Shortest Updgrade Time

[BoilerUP]

Not looking to be there more than 2 years.

Not planning on going to a major.

Where you planning on going to then, Scooby?

Think about it. You have (as listed) 365 hours - you aren't anywhere near competitive for any of the growing regionals (then again, neither am I). If you got hired on at ANY regional today, I seriously doubt your upgrade would be less than 2.5 years. Even at Corpex you'd probably be a year to 18 months to upgrade.

In all seriousness, I do wish you luck in whatever route you take, but by the time you meet hiring minimums upgrade times WILL have changed. Many times over.

 

[LivingToFly]

What kinds of places are Great Lakes captains getting hired at? Are they leaving for better regionals? corporate? any majors?

 

[Guitar Guy]

Where have the Lakers gone?

We've seen a lot of people, mostly F/O's but a few lower-time captains, go to SkyWest. A few more senior captains have gone to Pinnacle. This past winter/spring, we had a few guys go to Frontier (though that may have stopped with the jet/glass requirement supposedly being back). We lost one guy to AirTran. Several F/O's have also gone to Air Wis, a few to Commutair, one to Skyways and one to Horizon. A few captains also left for ATA around the beginning of the year. Oh, and a few captains have gone to America West. Lately, though, a lot of us Lakers are leaving for NetJets.

So overall, there have been a lot of opportunities depending on what one desires for his or her career.

 

[Humphreybogart]

Going to NetJets? Good Luck. You'd probably make more $$$ staying at Lakes. Alot of unhappy people at NutJets right now. Poor moral too. You should try CitationShares, upgrade in less than a year. Great $$$. Tough to get hired by them though. However, they are the "cream of the crop"!

 

[Guitar Guy]

Going to NetJets? Good Luck. You'd probably make more $$$ staying at Lakes. Alot of unhappy people at NutJets right now. Poor moral too. You should try CitationShares, upgrade in less than a year. Great $$$. Tough to get hired by them though. However, they are the "cream of the crop"!

Do you fly for NetJets? If so, how long and what plane are you on?

As for making LESS cash at NetJets than Lakes, I'm not certain that's possible!

 

[amcnd]

Its hard to predict upgrade times. When I started at Eagle it was 18 months, now its 5 years. I think the same goes for Comair and Wisky. Hired on today, and you are looking at atleast 4-6 years. Attrition is running to low at the big regoinals these days.

 

[Humphreybogart]

Guitar Guy, I don't fly for NetJets. I just read alot of negative stuff about them posted by their pilots on the fractional side of this website. I've flown for a 121 carrier and it's the lowest of low jobs out there as far as working environment goes. It's definately a step up going to a fractional, however, the money you're talking about at Lakes is not much different than the salary at NetJets. Congrats on your new position!

 

[grog_sit_reserv]

Mesa: 3 yrs 10 mos

If... when Airways tanks it will be a lot like Eagle. Also, Mesa is a very bad company, stay away, stay very far away....

 

[flynfarr]

Dude, Chautauqua!!! Current upgrade classes are full of guys/gals with 18 months with the company!! We are not talking b1900 here either. E145/170 and beyond. Even if Airways tanks, we are sitting OK (look for the 18 months to slow a little) but we are "rumored" to be getting yet another codeshare in 2005 and this is a really nice place to work. Lots of bases with a nice mix of day trips up to 4 day trips. Sleep at home or don't! Good luck and hope to see you on the November senority list!

 

[norskman2]

Lakes is averaging the loss of 1 pilot PER DAY this month. Even though the seniority list has a lot of captains on it, every day, people are interviewing and putting in their resignation. And a lot of F/O's are moving on, too. .

Are things THAT bad at Lakes? Isn't the prospect of maybe a short upgrade time down the road enough to keep F/Os on?

 

[psysicx]

Skip the regionals and to Ameriflight.Six months you will be sitting left seat of the B-99.It only gets better from there you will be flying the metro and B-1900.

 

[English]

Skip the regionals and to Ameriflight.Six months you will be sitting left seat of the B-99.It only gets better from there you will be flying the metro and B-1900.

True story. A former student of mine (you know who you are ) asked me for advice about whether to go to SkyWest or go to Ameriflite. I told him to go to Ameriflite, which was a sure thing at the time, then decide about SkyWest after he was hired there. Well, he was soon hired at SkyWest but placed into a pool for a Brazilia class. He was finally called for a class a few weeks ago, I think in a CRJ, at the same time he was slated to go to BE99 upgrade training. He bypassed SKyWest and is now a BE99 captain, gaining PIC turbine time.

So, SIC 121 in a jet for 19k, or PIC 135 in a turboprop for 35K? I think he made the right choice.

 

[Xdriver]

Oh baby once a LAKER always a LAKER Voss is still running the show huh? Boy do I miss BIS DEN FSD DEN BIS in the ol EMB-120 those mornings in BIS at -40 wind chills NOT or lan ord lan ord lan ord lan do that all day forget jepps we had it memorized.

 

[248to2.8]

Well right now Skyway has upgrades going through that started 7 months ago. Kinda scary. So that sounds like one of the quickest upgrades. However if Delta takes a crap, we'll have the fastest furlough around.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Guitar Guy, I don't fly for NetJets. I just read alot of negative stuff about them posted by their pilots on the fractional side of this website. I've flown for a 121 carrier and it's the lowest of low jobs out there as far as working environment goes. It's definately a step up going to a fractional, however, the money you're talking about at Lakes is not much different than the salary at NetJets. Congrats on your new position!

Just FYI, a friend and former co-worker of mine fromLakes that got on with NJA in June/July is now on captain pay there. He is making noticably more than any line captain at Lakes and he's not even been at NJA for 6 months and he's a right-seater.