIE DIE DIE DIEDIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIEDIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE MESA DIE MESA DIE DIE DIE
I don't think that will ever get old...
 
it really looks like you hate mesa....
2 questions for you : 1. where you flying for them? 2.which airline are you flying for now?
thanks
 
I'd avoid G0-Jets and Gulfstream, or any other pay for training outfit.

Other than that, I think you're ok with any other regional as far as meeting your ultimate career goal.

Yes, some regionals are definately better to work for than others.(SkyWest comes to mind).

Take the 1st regional job you can get and start logging SIC turbine time. It will open doors at better regionals, giving you more options.
 
Try researching each company to see what future growth projections are. Growth = upgrade time. A company with a quick upgrade time at your date of hire doesn't mean you'll upgrade quick, you have to look down the road a little. Research aircraft deliveries and length of terms of service agreements or Capacity Purchase Agreements (CPA) with parent airlines.
Consider fleet types. Flying jet equiptment may open more doors down the road than flying turbo prop equiptment.
Consider employee morale, and the labor/managment relationship. Do people like to work there?
Consider the current contract and it's statis. Is it new, close to expiration, or expired?
Consider base locations, is it somewhere you would like to live? You don't want to commute if you don't have to. Commuting generally greatly reduces your quality of life.
As another poster said, you should stay away from the "Pay for training" type airlines. An definately stay away from airlines hiring low time pilots off the street for purposes as "whip sawing" or taking jobs away from union workers. The are certain lists that float around with names on it. You don't want to be on that list.
The old advice is to take the first job that you are offered. Well if you have no other offers, than you have no choice. But keep in mind that the regionals of today are nothing like the regionals of 10 years ago. You are likely to work at a regional for 5 or more years before being able to move on to your choice major. Many will work at the regional for their entire careers. So make sure the job you select is a place you would be happy to stay for a while if you had to.
Most importantly you have to take all these considerations a weigh them out to find out which place is best for you.
Good luck in your search.
 
do you think the path to a major would come faster getting 1000 turbine PIC part 121, in a turboprop as soon as possible, or taking your time at a RJ regional and not having 1000 PIC for 7-8 years?? in other words, is there anything wrong with just going for the fast upgrade T-prop regional w/ no jet time if my goal is a major airline, or is jet time really that important, more important than 121 PIC time..? Thanks
 
In additon to bearcats response.....i agree......i work for mesa......work rules suck.....employee relations with management sucks......unless you are into slavery......contract sucks.....it has no backbone and is full of more holes than swiss cheese.........when (not if) the company breaks the contract.....the response you get will be "greive it" :smash: ........the commutter clause is as good as not having one.......the schedules suck.........schedule flexibility is something they dont understand......it takes an act of congress to get a trip trade approved........mx control tells you whatever it takes to get you to take the plane......they dont care about the truth or what is safe......just what it takes for you to leave the gate......crew trackings idea of junior assaignment is whoever can do the flying and holding the release till the captain calls dispatch....and then you get junior assaigned.....and if you dont like it....greive it :smash: ..........that is just a small list of the negatives......and the whole list will wanna make you go postal :uzi: .........on the positive.......upgrade is quick.....street captains in the 1900 and about 1 1/2-2 years for the erj......the crj is a fair amount longer.....the pilot group is a great bunch of people......without it....i wouldnt have been able to stand it for as long as i have.......mesa has given me the experience to be compeditive and in the hiring pool of the best airline there is :beer: .........i would still research each company you are interested in......what are the bases compared to where you want to live.....commuting really does suck....i dont recommend it......what is the upgrade time......are they profitable..........you also need to look at what is your ultimate goal in aviation.......and you need to make yourself look like the prefect applicant for you long term goal.......good luck
 
Quimby said:
PICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPIC

Got it?
Click to expand...

so after you get the 1000 pic on a turboprop, would you recommend going to a RJ to build jet time, or just keep accumulating turbine PIC even though it's only a brazilia?
 
CFI2766 said:
so after you get the 1000 pic on a turboprop, would you recommend going to a RJ to build jet time, or just keep accumulating turbine PIC even though it's only a brazilia?
Click to expand...
PICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPICPCOCICPCIFJSdkfhalsigk;jd

got it ?
 
Build as much PIC as possible..........become a check airmen. It will help you much more than the SIC in the RJ will.
 
laterallymobile....thanks man.....its just my opinion.......and mom always said opinions are like a$$holes.....everyone has one :) .......jetblue is a good place......just not my first choice......thats all.....i wouldnt be ashamed to work for them........as for other comments on this post.....picpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpicpic.....no other time will substitute for when you are calling the shots.......you really need to look at your final goal......and make yourself look like that applicant....weather it is total time......jet time.....jet pic.....turbine pic......or night H2O landings...........whatever the requirements of your ultimate goal is.....make yourself look like that
 
Except in a few rare instances, turboprop time is as good as jet time. PIC is what counts.

Don't discount single-pilot freight as a source of PIC turbine time. Upgrades are instant, but you generally won't get as much flying as you would in a 121 environment. Just as with any job, it is only as good as your attitude.
 
I would consider going to a "Big Jet" outfit like PACE/ Casino Express/ Champion/ etc if you can. Some of those places have quicker upgrade times than some of the Regionals and the B-737/DC-9 or whatever they might be flying is good time to have. Of course there are some big cons about these places verses a well established Regional but it all depends on what you are willing to do to get the "final' job you are after. If there is such a thing these days.
 
what about 121 time?
is it necessary to move on to the majors level? or is it just a big plus?
a guy I know flies lear's for a 135 company. Even though he logs Jet PIC, he told me that Majors were not looking at him b/c of lack of 121 time
 
saviboy said:
what about 121 time?
is it necessary to move on to the majors level? or is it just a big plus?
a guy I know flies lear's for a 135 company. Even though he logs Jet PIC, he told me that Majors were not looking at him b/c of lack of 121 time
Click to expand...

No it is not required, the most companies like to have a fairly diverse work group in terms of experience. However most new hires do come from 121 environments or military.

Even more important than PIC time is knowing someone on the inside. If you know the right people, you only need to meet the minimums.
 
saviboy said:
what about 121 time?
is it necessary to move on to the majors level? or is it just a big plus?
Click to expand...

Depends on the specific airline's requirements. AirTran, for example, wants to specifically have pilots with 121 PIC time. Southwest wants Turbine PIC. Continental requires neither, at least on their official requirements.
 
PIC turbine is PIC turbine. Doesn't matter if it's a jet, turboprop, or broomstick, just as long as it's multi-turbine. 1900 guys get jobs at FedEx and UPS all the time. It's all about who you know.

However, don't think that 1000 PIC turbine is going to magically get you a job. It'll just make you equal to the other 20,000 regional captains out there looking for jobs. RJ captains are a dime a dozen these days, so you've gotta find some way to make yourself stand out from the crowd. The only way to do that is to make contacts. Realistically, you're going to be at a regional for a while. Go to whereever you think you're going to be happiest. Find a base where you want to live. Go to a place that at least has decent employee relations. 1000 PIC meets the minimum but for the most part, won't cut it. You're going to need at least around 3000 to be competitive. And even then you're still going to lose to guys that have recommendations. Just remember that there are a LOT of guys out there looking for jobs. Your resume will be one of about 30,000 in a huge stack.

Good luck.
 
saviboy said:
what about 121 time?
is it necessary to move on to the majors level? or is it just a big plus?
a guy I know flies lear's for a 135 company. Even though he logs Jet PIC, he told me that Majors were not looking at him b/c of lack of 121 time
Click to expand...

What it really depends on is how bad they need people. Right now, there's a million furloughed airline pilots with lots of type ratings and 121 turbine PIC time, so that's who they're looking at. If the herd gets thinned out any, the requirements will change, and your Lear friend will be in like Flynn. Hell, before 9/11 hit, the majors were hiring 2000 hour kingair PIC's with NO 121 time. They were hiring RJ SIC's with no PIC time. It just depends on the market. What 'unqualified' is now may not be the case in 10 years. The minute Airtran starts having problems finding pilots, they'll drop that 500 121 PIC requirement like a bad habit. But until that happens, anyone that's hiring can afford to be picky.
 

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