800/25. Now what?

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aloft

aloft

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Ok, here's the sitrep:

Just broke 800 TT today, so my times are now 800/25, and my current gig is ending in a few weeks. So now what? Suggestions? Advice? Job leads?

And don't say "go get your CFI tickets" because it's not worth the expense for a few hundred hours.

I want to stay out west preferably, though I'd take a job at Comair or ASA if one was offered.
 
Without 100 ME your not really competative. The way the industry is these days you really should take anything. The only out west company hiring is Skywest and you need 1000/100. ASA I dont think is hiring. Comair is hiring but if my case is anything to go by, they are sticking to their mins. I'm at 514/134 and no phone call.

-Rob
 
Go throw meat missiles, or fly the canyon, or traffic watch.

There ya go. Now figure out the rest of the career like the rest of us...stumble through it and hope like heck you avoid furloughs, firings, bad Captains, and losing your medical.;)
 
You & I have the exact same flight hours, and I just finished it up here with RAMS too. I've applied to everything under the sun and no phone calls, no emails back.

The industry blows right now that's about all I can say. Good luck to ya, let me know what you find and I'll do the same.
 
It sucks for you guys. At the start of the season the industry was still good and looked like lack of Multi didn't mean too much. Amazing how things have changed so fast.
 
or fly the canyon, or traffic watch.
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Yeah, fly the "ditch" I've heard that they always need a ton of pilots in the summer. Don't worry about living arrangements though, the company my brother flew for provided all pilots with a room without power, a water spigot, an outhouse and a fire pit. Enjoy!
 
frequentflya said:
Yeah, fly the "ditch" I've heard that they always need a ton of pilots in the summer. Don't worry about living arrangements though, the company my brother flew for provided all pilots with a room without power, a water spigot, an outhouse and a fire pit. Enjoy!
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Screw that..... come on down and fly pipeline in TX..... work your butt off and make a living..... while sleeping in an air conditioned room with TV and whatnot.... no power, running water and an outhouse?! Give me a break. No thanks.....
Whatever you guys end up with best of luck!
 
Go get a job driving 18 wheeler trucks.:yar:
But really you might find a job at an airplane manufacturer. I was a production test pilot at a light sport manufacturer. Got over 600 hours flying within a year.
 
One thing I notice a lot of, and I'm not saying you're guilty of it, is people feel that they're entitled to a job just because they have their ratings. With the past few years hiring boom, that kind of left most people with that mentality.

Being a new cfi right now may not be a bad gig while the industry is the way it is. Getting ready for your cfi will give you something to do while you look for other opportunities and once you have it it is a good way to keep up your hours. One thing you have to consider is the cost to get your cfi versus working at burger king and not having a flying job. In most cases, it takes a flying job to get a flying job. Sorry guys, but I don't see the 500/multi-egine commercial minimums coming back any time soon as far as the regionals are concerned.

Now, all that being said, have you looked into airnet? I think they may have a few bases out west. Last I talked to them all they wanted was a commercial multi.
 
FYI on Airnet, I just tested there unsuccessfully. But they advised my test group that they were fully staffed (due to the stoppage of hiring accross the country). It seemed that they were only testing to fill the pool of potentials.
 
Knucklehead said:
One thing I notice a lot of, and I'm not saying you're guilty of it, is people feel that they're entitled to a job just because they have their ratings. With the past few years hiring boom, that kind of left most people with that mentality.

Being a new cfi right now may not be a bad gig while the industry is the way it is. Getting ready for your cfi will give you something to do while you look for other opportunities and once you have it it is a good way to keep up your hours. One thing you have to consider is the cost to get your cfi versus working at burger king and not having a flying job. In most cases, it takes a flying job to get a flying job. Sorry guys, but I don't see the 500/multi-egine commercial minimums coming back any time soon as far as the regionals are concerned...
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You said it in a much nicer way than what I had. Thanks for clearing up what I was thinking...:D
 
Stone Cold said:
You said it in a much nicer way than what I had. Thanks for clearing up what I was thinking...:D
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I'd have to agree. And also getting a CFI in no way is a waste. What if the 200 hour days come back again and you have a FO with barely a CMEL wet? Ever think of how you might be put into a role of "instructor" and how to deal with that situation. I really think even if you believe its a waste going after your CFI ticket might be the best option. Also it gives you an ultimate back up to all your back ups if say you are furloughed and out of luck for a while.
 
Stone Cold said:
You said it in a much nicer way than what I had. Thanks for clearing up what I was thinking...:D
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Yeah I'm seeing quite a bit of that too. Not that if I were not in the same position, I would feel the same way. It was almost insane at how, last summer through February, people were being hired left and right with 300-400 hours TT and between 25-50 ME. The fact that it has changed within two months back to 1000/100 attests to the fact that the hiring should not speak about your skill, or if "you're ready for the Airlines!", but more to the market pressures at the time. Entitlement has nothing to do with it! Some of our most senior captains worked years to attain 2000 hours and mucho experience before being looked at by a regional. That may explain the old-crusty-cranky-captain syndrome that is quite prevalent, but again, speaks volumes about the state of the industry at the time.
 
I'm going to actually suggest what you told me not to say: CFI... The excuse "its not worth it for the next hundred hours" doesn't play here, because who knows where the industry will be in the next 6 monhts. I've heard captain conversations go from "hey have you sent any resumes out to the majors yet!?" back when the majors were getting rid of TPIC requirements, to "wow... maybe I should rethink my base or try to get on the Q, we might be here for a while."

My CFI suggestion is that it is worth more than what you think now: you won't believe how much your understanding of something (i.e. aerodynamics) changes and expands when you try to teach it to someone else. And if some young buck CFIs would get the "get the hours and get out" mentality out of their heads during a lesson, then it probably would be more enjoyable and rewarding for both parties (student and instructor).
 
Glad to be of service.

I feel everyone's pain as far as trying to move up in this industry. I've been hired by two airlines and I still don't have a job. I was supposed to be interviewing with an airline yesterday as a matter of fact, but they called a week and a half prior to that and said they are currently re-evaluating their hiring needs and they'd get back in touch with me. Never heard back from them.

It's great for guys just now getting their CFI and building experience (notice i didn't say hours) while the airline industry is the way it is. That way, by the time you finally meet xyz's hiring minimums the airline industry may be back in an upswing. But it sucks for guys like me who've been CFIing for a while only to be placed in hiring pools.

To be honest, it would probably be better to be a new CFI than a new FO worrying about the f-word as most of my friends that got hired a year or so ago are worried about losing their jobs and are stressing because they let their CFI tickets expire.

Hang in there.
 
aloft said:
Ok, here's the sitrep:

Just broke 800 TT today, so my times are now 800/25, and my current gig is ending in a few weeks. So now what? Suggestions? Advice? Job leads?

And don't say "go get your CFI tickets" because it's not worth the expense for a few hundred hours.

I want to stay out west preferably, though I'd take a job at Comair or ASA if one was offered.
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I would go get those CFI's. From the way the industry is going right now, you may be instructing for a few thousand hours...........
 
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