Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Scenic vs. ACC vs. Great Lakes

  • Thread starter Thread starter QuasarZ
  • Start date Start date
  • Watchers Watchers 19

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Register   Log in
Q

QuasarZ

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2005
Posts
328
Just curious on what everyone thinks. Just looking to see what would be the better way to go. My goal is to eventually be the 3rd gen. at NW. (not gonna get into a debate on why them, bash me if you want) Once I am done with school I will have 500/250 or 600/350, depending on how much I fly. All are hiring with around that time. I do know of some pros and cons of each

Scenic is Pt 121 turbine time, but mainly VFR to a handfull of airports, pay is ok.

ACC is PT 135 turbine time, with lots of night and ifr, pay is pretty decent.

Great lakes is lots of flying, quick upgrade, lousy pay.

Opinions?
 
As a Laker, I'll have to disagree with FF. Which school are you graduating from, and when's it going to be? GLA upgrades are pretty damn fast right now - I'm looking to move up after about a year with the company and not much more than ATP minimum flight time. QOL isn't always great on the jets - just ask the guys at Pinnacle or TSA.

If you can handle the poverty-level pay, I'd say go for Lakes. They'll interview you in a heartbeat with those times, and there's nowhere in the country you'll get your 1000 turbine PIC faster. Screw QOL - that's what the NW job is for.
 
Go to Trans States or Mesa or some other jet operator that hires with low times, finnish your training, get a wee bit of experience, and then shop yourself around to a descent regional where your won't mind spending a few years. Good luck wherever this crazy pilot thing takes you (we all need quite a bit of luck in this twisted profession).
 
thepotato232 said:
As a Laker, I'll have to disagree with FF. Which school are you graduating from, and when's it going to be? GLA upgrades are pretty dang fast right now - I'm looking to move up after about a year with the company and not much more than ATP minimum flight time. QOL isn't always great on the jets - just ask the guys at Pinnacle or TSA.

If you can handle the poverty-level pay, I'd say go for Lakes. They'll interview you in a heartbeat with those times, and there's nowhere in the country you'll get your 1000 turbine PIC faster. Screw QOL - that's what the NW job is for.
Click to expand...

I have 2 years left at St. Cloud State up here in MN. I might get out half a semester early so 1.5 years left at best!
 
Quasar,

Is Bill M. from Maple Lake still around and giving checkrides?

Give Lakes a shot. Quick upgrade and you will have a good time there. Great first job and you'll be a heck of a stick running around at the barber pole in the ott 2. (BE02 for us oldtimers)
 
labatt said:
Quasar,

Is Bill M. from Maple Lake still around and giving checkrides?

Give Lakes a shot. Quick upgrade and you will have a good time there. Great first job and you'll be a heck of a stick running around at the barber pole in the ott 2. (BE02 for us oldtimers)
Click to expand...

Yep, he is still around.
 
A lot can change in the next 2 years... I suggest that you take whatever you can get as soon as you can get it - as long as your building time it'll definitely help you in the long run! Good luck
 
Yep.. Screw QOL and go to Lakes if you can.. You will never find a place with better people and a flying job that is more fun.. I agree that you will have QOL when you get to NW, and Lakes is the fastest way.. I gave up a few years of QOL to go to lakes and now my QOL is much, much better than many of my friends who went to "good" regionals.. Plus, if any of those guys who went to "good" regionals come to work where I do now.. There gonna be my gear biatches.. haha
 
Good luck in whatever do man, but i would suggest finding the company that fits you and gives the best upgrade and qol.

Yes you could go to GL and upgrade a year faster than most and if thats your thing than more power to you.
However if you want to know whats wrong with the industry just look at the above posts... "screw QOL" what an ignorant statement.

Those are the same personalities that own places like mesa and make a living off taking advantage of pilots.. good luck my friend but your a professional and dont sell yourself short.
 
Ignorant? I'm suffering in the short term so I can grab the fastest upgrade in the industry and get the hell out. It's not all bad at Lakes - pay is atrocious, management sucks, everyone else is freakin' great, and the flying is usually a lot of fun. There's a kind of punch-drunk comeraderie here that you don't see at all of the regionals. If this guy picks a regional with a "good QOL," he's likely to end up staying there twice as long as he should have to in order to get his time. Lakes isn't actively trying to screw you to the same degree as Mesa. They just understand why their pilots work for them, as well as their place in the industry. My statement's not ignorant, it's realistic. Low-time regional pilots are a dime a dozen. High-time major pilots aren't. The name of the game is going from Column A to Column B as fast as you can while staying safe and sane. Lakes is a great place to do that.

Good luck with school and with your legacy at NW, Quasar. I certainly won't bash your choice airline, but I hope it doesn't make you go through your career with blinders on. I used to dream about picking up the torch for my dad at UAL, but these days I'm not sure I'd take the job if they offered.
 
Last edited:
Ignorant??? If lakes was flying RJ's and competing against the likes of Comair, Horizon, Air Whiskey, and everyone else, than yes, I would have been pissed about the pay and QOL.. However, Lakes flyes the routes that no one really wants in airplanes that no one really likes and for the most part, competes against no one except themselves.. Plus, your only "screwing" QOL for a few years.. Lakes doesn't undercut any other regional because of pilot pay.. Besides, when you go to a RJ airline, even if the upgrade takes a year longer (which more than likely would take 2 or 3 years longer) your gonna be on reserve for the first year flying 500 or maybe 800 hours. At Lakes, as soon as you hit Captain, your gonna be logging a chit load of time right out of the gate. So in reality, your speeding up your career to a major by 3 years or maybe a hell of a lot more.. And 3 years of seniority at a major is a ton. That could mean the difference of furlough vs. not furloughed when the next downturn comes. Hell, at some carriers right now with upgrades running 3-4 years, that could mean the difference of new higher vs. new captain..
 
The problem with going for the PIC time quick now is age 65 around the corner. You better already have most of the PIC time now and get your apps out to where you want to go because age 65 will stick a lot of people where they are at for years longer than planned. It's hard to say when age 65 will start, but I would bet within the next couple of years. An aviation career is a big crap shoot anyway, but now it is even dicier going to a company with low QOL since it is very possible you may be stuck there a lot longer than those who are there now will be since they will hopefully have been able to take advantage of the fast turbine PIC time and then escaped to something better before the big age 65 slow down. Unfortunately this is one more thing to consider in your career planning.
 
I dont think your gonna see a big slow down in hiring, even if the age 65 thing passes.. Everything is cyclical in the airlines. And we have just gotten out of the worst downturn in history.. I would expect for almost every major airline to start hiring like gangbusters in the next 2 or 3 years.. If you don't have the PIC and you miss this hiring boom, your gonna be screwed for a while.. Go get the PIC.. You can always leave lakes for a good commuter once you get 2 or 3 thousand PIC.. Then you will just be waiting for your call from the majors..
 
Done both (freight and Lakes...) Go to Lakes... and don't leave Lakes until you have 1500pic, as tempting as it may be to get the heck out while you are in the GLA trenches.
 

Share this page

Latest posts

Latest resources

Latest media

Carbon Cub FX-3 Shenandoah Valley
Carbon Cub at Kittyhawk
FX-3 in the backcountry
IFR Panel in a Carbon Cub FX-3
Cub-Provo-UT-c.jpg
Back
Top