Most junior NYC MD88 captain...

I just don't understand the arrogance in this thread... There are A LOT of us that are "stuck" despite our efforts. I wish it was as easy as saying "Ok, time for the next step!".

I've been flying for over twelve years and have every box checked. I've never failed a checkride, I have a degree from one of the best schools in the US, I have internal recs at every legacy, I volunteer, etc.

But all I can get from the top hiring folks is "Yep, that's great! Keep doing what you're doing, you'll get a call!". But I'm not getting the call... At some point I'm probably going to have to come to terms with staying where I'm at. It's not always that easy to move on folks.
 
ASpilot2be said:
That's a volleyball. Get your balls straight.
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Maximillian_Jenius said:
Really???

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Damn Fiddy.......

You-Got-Served-movie-poster1.jpg
 
GypsyPilot said:
I just don't understand the arrogance in this thread... There are A LOT of us that are "stuck" despite our efforts. I wish it was as easy as saying "Ok, time for the next step!".

I've been flying for over twelve years and have every box checked. I've never failed a checkride, I have a degree from one of the best schools in the US, I have internal recs at every legacy, I volunteer, etc.

But all I can get from the top hiring folks is "Yep, that's great! Keep doing what you're doing, you'll get a call!". But I'm not getting the call... At some point I'm probably going to have to come to terms with staying where I'm at. It's not always that easy to move on folks.
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So what are you doing differently in 2016 than you did in 2015?

Change it up a little. Become a check airman. Seek a leadership position. Actively volunteer. Network your ass off. Run out of business cards, monthly.

I have a friend that was at a career fair recently and he talked about how when a 10,000 hour regional captain has a resume with simply a flight time matrix, a little bit about education and whose only hobby is "Flying. Skiing." and whose entire volunteer section just says: "OBAP Member. WIA Member. NGPA Member", and has a tired, dejected attitude it was really hard to see the hunger. He wanted something to run with in order to find out about the pilots personality because the hallways were littered with people that had the commercial, the instrument, OMG this one has INSTRUMENT TIME! WOo! And that hard to find FCC Restricted Radiotelephone License. :)

What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Besides AirlineApps and career fair or two, what have you done today?
 
Derg said:
So what are you doing differently in 2016 than you did in 2015?

Change it up a little. Become a check airman. Seek a leadership position. Actively volunteer. Network your ass off. Run out of business cards, monthly.
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I am Doug. Hoping this is the year... Just got back from NGPA.
 
GypsyPilot said:
I am Doug. Hoping this is the year... Just got back from NGPA.
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Good. I trust you hunted for networking opportunities other than the actual career fair? The Village tavern, I hear, was a hotbed of networking opportunities. Some of the recruiters were on hand that would dole out some "unofficial" guidance and some "do's and don'ts" in career fair success. One guy, I was told, that couldn't get a 'fast pass' helped someone they thought was just a secretary tear down their display and it was apparently one of the managers of pilot selection that talked to him for a bit, took his resume and processed it as if he had showed up at the actual fair.
 
Derg said:
Good. I trust you hunted for networking opportunities other than the actual career fair? The Village tavern, I hear, was a hotbed of networking opportunities. Some of the recruiters were on hand that would dole out some "unofficial" guidance and some "do's and don'ts" in career fair success. One guy, I was told, that couldn't get a 'fast pass' helped someone they thought was just a secretary tear down their display and it was apparently one of the managers of pilot selection that talked to him for a bit, took his resume and processed it as if he had showed up at the actual fair.
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It was the Village PUB, Doug. :def:
 
Derg said:
So what are you doing differently in 2016 than you did in 2015?

Change it up a little. Become a check airman. Seek a leadership position. Actively volunteer. Network your ass off. Run out of business cards, monthly.
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Sometimes there isn't a way to add any leadership positions, I went to the United ALPA event and got to meet with and talk to the head person over hiring. Looking at my resume he comment that it looked great and I checked all the box that I could, but I needed a little more to get the call and he would like me to add some extra responsibilities within the company. As a FO at Eagle there wasn't any leadership roles available to me Eagle is a very CA centered airline. I asked him if leaving Eagle to get PIC time would be a good move and he said United values loyalty over PIC time.
 
Gonzo said:
Sometimes there isn't a way to add any leadership positions, I went to the United ALPA event and got to meet with and talk to the head person over hiring. Looking at my resume he comment that it looked great and I checked all the box that I could, but I needed a little more to get the call and he would like me to add some extra responsibilities within the company. As a FO at Eagle there wasn't any leadership roles available to me Eagle is a very CA centered airline. I asked him if leaving Eagle to get PIC time would be a good move and he said United values loyalty over PIC time.
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How about leadership positions within the community?
 
Kingairer said:
Depends on length of service. I believe it's year 7 or so where the pay rates are higher on the bus. Either way it's pretty close.
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Yea I should have said I was talking mostly about second year guys. Used to be you could slide right into a line on the bus after a year as a 190 fo or you could bid 190 captain and be on reserve. However, all the guys who have hit a year for around the last 6 months are still deep on reserve on the bus in all the bases. So the argument that you could fly 90 hours in the bus and make almost as much as a 190 captain on reserve is no longer valid. Third year is a different story. Only $7-8 more an hour, but could probably hold a line around the same time.
 
I think there is a very big difference between being stuck and making an active decision to pass on all future opportunity. I don't believe anyone here is insensitive to the to guys who are actively applying and haven't gotten a call yet. The guys that I question are in their early 30's and have made a decision to pass. But as others have pointed out, they're probably not who I want to work with anyway.
 
Derg said:
So what are you doing differently in 2016 than you did in 2015?

Change it up a little. Become a check airman. Seek a leadership position. Actively volunteer. Network your ass off. Run out of business cards, monthly.

I have a friend that was at a career fair recently and he talked about how when a 10,000 hour regional captain has a resume with simply a flight time matrix, a little bit about education and whose only hobby is "Flying. Skiing." and whose entire volunteer section just says: "OBAP Member. WIA Member. NGPA Member", and has a tired, dejected attitude it was really hard to see the hunger. He wanted something to run with in order to find out about the pilots personality because the hallways were littered with people that had the commercial, the instrument, OMG this one has INSTRUMENT TIME! WOo! And that hard to find FCC Restricted Radiotelephone License. :)

What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Besides AirlineApps and career fair or two, what have you done today?
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I hear ya man, and I'm doing my best to hustle. Over the past year that has lead lead to some great networking opportunities, and my internal recs for all three legacies have gone up big time over the past year. I have a very strong, diverse resume and have several unique factors in my background that set me apart (in a good way) from the crowd.

The point is, there is still some luck/timing involved here that's not always within our control, but it doesn't mean I'm slacking and drinking RJ koolaid. This isn't meant to be a "woe is me" post, just that sometimes we're stuck for awhile despite our best efforts. I'm looking forward to seeking other opportunities to continue moving forward this year, so I agree your recommendations are sound.
 
Gonzo said:
Sometimes there isn't a way to add any leadership positions, I went to the United ALPA event and got to meet with and talk to the head person over hiring. Looking at my resume he comment that it looked great and I checked all the box that I could, but I needed a little more to get the call and he would like me to add some extra responsibilities within the company. As a FO at Eagle there wasn't any leadership roles available to me Eagle is a very CA centered airline. I asked him if leaving Eagle to get PIC time would be a good move and he said United values loyalty over PIC time.
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Seek it. Create your own. "Sorry Eisenhower, there just wasn't a way over the sea wall and the Germans were just so… mean! We'll just sit it out on the beach." :)

Everyone likes an exceptional candidate. Leadership can be within the company, within your community, within the union or even something as simple as highlighting past achievements like being a former Eagle Scout.

It's not a numbers game on this level.
 
mastermags said:
My buddy's brother bid down from E190 Capt to 320 FO for more money, more time off.
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I can see bidding down to get a little better seniority and more variety of trips. However, more money is not true. Third year pay is $8/hr more and 4th is $6 more as a 190 captain. My 190 captain seat lock is almost up and I have no problem getting as many hours as I want each month. Not to mention there is plenty of premium pay for 190 captains.
 
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