Tradwinds Again, Questions Again, Read most posts Again

[Humus1343]

Help get some good, current, and real information out to a guy who is interviewing next week. What is really hapening, no pun intended. Are the crews home based? Are some hired into the respective seats? Days on/days off ect. Medical? ect. Thanks. Life is like a box of chocolates!

 

[NoahWerka]

Help get some good, current, and real information out to a guy who is interviewing next week. What is really hapening, no pun intended. Are the crews home based? Are some hired into the respective seats? Days on/days off ect. Medical? ect. Thanks. Life is like a box of chocolates!

None of the answers to your questions are available. What you read in all the previous post is accurate. "Wing it".

 

[Draginass]

NOT homebased. You must commute. MIA base junior. Non-CASS. No jumpseat agreements with Continental nor Northwest. 16 consecutive days-on, plus. Expect 30 hours/mo. w/ little overtime flying availability. Training and travel to/from training is unpaid and done on your days-off. Possible for direct entry Captain with prior PIC and 747-200 experience. Medical offered, but expensive (like most places these days). Hiring is due to very high attrition and poor acceptance from furloughed crews. Gotta remember that sometimes it's not chocolates that's in that box.

 

[Humus1343]

Thanks. I will see if the claim that try are making changes is true. Man I hope so, I need a gig.

 

[Draginass]

Policy manual says 20 days on. 16 is by convention, and can change at anytime. Keep in mind that jumpseating into/out of MIA is very very difficult, as a last-priority cargo guy. "Need-a-gig" makes it seem like employer of last resort.

 

[Humus1343]

Better/worse/same?

Employer of last resort? I hope not. They are the first one to nibble since I found myself without a job. I have never been without a job before so this is scary new ground for me. It is not at all like it was the last time I changed jobs back in 2001 when the choices were witch major did I want to work for, it is soooo different now that I doubt I will ever go back to Northwest. Have things been getting better at TW? One would think that they would aggressively pursue jumpseat agreements/CASS or buy tickets to ensure the crews make it to work. Hell, I don't even know how to jumpseat anymore. What is the pay like? Any information will help to decide weather or not to bail out and quit chasing an ever elusive career.

 

[Draginass]

CASS has been promised, supposidly soon. Believe it when you see it.
Pay - 60 hour guarantee. FO-1st-$54/hour, 2nd - $57, 3rd-$60. $10 per hour override paid for actual flight hours flown out of the continental US. That'll average about $300 or less per month in MIA. Commuters have their hotel paid plus $48/day perdiem while at base, which is a good considering that in MIA, you'll spend a lot of time in the hotel.
MIA flying is a lot of night into/out-of high altitude airports in rugged terrain . . Bogota and Quito. Very very heads-up flying type stuff. Airplanes are P&W 7Q powered.
No consideration being given to home-basing, a la Focus or Southern. You're still on-your-own to get to base and back.
As far as things getting better, you'd have to look pretty hard to find someone to say that.
Potentially, probably much quicker upgrade to Captain at Southern than TDX or Focus for a sharp guy. Been hearing noise-level rumors about financial problems at TDX and Focus. Maybe someone else has better info. With fuel costs in the stratosphere, the old inefficient -200s are becoming less and less viable.

 

[federico]

Dont bother, stay away trust me on this one.

 

[lance129]

august class

does anybody know if they started the 747 class this month?

 

[federico]

no class date yet since new airplane is delayed. there saying 01sept but who knows.