Era Alaska & PenAir
- Thread starter STS-41B
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Rudabega
Well-Known Member
121 side or 135? I worked for competitors on the 135 side.
Young and single? Do it! The best flying you will ever do and frat house living. Beer pong skills required.
Old and attached? Probably not going to be your cup of tea.
The training was like any other 135, study a bit beforehand and you will be fine.
I worked 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, time off is time off, jump seat to Antarctica if you can find a flight.
Time on is real work. Loading and unloading is all you, 20 legs a day, complete lack of services, unknown weather, -20F all day long, everyone will lie to you to get their way. (I.e. Agents paycheck is on the plane? It's ten and clear!)
Flying is fantastic, gravel strips everywhere. Spend all day at FL 005 and watch the bears fishing in the rivers. I will never forget flying over a herd of 5000 caribou, truly a scene right out of national geographic. Some flights are as short as 5 NM, some will be 150 NM.
The crew house and town as a whole will be run down, dingy and less than first world living. It may be in the United States, but this is not America. The town I lived in (Bethel) is currently debating passing an ordinance against public urination and deification. You would see this from time to time. A third of the town got running water in the 90s and they stopped there.
The first crew house I was in had a 500 gallon tank of water to be shared between 4-6 guys for a week, sometimes two. Showers were short.
Overall, I had a blast while I did it but it is not for everyone. I will never again be as good of a stick and rudder pilot and the flying was so much fun that nothing else compares.
Young and single? Do it! The best flying you will ever do and frat house living. Beer pong skills required.
Old and attached? Probably not going to be your cup of tea.
The training was like any other 135, study a bit beforehand and you will be fine.
I worked 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, time off is time off, jump seat to Antarctica if you can find a flight.
Time on is real work. Loading and unloading is all you, 20 legs a day, complete lack of services, unknown weather, -20F all day long, everyone will lie to you to get their way. (I.e. Agents paycheck is on the plane? It's ten and clear!)
Flying is fantastic, gravel strips everywhere. Spend all day at FL 005 and watch the bears fishing in the rivers. I will never forget flying over a herd of 5000 caribou, truly a scene right out of national geographic. Some flights are as short as 5 NM, some will be 150 NM.
The crew house and town as a whole will be run down, dingy and less than first world living. It may be in the United States, but this is not America. The town I lived in (Bethel) is currently debating passing an ordinance against public urination and deification. You would see this from time to time. A third of the town got running water in the 90s and they stopped there.
The first crew house I was in had a 500 gallon tank of water to be shared between 4-6 guys for a week, sometimes two. Showers were short.
Overall, I had a blast while I did it but it is not for everyone. I will never again be as good of a stick and rudder pilot and the flying was so much fun that nothing else compares.
jwp_145
GhostRider in the Sky
You better be from Alaska... the 121 side of PenAir doesn't pay for training, doesn't pay for transport to training, and doesn't pay for lodging during training. WHo the hell do they think they are when everyone is competing for pilots these days.
Their Chief, Batman, offered me a job in my saab flight deck back in '12 in Boston right before Colgan stopped flying there. After he confirmed everything I just mentioned I said no thanks.
Their Chief, Batman, offered me a job in my saab flight deck back in '12 in Boston right before Colgan stopped flying there. After he confirmed everything I just mentioned I said no thanks.
fly22
Well-Known Member
thanks for the info..
so you have to get yourself to (Anchorage?) on your dime and put yourself up? that sucks. no I'm not from AK. Is training in-house or you get sent to FSI or wherever?
Thx for the info man.
ajdwings
Well-Known Member
That's not the case anymore. Call Batman and I'm sure he'll give you the new details. He's a great CP, probably the best you'll ever work for, and they are hiring this week.
Don't listen to some of the clowns on here. PenAir is FAR from perfect but they're no different than any other crappy ass regional right now. We don't have cool jets though.
There's a new pay scale that's pretty competitive with the other comparable regionals.
The experience you get from flying is AK is second to none. If you actually want to learn to fly then I'd give them a look.
If on the other hand you have SJS, or if you need to enhance your Plenty of Fish profile by taking pictures of yourself with spiked hair and cool sunglasses in front of a "Delta Colored" regional jet, cause you think the chicks dig it, then there's probably no saving you.
PM me if you want any real facts. I'll be happy to steer you in the right direction.
jwp_145
GhostRider in the Sky
That's good to hear that they've changed those practices. My info comes from June 2012 when they were setting up the Boston operation... I'd flown Batman up to Presque Isle. He seemed like a nice enough guy.
And for those of you wondering, the guy's name really is Batman! I think it's Jason Batman or something, I us to have his card.
ShortField
No one of consequence
Era's not that bad either. They pay during training (not sure about transportation up here), and provide a per diem for each day you're in class. Sims are in SEA at flight safety, ground up here. All the pay rates on APC are wrong, so don't pay any attention to those. No jets here either of course, but there aren't too many RJ's landing on ice strips, so I guess it depends what you're into. Feel free to PM me.
ajdwings
Well-Known Member
ajdwings
Well-Known Member
FYI
Year 1,2,3 FO pay starting FEB1st is 25/30/36 per hour. 72hr guarantee. That's pretty close to most regionals right now.
The last class to go through was paid 11.00/hr for classroom hours and 100/day tax free per diem to cover expenses for the entire time up there (about a month). Thats works out to be about 4750 for the month of which 3000 is tax free. Subtract out a 1 way ticket up there (they cass you as soon as you arrive) and your lodging expense for the month and your probably doing better than a Delta new hire for the first month
Most guys were renting a 4-5 bedroom house together. Probably less than $1000 each.
I know it's not the way most airlines do it but you need to consider that most of the guys they hire are from ANC and they don't need lodging or transportation. This just compensates everyone the same amount.
Again sorry no cool jets and no Delta logo our tails.
so if you have manhood issues or need to answer to people who ask "when are you gonna get your license to fly jets" then probably not home for you.
Year 1,2,3 FO pay starting FEB1st is 25/30/36 per hour. 72hr guarantee. That's pretty close to most regionals right now.
The last class to go through was paid 11.00/hr for classroom hours and 100/day tax free per diem to cover expenses for the entire time up there (about a month). Thats works out to be about 4750 for the month of which 3000 is tax free. Subtract out a 1 way ticket up there (they cass you as soon as you arrive) and your lodging expense for the month and your probably doing better than a Delta new hire for the first month
Most guys were renting a 4-5 bedroom house together. Probably less than $1000 each.
I know it's not the way most airlines do it but you need to consider that most of the guys they hire are from ANC and they don't need lodging or transportation. This just compensates everyone the same amount.
Again sorry no cool jets and no Delta logo our tails.
so if you have manhood issues or need to answer to people who ask "when are you gonna get your license to fly jets" then probably not home for you.If you do not mind me asking where are you now? How did you get the job in the first place, walk your resume in, apply thru email or something? Also did you actually utilize the the two weeks off to travel?
Thanks in advance
Andy
ShortField
No one of consequence
I used my two weeks off to work another job at home in a different part of the state. Wasn't really required, but I'm extremely greedy. Had I been single, I would have probably been throwing a dart at a map.
ASpilot2be
Qbicle seat warmer
Out of curiosity, what are the current pay rates on the 1900 and Dash 8?
Rudabega
Well-Known Member
Well, the schedule at my second employer up there wasn't as good as the two on two off and it was wearing on my personal relationship. I took a job I didn't want flying brown boxes in a green Metro to save my relationship. It worked but man do I miss Alaska. My first job up there was at Yute, I sent a résumé to every operator in Alaska and the shotgun approach worked. The interview was over the phone and I was in ground school a few weeks later.
The time off at my first job was great for traveling, my wife was studying for the MCAT at the time and we would get away for a quick trip every month to unwind.
ASpilot2be
Qbicle seat warmer
I am hoping our new CP gets our schedule on par with rest of western Alaska.
FloridaLarry
Well-Known Member
Rudabega said, in part:
Good ol' Bethel. God knows, no deification there, either in English or Upik Eskimo.
Good ol' Bethel. God knows, no deification there, either in English or Upik Eskimo.
ASpilot2be
Qbicle seat warmer
Oh man have I got a story about Bethel!