USA Jet Eliminates Training Pay

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Falcon guys get 11 hard days/month. -9 guys get 13. If you're out of town coming up on your days off, the company will airline you to DTW, or anywhere, if the price is about the same. I basically never airline to DTW-I go somewhere else.

PM me with your email for more info.

cliff
GRB

 

[pilotyip]

$34 K per year to start, 10 hard days off every 28 day bid period. This means you are home by 0600 the start of your days off, even if we have to buy you an airline ticket or miss a trip. While in a duty status, you have to live in the immediate YIP area. Benefits are good with a Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan you would be eligible for after 90 days. Pay goes up for F/O’s $2/hr in the 3rd year. Captain could be as early as a year, depends upon turnover and growth. Company covers all hotel costs on the road and gives the pilots $1.58 per hour pre-diem while away from YIP to cover meals. Time away from home is the luck of the draw, one guy’s fly’s 80 hours and is gone from home 6 days, and the next guy flies 45 hours and is gone 12 days. Some guys spend one night a month in a hotel way from home, but fly many night time round trips. It is a non-sked, hence no schedule. If interested please post a resume to the above address and we will see if you presently meet our hiring profile.

 

[asipilot]

I think that if anyone wanted to put up with life on a pager and trips that are more like controlled chaos, there will likely be an opportunity to to become a falcon capt. at USAJ in 6-12 months. This is assuming you are a sharp instrument pilot and come in with a little higher total time than most. Right now upgrade mins are about 3k TT, although the times will be demanding less eventually. If you have a family that is willing to live within 20 minutes of YIP you will probably see them about 20 days a month, give or take a few. I personally feel that the times will soon dictate more days off for falcon pilots.

JF

 

[Way2Broke]

I think that if anyone wanted to put up with life on a pager and trips that are more like controlled chaos, there will likely be an opportunity to to become a falcon capt. at USAJ in 6-12 months. This is assuming you are a sharp instrument pilot and come in with a little higher total time than most. Right now upgrade mins are about 3k TT, although the times will be demanding less eventually. If you have a family that is willing to live within 20 minutes of YIP you will probably see them about 20 days a month, give or take a few. I personally feel that the times will soon dictate more days off for falcon pilots.

JF

Well said. And this among other reasons is why if you have 2k plus USA Jet is the place to be, and this is a company that wants to grow. Even if you have less than 2k, they will put you to work flying a jet and you will build valuable time. While you might not get the quick upgrade with lower times the QOL and pay at USA Jet is unparalleled not only in the On Demand Cargo business (for this size of aircaft) it is also better than every regional out there. This of course is assuming that you choose to live in base. If you choose to commute, well.... thats your choice. I've been down that road and I regretted it later. (I have to say that I think commuting is by far the quickest way for a pilot to kill his or her QOL)

Back to USA Jet...... They are not satisfied with that they have, even though what they have is a good thing. That is the right attitude to have. In aviation, you should never get too comfortable, this includes in the air and with how you run your business. Complacency not only kills pilots, it kills profits. You can't have one without the other.

I almost did not come here because of the location of the company. I had read all the horror stories about Detroit. I moved here from the East Coast where I was working at my last job. And so far the only thing I can tell you is don't believe everything that you read about Detroit. Sure, there are parts of town that you really have no business being in , but one thing you will quickly realize if you move here is that Willow Run is not really part of Downtown at all. There are plenty of great areas within the call out time area that seem to me like great places to raise a family and settle down. (Canton for example, or on the lake in Belleville) My point, while Detroit is not booming like other towns like Phoenix, or Denver there are still great parts of town and you can actually afford to buy a house here, ON FIRST YEAR PAY. Where else can you do that? Thats what I call great QOL!

 

[Metro752]

Well said. And this among other reasons is why if you have 2k plus USA Jet is the place to be, and this is a company that wants to grow. Even if you have less than 2k, they will put you to work flying a jet and you will build valuable time. While you might not get the quick upgrade with lower times the QOL and pay at USA Jet is unparalleled not only in the On Demand Cargo business (for this size of aircaft) it is also better than every regional out there. This of course is assuming that you choose to live in base. If you choose to commute, well.... thats your choice. I've been down that road and I regretted it later. (I have to say that I think commuting is by far the quickest way for a pilot to kill his or her QOL)

Back to USA Jet...... They are not satisfied with that they have, even though what they have is a good thing. That is the right attitude to have. In aviation, you should never get too comfortable, this includes in the air and with how you run your business. Complacency not only kills pilots, it kills profits. You can't have one without the other.

I almost did not come here because of the location of the company. I had read all the horror stories about Detroit. I moved here from the East Coast where I was working at my last job. And so far the only thing I can tell you is don't believe everything that you read about Detroit. Sure, there are parts of town that you really have no business being in , but one thing you will quickly realize if you move here is that Willow Run is not really part of Downtown at all. There are plenty of great areas within the call out time area that seem to me like great places to raise a family and settle down. (Canton for example, or on the lake in Belleville) My point, while Detroit is not booming like other towns like Phoenix, or Denver there are still great parts of town and you can actually afford to buy a house here, ON FIRST YEAR PAY. Where else can you do that? Thats what I call great QOL!

Belleville seems the same as the SW burbs of Chicago.

 

[hammer2]

WOW....this place sounds like heaven..

 

[pilotyip]

YIP is what you make of it, for a native Michigander who has lived all over the US I kinda like it. No hurricanes, no floods, a couple tornadoes once in while, and ice and snow. However, in Michigan ice and snow is not really a big deal like it is down south, they are equipped to handle it. The season change is something you really enjoy, unlike living in FL. where you go Ho Hum another beautiful day, so what. In Michigan, people call in sick on beautiful days. Flying out of YIP will make you one of the best instrument pilots in the country, YIP ranks up with SEA for the number of IFR days. In YIP you will learn the real meaning of clean airplane, deicing is a way of life you get really good at understanding holdover time. At YIP you will develop flying skills that allow you move onto your career destination, even if you do not care for the area like some. It gave him the resume fluff to move to his next job. We all pay our dues in some way; YIP is only one way. Our turnover at USA Jet is very low so some other people must have found YIP an all right place to spend some time. How many major airports are there in the country where you can live 10 minutes from the parking lot on an acre of land for less than 200K? Where else can you still get one dollar drafts at places like the Wedge? As I said at the start YIP is what you make of it, some people say it is OK, others do not like it here and do not apply. Simple choices.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

De-icing out of YIP.

I did not de-ice once this winter-weird! Twice we put a plane in a hanger on the road to avoid de-icing.

Way-to-broke:
You need to STOP all the orange stuff. Mix it with 1/2 of that nice, dark blue color (not the lighter blue of FLORIDA-gross!). That will give you some contrast, and turn your VOLs into a nice War Eagle/Tiger!!! Go Plainsmen!

C U Soon!

cliff
GRB

 

[Buckeye]

USA Jet has seen their ups and downs over the past few years, but as the company continues to diversify and the economy continues to stabilize, things will continue to improve. I have spent nearly 5 years here building valuable time and experience This was my first jet and my first type rating, I have been fortunate to hold many different positions in the training department. Like Cruxx said our training is second to none. The pay is good and the pilots are getting treated much better, I for one am glad I came here over a couple of regional opportunities I had. It has been a lot of fun and I will miss it.

 

[Way2Broke]

WOW....this place sounds like heaven..

I knew you would come around.

 

[hammer2]

I knew you would come around.

Hey, I spent my time on the active aero ramp freezing my nads off. I'm not talking out my ____, I've been there and done that. I do respect the pilots, not the management of these companies. I just have one question. I know its legal , but still how many of you all went over 14 hours duty time? And if so how many times?

 

[flygirl_1313]

That's kind of a silly question... every Freight Dawg has done something of the nature at one time or another... even if it does happen at USA JET, you can bet your #($ that it happens at every other carrier, and at most of them, it happens on a regular basis. I've flown freight for other companies... many make a common practice of running pilots to the brink of 14 and then expecting them to go over and fudge the paperwork. I worked for one of those! (and that wasn't USA Jet)

 

[Berkut]

Has USA Jet had any low time new hires come through yet? How are they doing?

 

[pilotyip]

Reality

flygirl stop dealing in reality, this is a pilot board. BTW we have our first 225 hour new hire starting next week, he should do fine. The lowest we have hired in the past is around 400 hours, and he is a DC-9 F/O now doing fine. Hours to not define a pilot's skills, training defines the pilot's skill. At 350 hours I was sitting in the left seat of a P-3 flying patrols off the coast of Vietnam. A good training prgram can bring the right people to those skills.

 

[hammer2]

That's kind of a silly question... every Freight Dawg has done something of the nature at one time or another... even if it does happen at USA JET, you can bet your #($ that it happens at every other carrier, and at most of them, it happens on a regular basis. I've flown freight for other companies... many make a common practice of running pilots to the brink of 14 and then expecting them to go over and fudge the paperwork. I worked for one of those! (and that wasn't USA Jet)

You say it's silly, but it should stop. If I bust 14 its only by minutes, but I get extra rest on the other side. Freight companies take an unfair advantage of the WX, MX, PAX delay, or the 91 dead head loop holes and work pilots far beyond 14 hours. They do it with a smile because good ole boys like YIP smile and call it reality! Get wise Freight Dawgs, just shut it down at 14! Not 20.

 

[wannabe a DR.]

Too bad that the pilots who have been working here for years are still on a pay freeze.

 

[transpac]

At 350 hours I was sitting in the left seat of a P-3 flying patrols off the coast of Vietnam. A good training prgram can bring the right people to those skills.

This is misleading and kind of silly pilotyip. You might have been in the left seat of a P3 getting some handlebar time when you had 350 hours, but you were a long way from being the aircraft commander. Heck, a lot of us were in the left seat of something with zero pilot time.

 

[pilotyip]

True not PPC

Tranpac, not misleading at all, true I was not the PPC, that would not come until I had 900 hours in type a year later, but I was flying 200' off the water with one engine in the bag, with a non A/C in the right seat. In the P-3 I never made a right seat landing nor shot a right seat approach until I was designated instructor pilot. But at 350 hour total time I trained to function as a crewmember in a multi-crew environment by attention to the skills I would need to function in my crew position on the P-3. This same thing applies to the civilian world; a low time pilot can be given the explicit skills needed to function effectively as support member on the two-man crew. As stated before flight time is not the sole determinant of a pilot's skills.

BTW Dr wanta, there is no pay freeze at USA Jet, there has not been one since 2004. Everyone scheduled for raises this year is getting their raises on time, do you have different info? Do you work at USA Jet?

 

[cruxx@9]

You say it's silly, but it should stop. If I bust 14 its only by minutes, but I get extra rest on the other side. Freight companies take an unfair advantage of the WX, MX, PAX delay, or the 91 dead head loop holes and work pilots far beyond 14 hours. They do it with a smile because good ole boys like YIP smile and call it reality! Get wise Freight Dawgs, just shut it down at 14! Not 20.

Wow Hammer, that is an appropriate avatar for you...The Enzyte guy...because you need TO GROW A SET.

Going over 14 hours is just a way of life flying freight. I'm happy you get your cushy fractional job with your extended rest and all, but the boys out there working for a living need to work. Not everyone has what it takes to fly freight. A lot of people (you) can't handle it because guess what...it can be hard work...and you might get dirty. But just because you have a problem with it, don't try to dictate someone elses job. Flying freight has gotten a lot better over the past decade. I remember a time not that long ago when there was no hard duty time, just a gray interpretation. There are some carriers that go over board I know, been there. USA Jet is not one of them, I never was made to fly if I was truely fatigued. USA Jet did a great job of respecting the pilots rest, duty and flight times within the FAR's and the pilots personal limits. And it's not an every day thing either. There were a lot of days flying freight that I only put in a 13.5 hour duty day.

It would be great to go to the left seat of a 777 and make some great money and have a great schedule, but there is this little thing called paying your dues in aviation. Unfortunately you have to start somewhere and freight pays better than most low time jobs and you get jet time. The skills one learns along the way are invaluable. Just the other day I was flying with a former freight dog in the airbus and we were talking about our past. We had two two days back to back that were hard. (not freight dog hard, but harder than usual) We could smile knowing that watching the sun come up in the beginning of the day, is a lot better than watching it come up at the end of the day. Basically, what I'm saying is there probably won't be another job as challenging as what we did before. Makes everything else easier.

So Hammer, just becase you couldn't handle it, you might chip a nail or something if you had to work for a living....you don't have to tell freight dogs how to do their job. They don't show you how to load bags, tie the fat mans shoes or empty the sh**ter on your pretty new jet.

By the way, whoever said I stopped at 20?

GROW SET AND STRAP IT ON

 

[hammer2]

Cruxx I did grow a pair and stood up and did the right thing. I would'nt let the company treat me like a whore. I have no problems with 14 hours. Its the BS loop holes these companies use, and people like you who don't have a pair big enough to tell them thats it at 14 hrs.
Sorry man forgot that your paid by the mile.

By the way superman try the fractionals, you see its just as tough as freight. Except we are not flying 35 year old junk!