Any other way to an Airline Job?
- Thread starter meritflyer
- Start date
mtsu_av8er
Well-Known Member
Bog said:
Moday, going to PDK in the 206 to drop somebody off, 0700 wheels-up.
Tuesday, going to PDK in the 206 for a pick-up, probably 1400 wheels-up.
Whatcha got going on?
Flugmaschine
New Member
blee256 said:
Those are good options (sorry to diverge), but there's still a gap to bridge even for those jobs. The most likely for a 260 hour new-mint would be glider towing, but I looked into all of that stuff in the DFW area, and it was the insurance minimums that were a killer:
Ferry - 500 TT (you could do it with less, but those were disreputable guys with unsafe aircraft- above is for a local dealer)
Traffic Watch- 750TT
Pipeline - 750TT
Banner - 500TT, 50 TW
Skydiving, I don't know about. You needed to be buds with the owner to get a whiff of that action.
Chris_Ford
Well-Known Member
Bog said:
PDK always makes me think it's Podunk... but it's Peachtree-Dekalb, outside of ATL, if I recall.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
blee256 said:
And now for my mini-rant on these "bridge programs." I've said time and again that these things are ultimately gonna raise the cost of getting on at an airline, and then I get a letter in the mail from PSA.
FCC radio license? Check. Valid passport? Check. First class medical? Check. Comm multiengine instrument rated? Check. Too bad I don't meet their 1200TT 250ME minimums. WTF??!? Weren't guys from ATP getting hired with 600TT or at least under 1000? But, since I don't have a nice marketting program behind me, my 850TT and 220ME doesn't mean jack apparently. Oh, but if I was typed in a CRJ, they'd lower my mins. Trust me, if I have 1200TT and 250ME, PSA is NOT my first choice. For that fact, neither are most of the regionals. If I'm still looking for a job when I hit those hours, I'm going corporate. Wheels are already turning in that direction anyway.
I think it's great that a lot of guys are getting the opportunity to fly the big iron for lower hours, but I do NOT feel that other pilots should get shafted simply based on the fact they didn't pay the extra $20K for a bridge program. I stand by my opinion that in several years, regionals won't even look at you unless you've trained with one of their "partners."
Looking4Lower
New Member
Gonzo said:
Someone once described it as the "Teberboro of the South." I think I agree with that characterization.
mtsu_av8er
Well-Known Member
Looking4Lower said:
You know, for some reason, I don't doubt it! A couple of months ago, I spent 15 minutes doing a box-pattern, 5 miles north of the field, at 5000 feet, in visual range of the airport!!
About every 3 or 4 minutes, the controller would ask, "Stationair ***, what's your final approach speed?"
I'd reply with, "I can give you 130 all the way until about a 1/2 final . . . ", and I'd quickly get what sounded to me like, "Riiight, fly heading 360 now, vectors for sequencing . . . ".
wheelsup
Well-Known Member
kellwolf said:
Kell, 850TT/220 multi was pretty competitive with PSA not too long ago. Check the stats on airlinepilotpay.com but one of the chief pilots posting on flightinfo said they accept people well below the mins. Most likely what is going on right now is all the furloughed guys from FlyI, Mesaba, etc. are on the street and getting jobs at these places. I know AWAC, who was hiring people with <1000TT and 100 multi (all CFI time) back in August hasn't been giving any of my personal recs callbacks and the word from the training dept. is almost all the guys in the classes are 121.
It may have more to do with timing more than "not meeting published mins". We all know that airlines accept people below "published mins" anyway. AWAC's "published mins" were 1500/300 I believe (on their website). Don't let it get to you! You chose to save $$ by not buying into the pay to play stuff and in so extended your time instructing - but you knew that going into it. I instructed for 2 years and had students of mine go on to mesa with 10 percent of my total time. How fair is that? But I didn't let it get to me (well I did, but I've squared with it now).
FYI, at 1200/250, you probably won't find the kind of 'corporate gig' that the airlines could offer (lifestyle/QOL wise) initially. If you can network your way in, good for 'ya. But don't cut off your nose to spite your face just because you think you're overqualified for a 'regional' that will get you some good turbine time. As much as people b!tch about it, life ain't THAT bad here...
With corporate, you've gotta live where you're based. If you live in your base at a regional (and like it), life is pretty sweet IMO.
~wheelsup
wheelsup
Well-Known Member
Looking4Lower said:
LOL. I've flown into PDK a few times and instructed out of TEB. It doesn't compare to TEB IMO.
TEB is the only place I've been to where they just simply won't allow VFR aircraft in. At all. If it's between 4-6 PM and the wx requires the ILS (but still VFR at say 5 miles and 2500') you won't get in. I'd have to call up approach to get a pop-up IFR into TEB coming back from lessons!
You think 15 minutes is long? I heard a baron holding for 45 minutes and pleaing for a way in. That's when I gave up and got the pop up. Rediculous. I've almost become the hood ornaments on Global's and G4-5's as well. There really is no place for small a/c there.
~wheelsup
Gonzo
Well-Known Member
wheelsup said:
The problem with PDK is they run the parallels even though they're supposed to stagger them. There's been a number of times I've almost had a jet either run into the side of me or look out my back window to find one directly behind to me because they overshot centerline turning base the final. For some reason landing on the twos seen to be difficult. Not to mention that PDK is also a training airport for ATC. In my six month of flying there I have had probably seven go arounds because of ATC mistakes. All but one time either my instructor or I pointed out the mistake they would've never noticed.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
wheelsup said:
Mainly I was just steamed that I've seen a rash of guys around me getting hired and I'm pretty much wasting time and stamps it feels like sometimes. For a bit I thought about trying to get on as a CFI at MAPD, but then I remembered how trapped you felt under that contract, so I decided against it. It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't under pressure on the home front to get the F done, get a job and come home. Add that to the two near death experiences at the hands of students last week, and it sorta put a damper on my mood. If I was home with the wife and kid, I wouldn't have as much of a problem sticking it out.
Brett and I have a saying: "It can't be worse than Disney." I figured it out the other day, and I was making a whopping $15K as a SUPERVISOR there. I've conditioned myself to live on the cheap, I know what I'm getting into, so I've set myself up for that lifestyle. As far as the corporate stuff, networking in that direction is underway and has been for about a month now.
Well, unless I get hired at Pinnacle, Mesaba or Eagle, I probably would be commuting. The first two are probably unlikely given the NWA situation and the last one has a killer physical and an upgrade time of biblical porportions. That being said, I wouldn't turn anything down at this point. IF (and big if here) I got on with Mesa (yeah, I know, I did mention desperation right?) and got MCO as a base, I MIGHT move back "home."