West Coast "Lower" time Pilot Employment?

[FoxyWhiskey]

Hi everyone,

My younger sister is within weeks of completing her Commercial SEL & MEL (w/Instrument ratings) here in SoCal and I was hoping to help her find something fun, challenging and on the west coast.

She has just over 400TT/50 Multi.

I am hoping to help her look beyond the "I have to go to a regional" mentality. I spent quite a few years in regional hell, just escaped and hoping to help her avoid it.

All leads are greatly appreciated! Thanks! :beer:

-FW

 

[Wiggums]

If you only have 400 hours then what is so bad about a regional? You'll get good experience in a jet and you can get your time up to where you can get hired by say a fractional or charter company.

 

[Rokit88]

She could try getting on with a traffic watch outfit. I've been out of it for a while, but I think if she sniffed around either whiteman or lancaster airports she might find something.

Rokit88

 

[Frozen Ronin]

Grand Canyon Air

King Airelines

Scenic (see GCA)

Vision Air

Fun jobs that build time and multi PIC as well as confidence. Low pay, but what isn't when you're going for your first commercial job?

Good luck,

Ronin

P.S. If she's really looking for a challenge, there's always Penn Air or ERA up in Alaska, looking for F/O's in the Twotter or 1900's.

 

[Morettis]

Ameriflight hires E120 FO's at 500 hrs

 

[FoxyWhiskey]

Thanks!

Thank you for all the imput.

I talked to an Ameriflight crewmember a few weeks ago who said you needed 1200TT and be able to spell "Multi-Engine" to be hired. Though my sister can actually spell, she is nowhere near that total time.

I think she's going to wind up flight instructing after the holidays. Which is great, but there's a lot more fun flying to do than around the pattern with people trying to kill you all day!

-FW

 

[QuasarZ]

She could look into Airnet's SIC program. Not sure if they have west coast bases though. They don't require any minimums, just that you stay with them for 1 year after you become PIC (1200hrs.)
So she would sit right seat for about a year or so, then one year PIC, so about 2-3 year ordeal to get a bunch of hours!

 

[BushwickBill]

How about flight instruct? In the Bay Area instructors are making 60 to 75 an hour at the West Valley flying club. You get time in airplanes and you meet wealthy people who like aviation (say networking). It will pay more than the regionals and it will help her network.

I know people don't want to flight instruct but if you work hard at it you will get where you need to.

Then again when your young living off of <25k a year isn't so bad. The airline hiring party isn't going to last forever. So she just may want to chin up and hack it out. I would like to work for the regionals but I won't work for less than a living wage. I respect myself too much to do so but that is something everyone has to come to terms individually.

I think the AMF program is an unpaid postion. A friend of mine who worked there was not fond of the program. As a line pilot he had very little respect for the SICers.

 

[bizjet800]

If you only have 400 hours then what is so bad about a regional? You'll get good experience in a jet and you can get your time up to where you can get hired by say a fractional or charter company.

That is exactly what I was thinking. The regionals would be the best way to go for anyone with 400TT. Express Jet does have a base at ONT.

 

[QuasarZ]

That is exactly what I was thinking. The regionals would be the best way to go for anyone with 400TT. Express Jet does have a base at ONT.

True, but they require 600/100 or 500/100 if you intern.