Advice..Keep Instructing or Cape Air?

I say CapeAir as well. Another option if that doesn't work out is SeaPort. You can upgrade at 1200 hours and be making 40-50k first year. They have a 1 year contract and you don't have to resign or extend it if you upgrade. It's single engine stuff, but it would still be TPIC once you upgrade. Also, you're working in a 2 crew environment and have been working on CRM which the airlines love to see. Almost everybody here gets hired straight into the regionals as soon as they hit the 1500 mark. Airlines love seeing guys come from places like CapeAir and SeaPort.
 
I'm going to go against the grain, even as a 9K alum, and say that you should probably get on with a company flying turbine equipment under 121 if that's your end goal.

It was great flying, and I have some pretty cool stories, but the majority of Cape Air captains move on to regionals anyway unless they have prior 121/turbine experience.

If 121 isn't your end goal, go for it. But, I'm a 121 widebody JJJJEEEETTTT hack now who has lost his SPIFR street cred.
 
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I believe their training contract is 12 months past upgrade. So figuring time to upgrade plus 12.
My current instructing gig is 7 days a week with students that most times make me feel like I am doing my work than they are for THEIR ratings. To say it is killing me slowly would be an understatement.
Most of you are saying exactly what I already feel, guess I just needed to hear it form a group of people who's opinions I respect.


Capair DOES NOT have a training contract.....

The deal over there is they want you to stay for a year, but there is no money attached to it.

If you quit within a year you are not eligible to be rehired at Cape....Ever.

For the record You should absolutely work there. Good company. I learned a lot, and airlines love the single pilot IFR 135 PIC.

Edit: I'm not up to date on the goings-on at Cape. I suppose there could be a training contract, I honestly don't know. Which makes my above post rather useless:biggrin: There wasn't one while I was there....3ish years ago.
 
Semantically you are absolutely correct but breaking the contract with them and having "ineligible for re-hire" on my record is not a bridge I want to burn or have to explain to future employers.
As far as being set on 121 I wouldn't necessarily say that I am but it seems to make the most sense given my situation in life.
 
Semantically you are absolutely correct but breaking the contract with them and having "ineligible for re-hire" on my record is not a bridge I want to burn or have to explain to future employers.
As far as being set on 121 I wouldn't necessarily say that I am but it seems to make the most sense given my situation in life.

Fair enough....I don't think It'd be a problem though given the current state of regional recruiting.
 
Semantically you are absolutely correct but breaking the contract with them and having "ineligible for re-hire" on my record is not a bridge I want to burn or have to explain to future employers.
As far as being set on 121 I wouldn't necessarily say that I am but it seems to make the most sense given my situation in life.

They cannot tell another employer you are ineligible for rehire. All the can do is confirm you worked there (glowing reference optional).

Most employers nowadays have a policy of not giving any references to former or current employees -- just confirming dates of employment if asked by a prospective employer.
 
Semantically you are absolutely correct but breaking the contract with them and having "ineligible for re-hire" on my record is not a bridge I want to burn or have to explain to future employers.
As far as being set on 121 I wouldn't necessarily say that I am but it seems to make the most sense given my situation in life.
I don't know how being ineligible for re-hire would "be on your record"....that just sounds like an internal company thing. I believe in not burning bridges unless absolutely necessary, but I don't think you'd have anything to worry about with getting another job somewhere else.
 
They cannot tell another employer you are ineligible for rehire. All the can do is confirm you worked there (glowing reference optional).

They can ask if you are eligible for rehire. That is the backdoor way of asking whether you were a good employee or not. They just can't directly ask about your work history without some liability.
 
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Cape. Even with upgrade +12 training contract. Shiny Jets will always be there.
^THIS, now more than ever I'd say.

OP, if you're in anyway like I was 3 years ago, you're in a position to move fairly quickly through the career OR choose to take a short detour and have some fun. I chose the later because I knew I would regret it years later.

Instead of upgrading to captain at Compass next month(where I'd be if I had move along with one of my friends), I was swimming with stingrays today in Grand Cayman. :) Only you know the answer though and what is best for you. The flying in every sector will always be there when you're ready, but it is harder to go "backwards".
 
Cape Air sounds like a good place, but I probably wouldn't spend an extended time there unless in the JetBlue Gateway program. Depends on your end-goal, of course.
 
I'll just make one more post in this thread...

Cape Air is a great job. It really is. The pay and QOL afforded to you flying a 402 around is tough to beat, and I know how tempting it is to take that over going to a regional. The dollars and cents are much higher right off the bat by going to the left seat at Cape vs. right seat (initially) at a regional. You'll also hone your hand-flying chops.

But, it's important to realize that 1) Seniority really is king, and 2) The earnings potential flying 121 turbine equipment will always be much higher. Yes, making memories and all that is fun, and yes, you'll get a few chest hairs flying a 402 in the northeast, but I would caution anyone from going to Cape over a regional, assuming 121 legacy/major is your end goal, in the current market. You really, really want to get in on this wave while you can. You simply don't know when it'll stop.

To add, there's a very "anti shiny jets" bias in a lot of these threads that isn't really indicative of reality. The vast majority of the guys knocking 121 on JC have never actually flown jets. You'll accomplish plenty of hands-on, challenging flying while flying for an airline, so don't be quick to think it's all a bunch of button pushing above the weather. I have many hours of monotonous, VFR-between-the-same-two-airports-all-day, flying in my logbook from Cape Air. It's not all 1800 RVR ILSs in the ice with a Bowie knife in your teeth. ;)

Like I said: Cape Air is a great job, and you'd do just fine by going there, but it really depends on what the overall pilot market is doing.
 
Agreed. It seems 121 flying is uncool/too mainstream for a lot of people here.

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I'll just make one more post in this thread...

Cape Air is a great job. It really is. The pay and QOL afforded to you flying a 402 around is tough to beat, and I know how tempting it is to take that over going to a regional. The dollars and cents are much higher right off the bat by going to the left seat at Cape vs. right seat (initially) at a regional. You'll also hone your hand-flying chops.

But, it's important to realize that 1) Seniority really is king, and 2) The earnings potential flying 121 turbine equipment will always be much higher. Yes, making memories and all that is fun, and yes, you'll get a few chest hairs flying a 402 in the northeast, but I would caution anyone from going to Cape over a regional, assuming 121 legacy/major is your end goal, in the current market. You really, really want to get in on this wave while you can. You simply don't know when it'll stop.

To add, there's a very "anti shiny jets" bias in a lot of these threads that isn't really indicative of reality. The vast majority of the guys knocking 121 on JC have never actually flown jets. You'll accomplish plenty of hands-on, challenging flying while flying for an airline, so don't be quick to think it's all a bunch of button pushing above the weather. I have many hours of monotonous, VFR-between-the-same-two-airports-all-day, flying in my logbook from Cape Air. It's not all 1800 RVR ILSs in the ice with a Bowie knife in your teeth. ;)

Like I said: Cape Air is a great job, and you'd do just fine by going there, but it really depends on what the overall pilot market is doing.
This too.

(plug about my employer and the Brasilia here)
 
Stuff and what-not

Agreed, and I'm not anti-121. I might be joining you clowns this summer! :)

I am a bit anti-"GO GO GO" when someone expresses an interest to explore some other kinds of flying before "settling" though. It's up to the OP of course and I think there's plenty of advice from both sides for them to make a decision.

Sounds like they're short on 1500 anyways; seems like an OK place to make up the difference.
 
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