Tsa Qol

[ALIMBO]

Hey just wondering if theres anyone flying with TSA on the board that can share there experiences with me? Hows the QOL I know the pay sucks but how are you coping with it? Does anyone commute I have a feeling I will be living in Chicago if I decide to work with TSA so I was wondering how hard it is to commute. Thanks guys also is there any good regionals that a low time pilot could get into based in chicago at either ORD or MDW? Thanks

 

[John Pennekamp]

also is there any good regionals that a low time pilot could get into based in chicago at either ORD or MDW? Thanks

Skywest has an ORD base. MKE too.

 

[rjet24]

Trans States reguardless of what people say is what you make of it. If you do your job and go home at the end of the day then it is not that bad. Reserve like any airline sucks, I sat reserve for over a year, but that was a few years back. Right now I believe reserve is running four months. As of now for whatever reason we are pretty well staffed with attrition slowing, at least on the captain side. Commuting is not that bad if you plan ahead. Chicago, should be a pretty easy commute with several flights on american, united, swa, and then there is always the option to drive. First year pay is on par with other regionals, second kind of sucks, but is doable. You should upgrade by year three or sooner if you have the time. Think about what you want, to me Trans States is a quick motivator for me to get the time and get out. Remember any airline is what you make of it.

 

[ALIMBO]

Excuse me for being a noob but when you say reserve does that mean Im going to be sitting around waiting for phone calls saying when I have to fly?

 

[flyguy81]

yes, at TSA you may be sitting in a airport for 12 hours waiting for a phone call telling you to fly.

 

[7574EVER]

If you're hard set on living and being based in Chicago Eagle is probably your #1 followed by SkyWest. I believe that ORD and MKE are junior bases for SkyWest and ORD is guranteed at Eagle. The only downside is obviously the slow upgrade and a little bit of an uncertain future regarding possible future owners of AE. (that is IF anything really happens.) So far I'm very happy with Eagle and eveyone I know at SkyWest is very happy there as well. I don't think you could go wrong with either. Good Luck.

 

[Tarzan]

Trans States, regardless of what people say, is what you make of it.

I was there for a year. There are much better places to work. Just about all of them except Mesa and Go Jet, would be descent places to go.

 

[ALIMBO]

thanks for all the input

 

[freightrash]

come to RAH and fly E170 in/out of ORD.

 

[35off]

airport reserve

flyguy81, This guy is incorrect. An idiot if you will.
Regular reserve is 14 hr duty and you must be able to reach the airport in 1 1/2 hour from call out. Airport reserve is 10 hours of sitting in the airport (crew lounge or anywhere in airport or across the street in crash pad if you are real brave.)

 

[ALIMBO]

come to RAH and fly E170 in/out of ORD.

What airline is this also what types of mins Im a super low time pilot still in training so I got time to debate what I want to do thanks for the input feel free to tell me more about it.
http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=326

 

[ALIMBO]

flyguy81, This guy is incorrect. An idiot if you will.
Regular reserve is 14 hr duty and you must be able to reach the airport in 1 1/2 hour from call out. Airport reserve is 10 hours of sitting in the airport (crew lounge or anywhere in airport or across the street in crash pad if you are real brave.)

Can you live in Chicago and be on reserve and hop a SWA AA or UAL flight to STL because its normally a 45 min flight well within the 1 1/2 hr call out? Thanks

 

[flyguy81]

flyguy81, This guy is incorrect. An idiot if you will.
Regular reserve is 14 hr duty and you must be able to reach the airport in 1 1/2 hour from call out. Airport reserve is 10 hours of sitting in the airport (crew lounge or anywhere in airport or across the street in crash pad if you are real brave.)

I was off by 2 hours...sue me. 10 hours, 12 hours...that much time in a airport still sucks

 

[flyguy81]

Can you live in Chicago and be on reserve and hop a SWA AA or UAL flight to STL because its normally a 45 min flight well within the 1 1/2 hr call out? Thanks

Let's say you live close to the airport in ORD/MDW and you get a call to be at the airport in STL in 1.5 hours. What are you gonna do if your flight is delayed/cancelled, hit traffic, oversold/no jumpseat possible, etc. They don't have flights leaving every hour on the hour to STL. If there was a long call out that would be possible, but I wouldn't do it with a 1.5 hour callout

 

[great cornholio]

Can you live in Chicago and be on reserve and hop a SWA AA or UAL flight to STL because its normally a 45 min flight well within the 1 1/2 hr call out? Thanks

No you can't. You have 1:30 from the time you get the call till the time you have to be at the airport (RIC or STL).. In order to do that you pretty much have to be in RIC or STL when you get the call.

I saw you said that you are "super low time" Right now TSA mins are 500 TT and 50 multi. Have heard the rumor that the mins may go to 1000 TT and 100 multi soon.

 

[swordfish]

Can you live in Chicago and be on reserve and hop a SWA AA or UAL flight to STL because its normally a 45 min flight well within the 1 1/2 hr call out? Thanks

Why Yes....Yes you can...go ahead and interview tomorrow.

 

[ALIMBO]

buddy just got hired by them with 250 tt 23 multi so im not to worried bout the low times just gotta finish school first

 

[freeflyer14]

buddy just got hired by them with 250 tt 23 multi so im not to worried bout the low times just gotta finish school first

um,

 

[ALIMBO]

Exactly pretty damn scary if you ask me my other friend is in class training with them as we speak he told me there is an 18yo there. Makes me wana puke he thinks mommy and daddy paid for everything which wouldn't surprise me.

 

[RemoveB4Flght]

Many of the 250-odd hour pilots we hired during the spring and early summer were graduates of the Embry-Riddle CAPT program.. I raised an eyebrow at that low amount of time too, but after going through class with some of them, and seeing them do pretty well in class, I can say it's possible. My roommate is one of these guys and he has done really well over the past year.

I've also seen guys/girls with a thousand hours wash out of groundschool or the Sim...

The minimums were lowered to the 250/25 for a short time, and it was all over the boards that we were hiring at that... and yes we did bring some people on property with the low flight time, but our training department are notorious ball-busters, and getting "hired" and making it to the line are two different things.

As was mentioned before, TSA is what you make of it.. not the best place, but certainly not the worst. We are privately owned, so we don't have to grow the company to boost stock price, then park planes the next month. With less than 500 pilots, you'll move up much quicker in seniority than at many other places.

I'm moving on this month, but I learned a lot during my time as a Waterskiier... just remember.. Minimum Effort!!