Lots of Entry Level Survey Jobs (CSEL w/ Instrument Rating to fly 172s for Pictometry)

DiveAndDrive said:
I just interviewed with Ground Imaging. The season runs October 15th through May 15th. You are provided a company credit card for aircraft expenses, hotel, and rental car. Food is on your own; no per diem. 7.25 per hour and time and a half for anything over 40 hours a week. If you work at all during a day, they will guarantee you 8 hours pay. So if you're work 7 days a week, you're guaranteed 56 hours a week; 16 of which is time and a half. You also get paid for any time over 8 hours a day. The interview was fairly straight forward. It took me 20 minutes over the phone.
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That sounds pretty rough. Time and a half is great, but not too impressive when you're base rate is so low. If they throw in some production bonuses, aren't too frugal about hotels and guaranteed at least 40 hours of pay a week it might not be too bad, but I'm not surprised they're still looking for pilots.

Did they mention anything about vacation time or rotations at all?
 
Rosrex7 said:
Hey fellas .. New member here.. Low time pilot going through the AA selection process.. Just completed the phone interview and scheduled for the oral, written and flight this weekend.

I'm Going in with an open mind and a watchful eye.
it seems like it's a mixed bag on the pros and cons benifits and risks, but I guess that's with most entry level jobs. The management your attitude and the work environment all play a role in the way you see things..

Does anyone have any insight into what to expect for the rest of the hiring process ? What the flight portion consist of.?. What to brush up on knowledges wise.?

Last official training was my commercial about 2 years ago so I am Sure I'm a little rusty in all sectors.

Any info is appreciated.
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When I was there, the written was 170 questions, covering a pretty wide range of topics, including some that asked for fairly obscure information. It was somewhat similar to an FAA knowledge test but the questions were simpler and more straightforward.

In the oral, at least when I interviewed, you were asked to show what route you would take on two different relocation flights, one over water (stay within gliding distance from shore, i.e go around Lake Michigan rather than across it) and one through the mountains (follow a highway).

The flight is actually just the renter checkout Air America's flight school administers to renters. When I did it it was slow flight, a power off stall, steep turns, a non precision approach with a circle to land, a few landings including a go-around, and a precision approach.

Another thing they look for on the interview is to make sure you'd be reasonably easy to get along with on the road, as you will spend quite a bit of time with the same people, and at AA we generally shared hotel rooms.

It might not hurt to brush up on ground knowledge, maybe even go for a flight to try to get somewhat instrument-proficient, but you might be able to get by without it. One guy who was hired at the same time as me was in you situation-hadn't flown in a while, etc. and still got the job. Studying for the written ahead of time is free and would probably help, though.
 
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Rosrex7 said:
Does anyone have any insight into what to expect for the rest of the hiring process ? What the flight portion consist of.?. What to brush up on knowledges wise.?

Last official training was my commercial about 2 years ago so I am Sure I'm a little rusty in all sectors.

Any info is appreciated.
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Knowledge wise it's not too intense and I'm not sure they really used it much to judge the pilots much. The oral parts a bit bigger as they are trying to test your aeronautical decision making and the things you might consider on a cross country and that the best way when dealing with mountains and water is not often a straight line. A lot of pilots train in only one region of the country and aren't used to considering flying outside their geographical area. So if you learned to fly somewhere warm or flat, read up on mountains or icing.

I think they're pretty hard up for pilots this year so it shouldn't be too intense. When was your last BFR? If you haven't flown much lately it might be helpful to rent a simulator session just to get back in the habit of a few things and make yourself feel a little more comfortable, but honestly just relax, be easy going and don't stress yourself out. Expect to share a hotel room with another interviewee and one will fly first the following morning while the other takes the written/oral. I had a kid I was sharing a room with stress out big time and it was annoying as hell. He was reading his commercial written book and stayed up too late, that and trying to get a girl he knew in high school to come back to the hotel room. The next morning he was exhausted and might have been the guy that fell asleep during the written, but maybe that was another interviewee that I heard the story about.

I guess you could review things like airport markings if you really wanted to, but the distribution on the written isn't that dramatic and the best thing you can do is sleep well the night before. They will judge you a bit on your personality and how they expect you to get along so just be a bit humble and you should be fine.
 
Thanks for the gouge gents. Great help to hear from some veterans. I scheduled an IPC for tomorrow. to get current and knock the dust off. I'm in central Florida so I scheduled the flight at AA .. A little preemptive strike,..

Lots of threads providing guidance on preparing for the season has taken away some of the mystery of jumping into this job. Can't wait to get started..
 
DiveAndDrive said:
I just interviewed with Ground Imaging. The season runs October 15th through May 15th. You are provided a company credit card for aircraft expenses, hotel, and rental car. Food is on your own; no per diem. 7.25 per hour and time and a half for anything over 40 hours a week. If you work at all during a day, they will guarantee you 8 hours pay. So if you're work 7 days a week, you're guaranteed 56 hours a week; 16 of which is time and a half. You also get paid for any time over 8 hours a day. The interview was fairly straight forward. It took me 20 minutes over the phone.
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Do the math on that. It's ~15,000 a year at 8 months of work.
 
DiveAndDrive said:
I just interviewed with Ground Imaging. The season runs October 15th through May 15th. You are provided a company credit card for aircraft expenses, hotel, and rental car. Food is on your own; no per diem. 7.25 per hour and time and a half for anything over 40 hours a week. If you work at all during a day, they will guarantee you 8 hours pay. So if you're work 7 days a week, you're guaranteed 56 hours a week; 16 of which is time and a half. You also get paid for any time over 8 hours a day. The interview was fairly straight forward. It took me 20 minutes over the phone.
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So they guarantee 8 hours of pay even if you don't fly?
 
ozziecat35 said:
My boss went and bought a nice older Apache to put a camera system into solely to allow us (his 6 or 7 pilots) the opportunity to build more twin time. We can use it to fly any of our routes, but the trade-off is no pay, which when I take into account our pay (light years better then a first year (or second year) regional FO), I'm not all that upset about, since we get to choose if we want to fly it or not. Personally I plan on staying in my nice & slow assigned Cherokee 160 for my 7 or 8 hour routes and will fly the twin on the thin routes as long as I've already flown enough in the single. I also plan on doing a lot more fun flying and will be able to use it as it's available and just pay fuel and operating costs. Finally looking at some decent twin time building (I already have 100 mutli PIC, but I'll take every bit I can get!)

/brag
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ozziecat35 said:
7.25/hr? GTFO
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Well, at least it's not $0.00 per hour. :p
 
Well I got my IPC done today ..I don't know what's worse than rust, but I have it and and knocking it off was a little more Challenging than I remember.. Should be good to go for Sunday.. KDAB Is a zoo.. I'm pretty sure I witnessed a runway incursion today..
 
OK, this is the internet and I do not monitor it all day for PMs from JC. I was assuming from your PM you have an interview with Landcare but after seeing your earlier post I can't tell if it is for Landcare or AA. If you are going to Rome then my answer will make sense. Maybe if you could be just a little more specific with your question we all could be more helpful.
 
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CessnaGod said:
Hello I have a phone interview on Monday, any tips to prepare myself or wht to expect?
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I had my phone interview on 9/6 after it was done I was scheduled for the oral written and flight for Sunday 9/11. So I'm getting my hopes up. I explained that I only have my CMEL and will have my CSEL within the upcoming week and he wanted reassurance that I was persuing it and will have it done by the end of the month.

The phone interview was straight forward. I found a post from Ailine Pilot Central forums from 2011 and its was identical to the questions they asked me. Have your logbook ready and something to write on to take notes

"Emailed on sunday, got a call monday to set up an phone interview. Interviewed on thursday. Consisted of a few background and situational type questions. From what I recall, they were...
Are you willing to live out of a hotel for 7 months?
If you are under 25, do you have a credit card with a sufficient limit? (they do not cover the under 25 extra fee for rental cars)
How much IMC time do you have?
How much mountain flying do you have?
Ever been arrested, DUI, convicted of a felony?
Ever violate an FAR (even if you weren't caught, they are looking for honesty)?
Ever get burnt out or fatigued, whether flying, with school, at home, etc?
Do you have long cross country experience?
Do you have long flight planning experience?
Do you have any experience with icing?
Have you ever had an accident/incident?
Have you ever had an inflight emergency?
Situation based questions:
You are flying and experience engine roughness. You are 2 miles from an uncontrolled field, and 8 miles from your home base, what would you do?
You are flying, almost done with your shift, and you feel so fatigued and burnt out that you can't fly anymore. What do you do?

That's about all I can remember. The interview lasted maybe 10-15 minutes, pretty calm and straight forward. Mike seems like a cool guy. The imaging season last from October 15th-May15th, and that varies depending on when the leaves fall from the tree. I was told that after a phone interview, expect a call within a week or two for the face-to-face. I was also told that they get about 200-300 applicants for only about 5 slots. And they prefer low time guys so that no one will get up and leave in the middle of the season for a regional job (there is a $2500 breach of contract fee). I only have 250 TT with a Commercial MEL/SEL. Finishing a CFIA and CFII. Also have an FAA Dispatch cert. I'd be shocked if I got the job....Hope this helps. Email me if you have questions sandrich@gmail.com"
 
Rosrex7 said:
I had my phone interview on 9/6 after it was done I was scheduled for the oral written and flight for Sunday 9/11. So I'm getting my hopes up. I explained that I only have my CMEL and will have my CSEL within the upcoming week and he wanted reassurance that I was persuing it and will have it done by the end of the month.

The phone interview was straight forward. I found a post from Ailine Pilot Central forums from 2011 and its was identical to the questions they asked me. Have your logbook ready and something to write on to take notes

"Emailed on sunday, got a call monday to set up an phone interview. Interviewed on thursday. Consisted of a few background and situational type questions. From what I recall, they were...
Are you willing to live out of a hotel for 7 months?
If you are under 25, do you have a credit card with a sufficient limit? (they do not cover the under 25 extra fee for rental cars)
How much IMC time do you have?
How much mountain flying do you have?
Ever been arrested, DUI, convicted of a felony?
Ever violate an FAR (even if you weren't caught, they are looking for honesty)?
Ever get burnt out or fatigued, whether flying, with school, at home, etc?
Do you have long cross country experience?
Do you have long flight planning experience?
Do you have any experience with icing?
Have you ever had an accident/incident?
Have you ever had an inflight emergency?
Situation based questions:
You are flying and experience engine roughness. You are 2 miles from an uncontrolled field, and 8 miles from your home base, what would you do?
You are flying, almost done with your shift, and you feel so fatigued and burnt out that you can't fly anymore. What do you do?

That's about all I can remember. The interview lasted maybe 10-15 minutes, pretty calm and straight forward. Mike seems like a cool guy. The imaging season last from October 15th-May15th, and that varies depending on when the leaves fall from the tree. I was told that after a phone interview, expect a call within a week or two for the face-to-face. I was also told that they get about 200-300 applicants for only about 5 slots. And they prefer low time guys so that no one will get up and leave in the middle of the season for a regional job (there is a $2500 breach of contract fee). I only have 250 TT with a Commercial MEL/SEL. Finishing a CFIA and CFII. Also have an FAA Dispatch cert. I'd be shocked if I got the job....Hope this helps. Email me if you have questions sandrich@gmail.com"
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Helped alot! I appreciate the information. Wow 300 applications for 5 spots. I do hope you get the job, good luck
 
Completed my flight and written test. Was told they have more interviews scheduled throughout the week. Should hear something by the weekend.

Does anyone one how many slots they are trying to fill this year? I believe three people interviewed this Sunday.
 
Obviously there's a lot out there about Air America and the 1099 situation, but my situation was nothing but positive. Sure it makes taxes slightly more confusing and we probably pay a little more but keep track of everything and you can deduct a lot. I thought it was unrealistic when I heard Sherwood and other people say there was a person who saved up $30,000 for a mortgage after their first year, but after a year and a half of working there I was able to pay off $36,500 in student loans.

As for the lifestyle, I thought it was great. As other people said you get to make almost all the decisions in your day to day life, as long as it makes sense. But a lot depends on the people you get hired with, I thought everyone in my class was easy to get along with and great to be around on the road. The only time it ever really felt like a job was when you start to get close to your hours and you want to get out. Even after moving onto the airlines there are times I miss the lifestyle.

Also I thought Jake was a good chief pilot. Easy to work with for the most part. If you ever feel like he's pushy or getting mad over text just call him, he's a lot easier to work with over the phone than text. Also he'll usually work with you for time off if you really need it.

Just go in with an open mind and be easy going. Not everything will go your way but you can't control it, the company isn't out to get you. Initially you won't get it, you won't get the lifestyle or how the operation works, you'll work like its a sprint not a marathon. Everyone does. Just try to relax and enjoy the ride.
 
Cory Trevor said:
Obviously there's a lot out there about Air America and the 1099 situation, but my situation was nothing but positive. Sure it makes taxes slightly more confusing and we probably pay a little more but keep track of everything and you can deduct a lot. I thought it was unrealistic when I heard Sherwood and other people say there was a person who saved up $30,000 for a mortgage after their first year, but after a year and a half of working there I was able to pay off $36,500 in student loans.
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I agree with pretty much everything else you said, but you'll likely be singing a different tune if the IRS claims you underpaid and asks for more taxes, as has happened to at least one former AA pilot, or heaven forbid, decides to audit you. The 1099 scam worked out for me so far as well but neither of us will know for sure until 7 years after our last year at AA, when the statute of limitations for that year's taxes expires. Also the fact that an AA pilot almost certainly won't qualify for workers comp if injured while flying one of AA's poorly-maintained airplanes can't be ignored.
 
Yakob said:
I agree with pretty much everything else you said, but you'll likely be singing a different tune if the IRS claims you underpaid and asks for more taxes, as has happened to at least one former AA pilot, or heaven forbid, decides to audit you. The 1099 scam worked out for me so far as well but neither of us will know for sure until 7 years after our last year at AA, when the statute of limitations for that year's taxes expires. Also the fact that an AA pilot almost certainly won't qualify for workers comp if injured while flying one of AA's poorly-maintained airplanes can't be ignored.
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I know I'm not out of the clear until 7 years later, but honestly if anything happened it would be my own fault. I'm pretty positive everything I deducted was legitimate. Pretty much just food, rental cars, hotels, and interest from loans. I'm not sure what they'd get me for, but if they did its my own fault.
 
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