CA Upgrade!

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xdashdriver

xdashdriver

Well-Known Member
Hey All,

Just got my CA award in the Dash 8, and in my #1 choice base (GJT). Came through this morning. Start upgrade class on August 9. Stoked would be an understatement.

Ray
 
Excellent!

Just wait how weird it's going to feel when the same rampers that were calling you 'dork' are suddenly calling you 'sir'... at least in front of your face!
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Hey congrats Captain Salmon, way to go. Wish I'd gotten the Dash your number's only 111 above mine and I just got bussed out to PHL. YAY! I'm SO EXCITED. I get to fly CRJs in PHILLY. WOO!!

Ha! Anyway good luck during upgrade. Bet I'll see you around the training center around the 9th I've got CSI and my oral rolling around about then.

Congrats again!
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I ran into an old coworker at the PHX airport the other day and he was told that once he finished up training and got a few months experience under his belt he'd be offered captain in the dash. Not a bad gig if you want to upgrade fast! I've still got 3-7 more years
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I guess Mesa is putting guys with ATP minimums into the Dash so that they can upgrade as soon as possible because theres so much movement right now and he said it was 6-8 months right now which is really fast.
 
Dash Capt is going extremely junior at Mesa right now. I could have had it right out of the gate during initial training, but wisdom prevailed and I decided to wait until I at least consolidated in the airplane. The award came a little sooner than I was expecting, so it's going to be close on the consolidation thing. That's ok.

Dash CA is going junior because of the equipment bidding restrictions built into the contract. No FO to FO and no TP to TP bidding. A lot of senior Dash Captains are bidding to jet CA, a lot of senior Dash FOs are also waiting for their jet slot instead of an 18 month seat lock if they upgrade in the Dash. Others don't have enough time to hold ATP yet. Other enjoy QOL at the senior FO level. So, all those things combined make Dash CA very junior.

As for moving up the list, that's happening too. My number has moved up by around 70 numbers since 4/12/04. Additionally, by the beginning of August there'll be 200 below me too.

Ray

Ray
 
[ QUOTE ]
I ran into an old coworker at the PHX airport the other day and he was told that once he finished up training and got a few months experience under his belt he'd be offered captain in the dash. Not a bad gig if you want to upgrade fast! I've still got 3-7 more years
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Offered? Hmmm....it's done on a bidding system. If you want it, you bid it. If your seniority can hold it (and you meet the minimums and have 2 CAs sign letters for you) then you get it.

Ray
 
[ QUOTE ]
I guess Mesa is putting guys with ATP minimums into the Dash so that they can upgrade as soon as possible because theres so much movement right now and he said it was 6-8 months right now which is really fast.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, they're trying. I think they're running out of people with that kind of time though. Before Lori left she said it was getting quite hard to find people with ATP mins.

It's a lot less than 6-8 months for the upgrade (unless you want it later). I was awarded it after 3 months and 3 days from DOH, and that's cuz I waited. A couple of my classmates were awarded it after 1.5months, right before sim training and effectively became "street" captains. They're not doing that anymore though since they had quite a few disasters with that program. Everyone goes through as an FO now, first. If you have good 121 experience then they may let you bid it right away, but they're not giving it to just anyone anymore.

Just some inside info.

Ray
 
[ QUOTE ]
... I decided to wait until I at least consolidated in the airplane. The award came a little sooner than I was expecting, so it's going to be close on the consolidation thing. That's ok.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Consolidation"? New term to me.
 
Probably referring to "Consolidation of knowledge and experience" or something like that - it's term in the airline biz used to describe the period after a pilot gets out of ground school and gets the initial experience in the aircraft supposedly 'consolidating' what you learn in ground school and how to put in to practice. I can't remember exactly but I believe at the airlines I've been at it was you have to get 100 hours in 90 days after training or you have to go back for mre training. It's usually not a problem but can become a problem if you're sitting reserve and not getting called to fly trips.

Jason
 
It's 75 hrs as long as you have 25 landings.

You might be thinking of high-mins captains, who need 100hrs as PIC before they can use standard approach minimums.
 
Yeah something like that.

"You might be thinking of high-mins captains, who need 100hrs as PIC before they can use standard approach minimums"

Now John you should know by now that usually I don't think. Especially this early in the morning - I mean come on - it's only noon. I have no idea why I'm even up this early.

man I need to go back to work
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Jason
 
Part 121 rules, 100 hours in the 120 days following the initial proficiency check with a 30 day extension available by completing a flight observed by a company check airman required by flight crew members not having any previous experience in the type aircraft. If not you get another Proficiency Check.

It's a completely seperate item from high-mins captains.
bandit.gif
 
It varies from airline to airline (under 121.) Most airlines have a reduced consolidation on the order of reducing 1 hour for each landing.

This rule is also used in IOE.
 
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