Regional to Regional as FO??? Comments?
- Thread starter brewpilot
- Start date
Firebird2XC
Well-Known Member
ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
The idea that moving from airline to airline will require some "explaining" at your dream-job interview is a myth.
I have done more lateral job-hopping than ANY of you. (Chautauqua to AirTran BACK to Chautauqua to USAir to PSA to Comair to a Part 91 corp.)
I've never had to offer any more detailed a response then, "Based upon the (domicile, work-rules, equipment, lifestyle, __(insert reason here)__, I made the best decision I could at the time with the information available." I don't think that anyone ever looked down upon me for going back to Chautauqua, for example. (Except maybe for Polar
On the contrary, on a number of occasions people have said something to the effect of, "It must have taken guts to go back to the bottom of the list...".
The introduction of the "big" regional jet...transition jet...replacement jet... narrowbody jet... how about just "airplane"... has had the result of fewer net major airline jobs available. Everything being equal when every person who walks through the door has a CRJ/ERJ type, a few thousand hours PIC turbine, etc... there is very little to differentiate one candidate from another. There will be those among the masses who will, for no reasons other than the cruel hand of fate, be relegated to a regional airline career.
So why would you stay someplace where you are unhappy...where pay and work-rules, and lifestyle are such that you can not imagine raising a family? There is some merit to the PIC turbine argument... but once you get that magic 1000 I don't think an interviewer in the world would question your decision to better yourself.
Now don't get me wrong -- i'm not talking about going to Republic because they fly an E170 and it has engines under the wings and looks wicked cool! No, that's SJS.
I'm talking about choosing a company where a combination of domicile (or ease of commute), pay, and work rules are such that you believe you can make a career at that company if that becomes your fate.
I still know several pilots who I was hired at Chautauqua with (the first time) in 1996. They live in beautiful houses, have wonderful families, and plenty of time at home. If they never get hired by a major -- they've lost nothing.
Don't buy the hype. If you find yourself in a dead end job -- change jobs. Slavery was abolished by the 13th ammendment. I don't feel much empathy to people who gripe about their job 24/7 but are waiting for the (SWA...UPS...FedEx...JetBlue(really?)) ship to come in.
I have done more lateral job-hopping than ANY of you. (Chautauqua to AirTran BACK to Chautauqua to USAir to PSA to Comair to a Part 91 corp.)
I've never had to offer any more detailed a response then, "Based upon the (domicile, work-rules, equipment, lifestyle, __(insert reason here)__, I made the best decision I could at the time with the information available." I don't think that anyone ever looked down upon me for going back to Chautauqua, for example. (Except maybe for Polar
On the contrary, on a number of occasions people have said something to the effect of, "It must have taken guts to go back to the bottom of the list...".
The introduction of the "big" regional jet...transition jet...replacement jet... narrowbody jet... how about just "airplane"... has had the result of fewer net major airline jobs available. Everything being equal when every person who walks through the door has a CRJ/ERJ type, a few thousand hours PIC turbine, etc... there is very little to differentiate one candidate from another. There will be those among the masses who will, for no reasons other than the cruel hand of fate, be relegated to a regional airline career.
So why would you stay someplace where you are unhappy...where pay and work-rules, and lifestyle are such that you can not imagine raising a family? There is some merit to the PIC turbine argument... but once you get that magic 1000 I don't think an interviewer in the world would question your decision to better yourself.
Now don't get me wrong -- i'm not talking about going to Republic because they fly an E170 and it has engines under the wings and looks wicked cool! No, that's SJS.
I'm talking about choosing a company where a combination of domicile (or ease of commute), pay, and work rules are such that you believe you can make a career at that company if that becomes your fate.
I still know several pilots who I was hired at Chautauqua with (the first time) in 1996. They live in beautiful houses, have wonderful families, and plenty of time at home. If they never get hired by a major -- they've lost nothing.
Don't buy the hype. If you find yourself in a dead end job -- change jobs. Slavery was abolished by the 13th ammendment. I don't feel much empathy to people who gripe about their job 24/7 but are waiting for the (SWA...UPS...FedEx...JetBlue(really?)) ship to come in.
ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Best RJ joke I ever heard, by the way:
On Richmond tower (to unknown aircraft).
RIC Tower - "You're number two behind a Jetblue Embraer 190"
Unknown Aircraft - "Roger, we'll follow the RJ"
Jetblue - "This isn't an RJ."
Unknown Aircraft - "I'm sorry. I was confused by your paystub."
On Richmond tower (to unknown aircraft).
RIC Tower - "You're number two behind a Jetblue Embraer 190"
Unknown Aircraft - "Roger, we'll follow the RJ"
Jetblue - "This isn't an RJ."
Unknown Aircraft - "I'm sorry. I was confused by your paystub."
MusketeerMan
Well-Known Member
Holy cow! That's some crazy movements! So, in the long run, you glad you made all the moves you did?
Good post.
R
Roger, Roger
Guest
:rotfl:
ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Well, a few of them were as a result of furloughs -- a few were based on the info I had at the time -- at least one or two were "chicken little" moves by me.
If I had neglected to make any one of those moves my life might look entirely different today. So while it's easy to look back and say:
If I had never left Chautauqua i'd be in the top 5% of Captains...
If I had gone back to AirTran after the furlough i'd be in the top 20% of Captains...
If I had gone back to USAir after the furlough i'd be a 767 IRO...
If I had stayed at PSA i'd probably have gone back to USAir when recalled...
Those aren't the decisions I made. I'd be lying if I said that I never wondered what my life would be like if I made other choices, but at the end of the day i'm happy with where I ended up. I only wish I had found my way here 5 years earlier.
Do I ever think about flying big airplanes again? Sure. But i'm old enough to recognize that it's just a little SJS and I need to just shake it off.
The one thing I have never experienced, though, is a negative response from an interviewer regarding these decisions. They're not dumb. They know that nobody intends to be a regional lifer. Stuff happens.
If I had neglected to make any one of those moves my life might look entirely different today. So while it's easy to look back and say:
If I had never left Chautauqua i'd be in the top 5% of Captains...
If I had gone back to AirTran after the furlough i'd be in the top 20% of Captains...
If I had gone back to USAir after the furlough i'd be a 767 IRO...
If I had stayed at PSA i'd probably have gone back to USAir when recalled...
Those aren't the decisions I made. I'd be lying if I said that I never wondered what my life would be like if I made other choices, but at the end of the day i'm happy with where I ended up. I only wish I had found my way here 5 years earlier.
Do I ever think about flying big airplanes again? Sure. But i'm old enough to recognize that it's just a little SJS and I need to just shake it off.
The one thing I have never experienced, though, is a negative response from an interviewer regarding these decisions. They're not dumb. They know that nobody intends to be a regional lifer. Stuff happens.
Captain_Bob
Well-Known Member
Airdale
Well-Known Member
The idea that moving from airline to airline will require some "explaining" at your dream-job interview is a myth.
I have done more lateral job-hopping than ANY of you. (Chautauqua to AirTran BACK to Chautauqua to USAir to PSA to Comair to a Part 91 corp.)
I've never had to offer any more detailed a response then, "Based upon the (domicile, work-rules, equipment, lifestyle, __(insert reason here)__, I made the best decision I could at the time with the information available." I don't think that anyone ever looked down upon me for going back to Chautauqua, for example. (Except maybe for Polar
On the contrary, on a number of occasions people have said something to the effect of, "It must have taken guts to go back to the bottom of the list...".
The introduction of the "big" regional jet...transition jet...replacement jet... narrowbody jet... how about just "airplane"... has had the result of fewer net major airline jobs available. Everything being equal when every person who walks through the door has a CRJ/ERJ type, a few thousand hours PIC turbine, etc... there is very little to differentiate one candidate from another. There will be those among the masses who will, for no reasons other than the cruel hand of fate, be relegated to a regional airline career.
So why would you stay someplace where you are unhappy...where pay and work-rules, and lifestyle are such that you can not imagine raising a family? There is some merit to the PIC turbine argument... but once you get that magic 1000 I don't think an interviewer in the world would question your decision to better yourself.
Now don't get me wrong -- i'm not talking about going to Republic because they fly an E170 and it has engines under the wings and looks wicked cool! No, that's SJS.
I'm talking about choosing a company where a combination of domicile (or ease of commute), pay, and work rules are such that you believe you can make a career at that company if that becomes your fate.
I still know several pilots who I was hired at Chautauqua with (the first time) in 1996. They live in beautiful houses, have wonderful families, and plenty of time at home. If they never get hired by a major -- they've lost nothing.
Don't buy the hype. If you find yourself in a dead end job -- change jobs. Slavery was abolished by the 13th ammendment. I don't feel much empathy to people who gripe about their job 24/7 but are waiting for the (SWA...UPS...FedEx...JetBlue(really?)) ship to come in.
I think you are 100% correct on your post Zap. Thats exactly how I feel. If I were to end up at Regional for a career, I think RAH is where I'd like to be. Thats why I made my decision. To each his own.
MusketeerMan
Well-Known Member
Szluka??
Where did he start??
ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Off topic: does anybody else think the new US Airways paint job looks like a bowling shoe?
Buzo
Well-Known Member
I agree that the lateral move doesn't always work, but sometimes it does. I did the lateral move from Eagle to Skywest just over 3 years ago. I was a line holding CRJ FO from day one at Eagle, so QOL was good, when I moved to base it became better. After 16 months, I decided to go to Skywest. Luckily I got my home as my domicile, and I was a lineholder from day 1.
I upgraded 13 months later to the EMB, then 9 months later back to the RJ. I spent the last 1.5 years at Skywest on reserve as a captain. I went to Skywest for the PIC time, and I got lucky. It worked out. After 32 months at Skywest I was hired at NWA. Of my former Eagle classmates, I am the only one to make it to a major.
It can work, but make sure you are prepared in case it doesn't.
I upgraded 13 months later to the EMB, then 9 months later back to the RJ. I spent the last 1.5 years at Skywest on reserve as a captain. I went to Skywest for the PIC time, and I got lucky. It worked out. After 32 months at Skywest I was hired at NWA. Of my former Eagle classmates, I am the only one to make it to a major.
It can work, but make sure you are prepared in case it doesn't.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
You mean they stole the old NWA paint scheme?
ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
wow... Did you rub a bottle and receive 3 wishes from a magic genie? That's some amazing luck you had!
Captain_Bob
Well-Known Member
a little airline which does not exist any more. Here is the hint, I love those paint scheme on those saab 340tails.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Express
He left when he started seeing the writing on the wall... There should be some threads about his stressing over the decision as to whether or not to leave them... it seemed to work out for him pretty well.
Bob
Edit: Here's some JC throwback links to follow some of FlyChicaga's progression to XJT:
Flight Officer Chicago Express Airlines
ATA Regional Expansion
Got Scheduled
News
ATA to pull out of Chicago
SpiraMirabilis
Possible Subversive
I would move laterally to another regional, primarily because of pay. QOL is actually pretty good at Mesa, on the Dash-8 anyway. My only complaint is I'm on ready reserve all the time and I hate that.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Express
He left when he started seeing the writing on the wall... There should be some threads about his stressing over the decision as to whether or not to leave them... it seemed to work out for him pretty well.
IMO, Matt's situation was different than "Gee, do I leave my regional to fly a nifty jet and maybe more pay." Matt knew his airline might not exist in about a month. In fact, he was pretty darn certain of it, if I remember correctly. Punching out of a sinking ship is a different animal than making a lateral move.
