Leave regional for air ambulance?

aobt14

aobt14

Well-Known Member
I recently received a pilot slot in the Air Force Reserve and will be heading out to OTS/UPT soon, so that's a factor.

Suggestions?
 
Where do you want to end up as a final career? The airlines or air ambulance? If you want to end up at a legacy carrier at some point stick with the regional... you can always do air ambulance as a retirement gig.
 
Just go on mil leave from your regional to go to UPT and during your postgrad training and seasoning. Things will look a lot clearer in two years.
 
If you go EMS try to find a company that doesn't have 24/7 on call. I like some aspects of EMS but getting called at midnight to pull a 12 hour duty day can get old pretty fast. Some people love it but it's not for everyone.
 
Not to hijack a thread, but 24/7 on call seems like it would violate the duty regs. How would the FAA allow such a schedule?


Like the other guy said though. Go on leave from the regional and figure it out in a few years once you are done with the military stuff.
 
I mean is it a regional that will be around in 4 years when you get done with your active duty time, will the ambo? Is the regional base collocated with your guard/reserve unit, is the air ambo? This is basically too vague to even begin to answer.
 
Cpt Cook said:
Not to hijack a thread, but 24/7 on call seems like it would violate the duty regs. How would the FAA allow such a schedule?


Like the other guy said though. Go on leave from the regional and figure it out in a few years once you are done with the military stuff.
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Civilian job counts against duty time in the military (almost no one pays attention to this reg because you would never be able to fly at the unit as a part timer with a civilian career if you did) but military work does not count against duty at the civilian job ie the same thing as flying a 5 leg day after "sleeping" on the couch in the crew room for 2 hours after catching fed ex as your commute, you weren't on duty. Sometimes I end up working 10, 11 or 12+ days in a row between the two jobs, it gets tricky and exhausting, but such is life.
 
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Cpt Cook said:
Not to hijack a thread, but 24/7 on call seems like it would violate the duty regs. How would the FAA allow such a schedule?


Like the other guy said though. Go on leave from the regional and figure it out in a few years once you are done with the military stuff.
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I hear ya man, if I hear the term "Gray area" one more time I will crap myself.
 
Box hauler said:
If you go EMS try to find a company that doesn't have 24/7 on call. I like some aspects of EMS but getting called at midnight to pull a 12 hour duty day can get old pretty fast. Some people love it but it's not for everyone.
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It's 10/5 12 hour shifts for FO, 7/7 12 hour shifts for Captain.

Soku39 said:
I mean is it a regional that will be around in 4 years when you get done with your active duty time, will the ambo? Is the regional base collocated with your guard/reserve unit, is the air ambo? This is basically too vague to even begin to answer.
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1. I doubt it, but who knows....
2. I commute to the regional, the AFB is 15 minutes from my house and the air ambo base is a 3 hour drive, but housing is provided while you are there. Other air ambo operators are located 10 minutes from my house but I do not and will not meet those mins working at a regional as SIC.
 
My opinion. Once the 121 box is checked, it's checked. You can pass a 121 checkride(whatever significance that is...), and have experience in a structured environment.

If it were me in the future, your resume would go near the top of the list if you diversified yourself, but that probably isn't common practice today.

General recommendation. More money more time off. @z987k(because I know you love it when I tag you in stuff) has just about the best job out of a very high majority on this forum in that regard. A senior 777 captain at a legacy would be about the only person that would rival that job. :)
 
UAL747400 said:
My opinion. Once the 121 box is checked, it's checked. You can pass a 121 checkride(whatever significance that is...), and have experience in a structured environment.

If it were me in the future, your resume would go near the top of the list if you diversified yourself, but that probably isn't common practice today.

General recommendation. More money more time off. @z987k(because I know you love it when I tag you in stuff) has just about the best job out of a very high majority on this forum in that regard. A senior 777 captain at a legacy would be about the only person that would rival that job. :)
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I don't know about that. There are a lot of people that would hate my job. Especially the weekends off, or super clingy significant other types.

To the OP, I don't see what the point can possibly be switching jobs before going to OTS/UPT.
 
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Soku39 said:
I mean is it a regional that will be around in 4 years when you get done with your active duty time
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IMHO this should be a question rather than a statement.

Nobody knows which regionals are still going to be around in 4 years. 4 Years ago, people were still flying at Mesaba, Colgan, Comair, etc., and given the staffing problems in the regionals that have emerged over the last year, who knows what kinds of consolidations, movement of jets and flying, bankruptcies, etc, may be still to come in the next several years even as the majors are making money like gangbusters. Hell, only 18 months ago ExpressJet and "American Eagle" were considered some of the strongest regionals to work for...

Not to discourage the OP, because I think he should stay at his regional and go on mil leave to start up his Reserve life, but there's certainly no guarantee that a regional that is strong and kicking today won't be completely gone tomorrow.
 
Put me in the take MILLEAVE camp. I don't care if your regional is the worst out there with 10 year upgrades. As Hacker wrote, in the years it takes you to go through the training pipeline all that can change. In the meantime you continue to build seniority and continue to have non-rev benefits. You may well find that when you return you can hold captain, your perspective and priorities have changed.. or the airline may be out of business and the decision was made for you.
 
aobt14 said:
It's 10/5 12 hour shifts for FO, 7/7 12 hour shifts for Captain.



1. I doubt it, but who knows....
2. I commute to the regional, the AFB is 15 minutes from my house and the air ambo base is a 3 hour drive, but housing is provided while you are there. Other air ambo operators are located 10 minutes from my house but I do not and will not meet those mins working at a regional as SIC.
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Yea...but it's LifeTeam. Also, they'll always be hiring.

Stick with the regional. (<--- coming from a guy who swore he'd never go back to a regional.)

I think there is more fallout coming to the AA industry with ACA. BCBS/Anthem just said they're cutting reimbursement rates.

Your area has good freight routes, too. Many pilots at that "other air ambo operator" started out there.
 
Driving three hours to sit in a place half a month on call doesn't sound very tempting to me, and taking a leave while junior means you'll skip the worst of the junior reserve stuff at your regional.
 
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