American Eagle in ANC???
- Thread starter FlyOrDie
- Start date
Everts seems to still have some relatively high mins now (compared to regionals). And it's harder to attract people with the experience to sit sideways in a DC-6 unless they are planning to stay there as a career (not to say it's not a really cool job) or have an idea that they really want to do some round engine flying (while they can).
I suspect they intend to try to snag pilots from companies like Frontier and maybe some of the other operators up here. Not so much get new pilots as ones that already have been flying and want a change of pace.
I'll also note that Everts doesn't have much name recognition in the lower 48. Unless someone is specifically looking at Alaska, they probobly havn't heard of you guys (same goes for us). It's word of mouth.
FlyOrDie
New Member
Everts just advertised for a class and only got 2 resumes when they wanted 15. DC6 time is practically worthless so its not surprising that they didn't have many takers when other turbine operators are hiring like crazy. They also tend to have high attrition among FEs and FOs, out of 9 in my class only 6 are still with the company.
Baradium do you work for Frontier? If so I saw one of your cargo 1900s in Galena about 2 weeks ago, and talked to the FO when we diverted there because OTZ went down.
The published mins are high (3000tt) but I was hired with less than half of that and this is my first Alaska job. I think the lack of resumes has more to do with the pilot shortage finally catching up to Alaska.
The FE seat is between the pilots so you actually have a good view of the action.
Baradium do you work for Frontier? If so I saw one of your cargo 1900s in Galena about 2 weeks ago, and talked to the FO when we diverted there because OTZ went down.
The published mins are high (3000tt) but I was hired with less than half of that and this is my first Alaska job. I think the lack of resumes has more to do with the pilot shortage finally catching up to Alaska.
The FE seat is between the pilots so you actually have a good view of the action.
Bigey
Well-Known Member
So all the DC-6 Time is useless just because it's "piston" vs turbine? Damn, that really sucks. Weed out some manual old fashioned flying pilot, for someone who flew a small 1900 (no hating at all) and the one with the 1900 gets hired while the other with heavy DC-6 time isnt even ACKNOWLEDGED?
FlyOrDie
New Member
Yup... The 60 year old airplane with no automation what so ever goes in the same category as a Piper Seminole. One Captain has 6k hours of DC6 time and no major will look at him because he doesn't have any turbine time. Hopefully I can move over to the EMB120 soon and get more magical turbine time. I guess you could say that it isn't all worthless time because some employers want you to have experience in "large" aircraft. Our max takeoff weight is 100,000lbs so that does at least count for something.
Bigey
Well-Known Member
Man that doesnt make ANY sense whatsoever. Well maybe he could go fly for Emirates, they have a weight restriction.
If i had an airline, i'd let the DC-6 guy come anytime to my airline and apply. Hell it doesnt happen too often someone is flying a DC-6! That's a huge RADIAL BEAST!:rawk::rawk:
What the upgrade time from FE to FO and Capt running? Ive heard many of the captains are lifers and there isnt much movement in that seat.
Also, do you guys have sim's for the -6 of is all the training done in the airplane?
flyover
New Member
I agree with you. DC-6 pilots would move to the top of my list if I was in charge of hiring. This does show just how bright some of the people are who set standards for airline hiring.
BTW, I apologize to the Everts guys for pushing back in their way so often.
Bigey
Well-Known Member
Word.
I mean hell i'd offer them drinks and just want to hear there experience on it. That's some pretty sweet flying. I dont understand how a 1900 is more complex than a DC-6. One is a light twin turbine, other is massive, heavy, quad engine RADIAL! If they can fly the DC-6 i'm sure they learn the "complex turbines."
Two resumes huh? That explains a lot. Where do they advertise? I honestly hadn't seen an add from them before other than in local Alaska papers.
Yes, I'm a 1900 F/O. You guys come in there periodically, although I see a 120 more than a -6. We only have one freighter, so I know exactly which plane it was.
All the other 1900s are passenger birds. The freighter is the only one with a white belly.I think the published mins might still be part of the smaller resume pool, I suspect they might see at least a couple more with more realistic mins. But yes, the fact that they don't have a lot of resumes with the higher mins is something that does show the shortage is catching up to them... even the really cool a/c.
I'm waiting for the shortage to really catch up to frontier. Our attrition with F/Os has been high... just need the applications to start drying up and it'll really help. As it is, they don't like the constant loss...
FlyOrDie
New Member
Hey don't worry about it. It usually takes about 8 minutes for me to do the run-up anyway and its rare to be held up because of Southern Air, Korean, Cargo 360 or Northwest Cargo. Its all money anyway
I heart block time.
FlyOrDie
New Member
The original add I saw was in the Anchorage Daily News weekend edition about a month ago. Following the lack of interest from that this last week I saw another add running that just says they're hiring flight crew and mentions no minimum experience. They have actually hired people without multi certificates and the company does have a few PFEs.
Where are people leaving to? From talking to other guys a lot of FOs and FEs have been leaving us to fly Medivac for the turbine time. Its tempting but I make a good living now and I get to spend at least a part of every night at home and not living in Dutch Harbor for 2 weeks on.
FlyOrDie
New Member
FE to FO is usually about a year, upgrading to Captain happens when somebody dies or loses their medical, so what you've heard is true.
All training is in the airplane.
Wow. Good for them (the newhires) though.
They are going to lower 48 regionals here. Skywest, Trans States, Big Sky etc. Big Sky is hiring street captains with atp mins for their 1900s... since we have 1900 time already we can walk right in there. Most of our guys are going outside, so Eagle coming makes sense for how we're losing people. At most regionals they don't have f/os that have close to ATP or upgrade minimums, so upgrade can be pretty quick if you have hours when you start.
We've lost some captains to Blackwater. The rest are going to Alaska and other larger airlines, most of them have sights set higher than regionals.
We actually have a new hire F/O who was a DC-4 captain for Brooks... apparently he was the guy who ditched near Nenana with the engine fire, and that wasn't the only one. Word is he enjoyed it, but has a wife and kids... Another guy was a Mesa pilot. I understand that Mesa isn't supposed to be all that great, but have no clue why he picked *us* to go to afterwards. Actually, I have no clue why the -4 guy came to us either. Seems he would have been better off going to you guys unless he plans on a quick upgrade to Navajo and the bush...
The rest of the current class are the usual lower time guys.
They just gave us a "raise." Not even close to a percentage point, and there are situations where I'll make less than before. I'm pretty well insulted by it.
flyover
New Member
Hey don't worry about it. It usually takes about 8 minutes for me to do the run-up anyway and its rare to be held up because of Southern Air, Korean, Cargo 360 or Northwest Cargo. Its all money anyway
Well, I appreciate the serenade you guys give us when you takeoff on 32.
Pilatapus
Well-Known Member
Since this thread has been hijacked to round engine country, does Everets still have those C-46s? I used to go into a mining strip that was exciting in a Cherokee 6 and they used to have a C-46 come in there with fuel and equipment.
What is going on with NAC? Are they hurting for pilots too?
What is going on with NAC? Are they hurting for pilots too?
I can vouch that the C-46s are still around, I see them here in Fairbanks all the time. Love hearing both them and the DC-6s take off.
I havn't heard anything about NAC... don't know what their current situation is.