First Airline Interview (Great lakes). Tips?

jgheggie said:
I read all of it...I was joking. And I agree with most. I do not endorse lakes. I just want the OP to know there are online degree options to help.

Am curious though, you mentioned the benefits of just instructing several times. So, how would you feel about someone with 300hrs and NO cfi looking at lakes?

That's where I'm at. No money for a cfi so I do not have the luxury of just instructing to ATP mins. I'm exploring all options.
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No money for a CFI, but you'd you'd be willing to support yourself and spend the money for over an 8 week period for training, risk a possible washout, sign a contract, go to a place with all the issues and history (and I am sure I don't know them all) that they have, have possibly the worst QOL on the planet, slave wages and little chance of upgrade? Does this actually make sense to you?
 
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A Life Aloft said:
No money for a CFI, but you'd you'd be willing to support yourself and spend the money for over an 8 week period for training, risk a possible washout, sign a contract, go to a place with all the issues and history (and I am sure I don't know them all) that they have, have possibly the worst QOL on the planet and little chance of upgrade? Does this actually make sense to you?
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I'm hardly considering lakes. I was just curious if you feel the way you do because the OP has a cfi. If I had a cfi I would certainly not go to lakes.
 
jgheggie said:
I'm hardly considering lakes. I was just curious if you feel the way you do because the OP has a cfi. If I had a cfi I would certainly not go to lakes.
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I don't know what "hardly considering" means, but it seems to me when you say things like this: (and yes even with the OP's CFI you still thought he should go there)

jgheggie said:
Be soft guys! Some of us low time guys can't find much else. A But I'm seriously considering going to the Great Lakes interview. If nothing else it is an experience. Same with pacific wings.
But 3yr contract? They can't be serious right??
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jgheggie said:
Don't all of you airline guys always talk about seniority, and "getting a number in line"? So what's wrong with jump starting his career while continuing college as he stated? IMO...it will allow him to get high seniority at an earlier age. And as most of you have said...he's 19 and cannot upgrade or even be 121 FO until he's 23. So his options are to instruct until he's 23?? Come on...really? Take a 135 gig and build valuable time.
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It makes me just want to go and make a sammie which I think is what I am going to do.
 
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jgheggie said:
Secondly...you're college hours and "credit hours" are very "ballpark". I did my associates at a university full time 15 units per semester and I didn't spend nearly 2-3 hours per "credit" hour outside of class for homework and what not. Every person is different of course. But I can say that I am currently taking 15 units ONLINE through the same university and it takes up waaaay less of my time.
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So a 3-credit course didn't require anywhere near 6 hours of homework/studying per week? And online courses are *less*? I could maybe see that for ridiculously easy general ed requirements and non-science intro courses. The upper-level courses I took were all an absolute minimum of a 3 to 1 ratio, though.

If that workload is commonplace now, it might explain why my students complained so much about the assignments I gave them for a 1-credit lab that probably took 2-3 hours to complete.

jgheggie said:
You talk about percentages. Look up the percentage of college students that ACTUALLY graduate. It's very low...across the board. In fact, working professionals who "went back to school" have a higher graduation rate. Some believe this is related to their work experience and wanting the degree to progress at their current job. It's also due to motivation....
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Here you go. Students who start their degrees later (over 20) have a substantially lower 6-year completion rate than those of traditional age.

If you're motivated, you will finish school online or in person. Doesn't matter which. And if you're not motivated...then you won't.
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Agree.

So the OP has the same chance in person as he does online...and he doesn't seem motivated. So who knows...
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Completely disagree. I don't have graduation numbers for online programs, because it's my understanding that there's not very good data because they're still relatively new. I just cannot imagine having the same chance of graduating from an online program while working full-time as a full-time student does.

Look, I understand your frustration. I decided I wanted to fly for a living with a year and a half left of school and wanted to drop out, but my parents very persuasively discouraged it. I was frustrated with flight instructing after a few hundred hours and wanted to go to a "jet transition"-style course that would get me to an interview with a bottom feeder regional, but listening to people on this site who had been in the exact same position got me to stick it out and spend another year in a craphole apartment in a really bad neighborhood eating hot pockets and ramen. It was an excellent choice in the long run, as the crappy regional I would have worked for lost half their flying, shut down bases like crazy, and in general flew airplanes whose cockpits glowed from MEL stickers.
 
Thats what the website is all about.

Preventing those who come looking for help from experiencing the heartache that most of us went through. This isn't a discussion forum, its a mentoring forum.

I think the advice offered in this thread, although polar opposite sometimes, gives the OP a base for making his decision.
 
The exponentially rapid posting rate for this 'discussion' shows how much people care. On all possible sides of this issue.

Our younger friend who started this with a serious question, is impatient to get there. He has a pretty good idea of just where there is for him, he just can't get there yet (age), and he's working this forum for ideas about how to spend the time most profitably (and with the least psychic pain, which he attributes in part to education) in getting there. Great! It's one of the reasons Derg started JC.

Seven pages has just demonstrated that there is more than one route to there. I hope he's a little wiser, because he has to make up his own mind. Gray-beards (well, my red hair doesn't go gray. it just sandies out. No Grecian Formula available for me :eek2:) try to share their successes, and keep people from making all the same mistakes they made.

After listening to the tens of thousands of flight hours represented here, he still has to make up his own mind. I wish him luck getting there. There is waiting for him. His motivation alone will power him towards there.
 
rockman2343@aol.com said:
I can't believe they'd have any takers with that, in this climate.
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You would think but some people just got to get that turbine time. Never mind the fact that it is SIC turbine in a single pilot aircraft.

Also training contracts have been known to not hold up in court.
 
I skipped college and now my resume sent to the only carrier I want to work for is getting tossed in the garbage.
Get a degree while your young.
Seniority at GL.....are you kidding? What will that ever do for you?
Skip the heart ache.
 
I've been watching the news feeds for them the last few days and all I can say is I hope what pilots they have left find other jobs as quickly as possible. I feel really badly for them. GL rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic at this point. Amazing that in every single interview even going back to the ones earlier this year and late last year where they stopped the flying into other locations and/or lost the locations to Sky West, besides the ones mentioned above, they have the gall to blame the FAA and the new rest rules. What a pile of crapola. Now they are gone from MSP as well. time for Great Mistakes just to fade into the sunset. Again, I hope their pilots find other employment asap.
 
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block30 said:
http://www.trftimes.com/news/index....akes-airlines-pulls-out-of-trf&catid=13:front

http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article/20140122/NEWS/140129993/0/FRONTPAGE

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/424812/

Have you all seen this? Is your interview offer even valid anymore???
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Somebody put a freaking muzzle on those GLA clowns. I am so sick of the second sentence as to why they are ultra crappy, is because of the "pilot shortage" PAY YOUR PILOTS A LIVING WAGE AND YOU WILL ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE!!!!!!!! How stupid can you be? Hoard all the money at the top guys, thats fine, paying your pilots more now may net you less money, but going out of business for being retarded will net you NO MONEY.
 
On the bright side, a new hire at Great Lakes probably won't be held to the training contract because there won't be a company to hold them liable
 
Well, after all 7 pages...I guess I can come to a conclusion....

First off, thanks for all the replies. Once again, a lot of people on either side but all in all, I mine as well stay at home with family and friends for another year and a half; work on the degree little by little, instruct and get hours, and I have a few connections here to fly a C90 locally under 135. Also get the MEI/CFII by the time I'm 20 in July.

I'll be doing the interview for interview experience which in turn is priceless.

I've talked to a few friends that have worked there/still work at GL and they loved the experience of flying and being with people but the management is sh*t and they throw you around like no other. They also are surprised GL is still around.

So, I'll be taking the interview but if the job is offered, most likely NOT taking it since I have just as good things going for me locally. Thanks to all the time everyone spent and hair you lost due to this thread. :bounce:
 
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