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Whoa...AirNet call?

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unreal

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Posts
574
I submitted my app to AirNet on saturday when I'd reached their minimums to apply, simply because I wanted to let them know that I existed before I met competetive mins. Well, this afternoon they called and left a voicemail while I was doing a ground lesson and asked me to call them back at my earliest convenience.

I've only got 510/72, so I very much didn't expect them to call so quickly. Is this normal for them to call everyone up regardless of interest, just to let them know that their application was received? Or, are they actually interested in calling me in for an interview with that low of time? :eek:

I'll call them back tomorrow as soon as I possibly can, but what should I expect?
 
Go man! Go with it. It's a good sign to have received that call with your TT without having updated an app. yet. I applied back in Nov. or Dec. and have not received a call. I had 800+ and 12 me but haven't updated since. Your 72 or whatever ME helped you a lot I'd guess. Don't show up to an interview with that company without studying the gouges first.

Oh, BTW. You probably got your first strike by not answering the phone or not being "available." Be careful about that.
 
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mcjohn said:
Go man! Go with it. It's a good sign to have received that call with your TT without having updated an app. yet. I applied back in Nov. or Dec. and have not received a call. I had 800+ and 12 me but haven't updated since. Your 72 or whatever ME helped you a lot I'd guess. Don't show up to an interview with that company without studying the gouges first.
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I'm not exactly sure what helped. I do have about 130 night, so maybe they took that pretty favorably. Not sure. As for the gouges, yeah, I've been on that big time. My roommate and I are both wanting to work there, so we've been putting in time in our school's Frasca 142 doing Baron profiles. I'm even such a dork that I've been shooting the approaches that are on the interview. :D

Oh, BTW. You probably got your first strike by not answering the phone or not being "available." Be careful about that.
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Really? I was doing a ground lesson at the time. If they're that petty, then...

Well, we'll see. They didn't pick up their phone all day either. :P
 
Hmmm...now here's a toughie. Even if I get hired by AirNet, I couldn't see myself getting pulled into training until I have 1000+ hours or so. Considering the nature of the industry right now, is it worth spending an extra year at my CFI job to go to AirNet, or should I build up a bit more time by the summer and bail out to whatever regional that'll hire me?

Tough choice. CFIs from my school are literally disappearing over the weekend for all kinds of airlines. I've wanted to work for AirNet for a long while now, but I have to say that's it's tempting to get on the massive hiring bandwagon.
 
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Here is just something to think about. I am sure you don't want to spend your entire career at a regional. I know they might hire you first, but how long till you see turbine pic? At AirNet I had 1200 hours of turbine PIC my first year (Caravan). By year two I was a lear SIC and by year three i was a lear PIC. I don't know many regionals that have a three year upgrade. If you want to come here to AirNet great!, if not, thats cool too. I just want you to have all the facts.
 
mcjohn said:
I don't know where you get this. You think they're going to hire you and then have you not work until your hours are up? They want longevity, low time guys.
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Actually....
They want guys they can use. <1200 is as good a 180lb weight sitting in the right seat costing them $7 something an hour.
Don't expect to get on until at least 1050 unless you are hired from within.
 
mikecweb said:
Actually....
They want guys they can use. <1200 is as good a 180lb weight sitting in the right seat costing them $7 something an hour.
Don't expect to get on until at least 1050 unless you are hired from within.
Click to expand...
No disrespect, but how many CFI's would jump to a shiny jet FO job? Nowdays the airlines are hiring anyone who has 800tt and can hold a chart. 400TT and a multi-commercial will get you a right hand seat in a RJ if you can live on low pay and take the abuse management gives out (it can't be any worse at working a CFI job).

Unreal, keep us (me) informed on how it goes. I'll be applying there in the near future when I hit 500tt.
 
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Had the phone interview today. If the pilot recruiter is any example of the type of people that work there, go there. We chatted for a good 30-40 minutes like I was talking to a friend of mine. Very cool. The phone interview seemed to go well, and he was impressed that I have a lot of night time and hit the sims on weekends to keep proficient.

The only issue is that my total time is low, so they were up front with me that they weren't going to bring me in for a face-to-face until I had about 700 total. Until then, he told me to keep the app updated, and that he'd circulate my name via email to everyone else in the mean time. He also said that when I got close to 700, to give them a call to see if they'll bring me in.

That's about perfect for me, seeing as how I don't want to leave my CFI job right now. I'm fine with where I'm at, and still have some work to do before I'll be comfortable handling a Baron in the crap.
 
How about the LCK weather conveniently stating that the visibility was missing last night...... good times.....
 
Jedi_Cheese said:
No disrespect, but how many CFI's would jump to a shiny jet FO job? Nowdays the airlines are hiring anyone who has 800tt and can hold a chart. 400TT and a multi-commercial will get you a right hand seat in a RJ if you can live on low pay and take the abuse management gives out (it can't be any worse at working a CFI job).

Unreal, keep us (me) informed on how it goes. I'll be applying there in the near future when I hit 500tt.
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I didn't.
I couldn't aford to work at a regional with my student loans. I made more as a CFI and make a little more now.
Your an absolute hiprocrite if you can't respect how much they pay you at a regional and then go there.
I'm definetly not going to turn this into a freight vs. regional fight but if you don't like the regional game don't play it there are other leagues out there.
They like to see you update. Shows your interested.
 
I did the whole regional thing. Got hired at 750 total onto the SF340 and built my time up to 1600 in a year and got hired on with AirNet. Well worth it. Regionals are horrible to work for but a great time builder. If you are building a ton of time (more than 80 a month) as a CFI stick with it. If not head to the regionals for a year, get a lot of time and some good experience. Go to a turbo prop. Don't be a gear monkey in a jet on reserve.
 
mpietrowski said:
I did the whole regional thing. Got hired at 750 total onto the SF340 and built my time up to 1600 in a year and got hired on with AirNet. Well worth it. Regionals are horrible to work for but a great time builder. If you are building a ton of time (more than 80 a month) as a CFI stick with it. If not head to the regionals for a year, get a lot of time and some good experience. Go to a turbo prop. Don't be a gear monkey in a jet on reserve.
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I've considered doing that. I'm only averaging 40 hours/month right now, so the hours are just crawling by. Do many people go from a regional to AirNet? I've heard that it mostly flows the other way around.
 
Forget about the regionals. They've really gone to sh#t over the years. Go with Airnet or any other outfit that's going to build you PIC the fastest. Then apply to one of the Fractional companies. Places like Citationshares and NJ, a 5 year captain easly makes just over 100k a year. Five years with a regional your still in the poor house. Good luck!
 
I love how everyone always has the perfect answer for the perfect career route.

If you can get hired on with Airnet, go for it. If you want to make passenger announcements and live in the daylight go for a good regional. You'll get turbine PIC time quick at either one. There's absolutely no reason to work at Airnet then move onto a regional or vice-versa unless you hated one or the other. Folks from Airnet get hired on with majors and fractionals just as often as folks from regionals. Pick a good employer now so you don't have to make a lateral move later.

g
 
Unreal,

First of all, love your avatar. Permanent Waves is one of my all time Rush favorites.

Second, there are an awful lot of options depending on what you want to do. I thought cargo, just like you. Then I flew Convairs for that other operator at LCK and decided that I didn't want to die young. I did my homework on the regionals and applied at the few I wanted. I was fortunate enough to get on at ExpressJet. There are a few regionals that will not just chew you up and spit you out. As far as turbine PIC, that'll come in April when I upgrade...two years to the month I got on line. Whatever you choose, I wish you all the best. I hope you have a blast!
 
Just keep track of what is going on there. They are going through many shake-ups with routes and personel being moved around. They bid on a Fed contract and didnt get it, so things are going to get real dicey until they land something big to replace the checks that we all used to fill the planes with.
 
I tried both and can tell you that a regional is better than Airnet.

Go to a regional like ExpressJet, CHQ, or Skywest. All three have an upgrade time of 2 yrs and less and at ExpressJet you can make between 40 and 50 k ur second yr and still have more days off per month than at Airnet. After about 2 yrs, you can start gaining 121 PIC Turbine time and make anywhere from 65 K +. At Airnet, it will take you 1 yr to upgrade into a jet, then a lot longer to hold a JET PIC. You will fly better equipment at most Airlines and have travel benefits. You will be flying mostly during the day and not night. You will have a union. The list goes on.
 
veneratio said:
I tried both and can tell you that a regional is better than Airnet.

Go to a regional like ExpressJet, CHQ, or Skywest. All three have an upgrade time of 2 yrs and less and at ExpressJet you can make between 40 and 50 k ur second yr and still have more days off per month than at Airnet. After about 2 yrs, you can start gaining 121 PIC Turbine time and make anywhere from 65 K +. At Airnet, it will take you 1 yr to upgrade into a jet, then a lot longer to hold a JET PIC. You will fly better equipment at most Airlines and have travel benefits. You will be flying mostly during the day and not night. You will have a union. The list goes on.
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Thanks all for the excellent info.

The only thing that keeps me from going to a regional is the stability. XJT, SkyWest, etc. are all the great places to be right now with really great upgrade times, but how is that going to look next year when I'm competitive for those companies? I know for a fact that I'll keep both career options open, and XJT and SkyWest will get an application from me for sure, but it seems as though cargo companies have historically been much more stable. But, as a poster above said, AirNet is still trying to figure out the whole check situation, so it's all up in the air.

But, I suppose that's aviation. I've just heard the horror stories about people running off to regionals only to get furloughed and on the street with 0.0 TPIC. The QOL though at the better companies does sound pretty dang good. That does count for something...
 

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