I've been here two years and it's not a bad place really. The small group (180 pilots) means you see many of the same faces. It's a dysfunctional family atmosphere. Reserve sucks. I'm in November upgrade class and I'm hating that I'll go back on reserve. We just don't have good reserve use or coverage. Even lineholders can have crap schedules if PBS isn't right or you've got too many requests. Seems that 6 months for FO reserve and at least a year for CA, though many of the guys I know sat nearly two years of CA reserve.
The Dash is quite a plane. Yes, it's slow, but you can do nearly anything ATC needs and not be out of your comfort zone or the planes. Maintenance has turned a corner, but these are still 15 year old turboprops that fly a lot. It's a good plane, but it's not a push button plane. As someone said to me once "This is the last airliner you fly that you'll be able to just FLY." No FADEC, no EICAS, no ACARS or CPCDLNK(?)
I tell people to come here if they don't have a nearby base. When I started at C5, CLE was a base and was the best I could do (two years ago was a completely different regional hiring environment). RAH didn't call me until I was 6 months in to C5. I stayed at C5 when I should have went to RAH. But would I be upgrading at RAH after two years? No, and it's what I need to get my career moving again.
The rumor mill is strong with new aircraft and opportunities. Something is in the works because the company wants nearly double the flight attendants we have, more than just to cover attrition. People apparently have signed "no tell" statements. But as with most things, I'll believe it when I see it.
As the company will tell you, this isn't a career place. It's a put in your time and leave place. This could change, but I don't think that mindset will.
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