As a guy who is going there, I have to disagree with a common remark "don't go there!". Some people don't have other regionals busting down their door wanting to hire them and It can be their only option. I have applied to ALL of the other regionals, and so far lakes and TSA were the only ones interested enough to want to interview me. I couldn't even get an interview for whatever reason with eagle despite having 860/100, they just aren't interested. In fact a friend of mine was a saab driver at colgan, and lakes was the only bit he was able to get, but wasnt hired. I know the pay I a huge draw back, but when I look back at having had a $144 paycheck for 2 weeks of instructing, I know my pay will INCREASE there. Any bad month of pay at lakes will surely be better than a good week of instructing. I'm very frugal and can live off it, because I'm used to it. maybe others go there because they want to get some good experience with weather, mountain flying, get awesome at hand flying and their instrument scan, and multi turbine PIC pretty quick. While others will still be sitting in the right seat in their 2 or 3rd year of an RJ waiting to upgrade, someone having flown at lakes will have left after their 15 months with some nice turbine pic and be on their way to a major flying something bigger and better. Believe me, I would've loved to be going to eagle, or preferably mesaba or colgan (for the Saab), but that isn't happening this time, I need to go to lakes cause it's my only option. But I will make the best of it, and do the best that I can, it could always be worse. I could be back in the army sleeping in a puddle on a cold night again.
