Upgrade requirements/time to upgrade

[Hugh Jorgan]

Just wondering what the upgrade requirements and average time to upgrade are at various REGIONAL airlines. Thanks.

 

[sstearns2]

About 6 months at Skywest if you want to goto Houston, about 3 years if you want the west coast.

Scott

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

What are the company requirements? ie. Total hours, Multi-time, etc.

 

[antney]

at Chicago Express upgrade is right at 18 months, but it still holds no longer than 24 months for a chance to upgrade. Company requirements is 500 in type (saab), and ATP mins.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

aww c'mon, take a minute and reply

251 views so far and two replies.

Help a guy out, just curious to know how much the regionals vary in upgrade policy from one carrier to another...

 

[LearLove]

It took me 2.5 years at ALG.
I can't remember what the company requirements are outside of the ATP written (2500tt and 500 in type come to mind) but it takes so long that everyone has aleast 3500 plus when the time comes.

Currently the upgrade is NEVER.

I Upgraded in 2.5 and 6 months later got downgraded and one year later I'm still downgraded and moving backwards. Since 96 the fastest it ever been at ALG is about 16 months.

In the early 90's they hired street capts at Suburban in the Shorts but when the merger with Penn went down the company was cut in half and the street capts became FO's. Some of the most junior guys were furloughed about 2 years and it took about 2 years to get the downgraded guys back to the left seat.

On another note but about upgrading - I'd recommend having your ATP already before going to upgrade, it's one less thing you have to worry about. Some of the guys in my upgrade class didn't have it and had to take time to perpare for it and the written when the rest of us were going over company upgrade stuff and goofing off. Make it easy on yourself - upgrade isn't something you want to screw up especially your first one/type rating.

Hugh - If things get any worse around here I might look into heading out your way to fly the Dash out there, who knows I may stay, quick flights, many legs good scenery and no overnites are fine by me (I prefer legs like ABE-PHL, MDT-PHL, LGA-PHL and my all time favorite DCA-BWI). I herd you can rent a Uhaul for like 300 a month and live in it by the beach and drive it to work. Is this true?

Looking at pics of your planes on the net I take it you guys don't have APU's. If so I'm curious what the ballpark BOW is for a DHC-8 without an APU. Ours run around 23, 500 with the APU and new cockpit doors, give or take a few and I just flew one that was 24087 the heaviest I've seen in 4 years. Do you guys also use 34, 500 as MGTOW?

Also where did you fly the A-37?

 

[upncoming]

About 6 months at Skywest if you want to goto Houston, about 3 years if you want the west coast.

Scott

Sorry Scott-

The IAH thing appears to have been a one-time deal. The list to upgrade at SKYW -including Houston- is now long from what I heard. It'd be at least a year and a half, longer for the West coast. On the CRJ, like 4-5 years. Their mins are 2500TT, ATP, and 1000 hours multi-crew-turbine-part 121.

 

[145EXR]

at xjet, i upgraded to emb-145 ca 2 yrs from my date of hire...but atr, beech, and emb-120 were going at about 6 mos (beech) to 1.5 yrs (atr)..this is all pre 9.11......i just passed my 4th yr anniversary and am an fo on the jet (got downgraded about 6 mos after 9/11)...most jr captains are in the 4/99 hire date range.

 

[WhiteCloud]

I think the reason for the lack of response is that at many airlines the upgrade time will be very hard to determine. Hiring at the major airlines is slow so there is not a lot of motion. Someone could say a year but it could be several years depending on events that no one knows today. We just don't really know.

 

[CREOBED17]

Back in the day, a person could upgrade at great lakes the day they had 1500 hrs and a good pulse. Presently, it looks like no upgrades until jan '04, but of course this could change overnight -especially if air wisconsin starts to hire again. Those pilots next in line to upgrade right now have been around for about 1-2 yrs.