SeaPort Airlines.....

[ScorpionStinger]

From my understanding not all 135 pilots are using it as a time builder to go to 121 and there aren't lots of 135 carriers that even need FO's....especially with wet commercial certs. or low hours like 500. Most of these 135's want just under 121 mins (and above rATP mins).

Just doesn't make sense for a company to do that, especially a pilot to do that...imo.

Ok "All" is an absolute, so of course not all, high majority. Where do u think Seaport & gang lose pilots too corportate? The "Captains are hoping over to Pt 121 Regionals. Ok the small percentage that become "lifers" at Pt 135 is due to DUI, Medical, Age, Family (relocation comforts/QOL, hate for 121 schedule)..

The above senario i gave for the Bridge Program would work great for those who do NOT want to Instruct, or spend borrowed money on (CFI/CFII/MEI).

Pt 135 can fill 2nd seat with FO (who builds hrs & operational experiences. When they meet IFR Pt135 mins, become PIC with real life experiences).

Pt 135 will not win the competion for Pilots when Regionals are thirsty, and when the potential for a 20 to 30+yrs career at a Major Carrier now seems possible.

 

[tcco94]

Ok "All" is an absolute, so of course not all, high majority. Where do u think Seaport & gang lose pilots too corportate? The "Captains are hoping over to Pt 121 Regionals. Ok the small percentage that become "lifers" at Pt 135 is due to DUI, Medical, Age, Family (relocation comforts/QOL, hate for 121 schedule)..

The above senario i gave for the Bridge Program would work great for those who do NOT want to Instruct, or spend borrowed money on (CFI/CFII/MEI).

Pt 135 can fill 2nd seat with FO (who builds hrs & operational experiences. When they meet IFR Pt135 mins, become PIC with real life experiences).

Pt 135 will not win the competion for Pilots when Regionals are thirsty, and when the potential for a 20 to 30+yrs career at a Major Carrier now seems possible.

I agree with your scenario. Don't get me wrong or anything. I'd definitely be on board to fly 135 till I meet rATP mins, but lots of 135's won't glance at my resume regardless of my qualifications and degree because I have a wet multi-commercial. I've read it's due to experience and I've also read it's due to insurance policies.

If more 135's that required FO's would have their mins set to commercial pilot then I could see something like bridge programs working if it was bringing a steady flow of pilots to 135's and regionals (wasn't arguing that 135's could compete against 121 pay and life). I know many on here say put the app in even if you aren't at the 500 hours and some have got calls and some haven't.

I've got two colleagues as dispatchers at Seaport and he keeps bugging me to get my app in. He talks about their shortage of pilots every time we talk. I already planned to go the CFI route in a month so I decided to back out of my application process and debating on whether or not to continue with it once I'm done with CFI/CFII in Sept. based on this thread. That's all the update I have on people who are wondering about their shortage of pilots. From the sounds on the dispatcher side, they sound pretty desperate.

 

[ctab5060X]

If regionals paid FO's $40K there would still be hiring issues at Part 135 operations... So pick your poison if your a Pt 135 operator.

Only thing to solve that is a Part 135 bridge program (pathway to Regional carrier) .

Remember... it's not always about pay.

$40k on a 6/1 schedule that flies ~110 hours a month and your treated like crap at times? Yeah... no thanks.


Bridge program??

hehe

If you only knew...

 

[ctab5060X]

Ok the small percentage that become "lifers" at Pt 135 is due to DUI, Medical, Age, Family (relocation comforts/QOL, hate for 121 schedule)..

Throw in a violation or two and you might be on to something.

 

[jwp_145]

Throw in a violation or two and you might be on to something.

Depends on the 135 carrier... I'm sure that there are some out there that would provide a person the quality of life/salary/treatment that he/she desires to be content in life.
But for the life of me I can't understand why someone is flying around a piston twin with callsign Bemidgi in the middle of the Minnesota winter unless there are very extenuating circumstances...dui/cert violations, etc.

 

[Roger Roger]

Depends on the 135 carrier... I'm sure that there are some out there that would provide a person the quality of life/salary/treatment that he/she desires to be content in life.
But for the life of me I can't understand why someone is flying around a piston twin with callsign Bemidgi in the middle of the Minnesota winter unless there are very extenuating circumstances...dui/cert violations, etc.

Oh how quickly we forget how good any port (even a queen air in the dead of Midwest winter) looks during a time like 2008-2012ish.

 

[Stryker172]

Without getting into specifics I can tell you guys SeaPort is not a good place to go. It used to be great, now its not. If youre thinking about applying I strongly urge you to reconsider and think about other options.

 

[CloudNine]

I agree with your scenario. Don't get me wrong or anything. I'd definitely be on board to fly 135 till I meet rATP mins, but lots of 135's won't glance at my resume regardless of my qualifications and degree because I have a wet multi-commercial. I've read it's due to experience and I've also read it's due to insurance policies.

If more 135's that required FO's would have their mins set to commercial pilot then I could see something like bridge programs working if it was bringing a steady flow of pilots to 135's and regionals (wasn't arguing that 135's could compete against 121 pay and life). I know many on here say put the app in even if you aren't at the 500 hours and some have got calls and some haven't.

I've got two colleagues as dispatchers at Seaport and he keeps bugging me to get my app in. He talks about their shortage of pilots every time we talk. I already planned to go the CFI route in a month so I decided to back out of my application process and debating on whether or not to continue with it once I'm done with CFI/CFII in Sept. based on this thread. That's all the update I have on people who are wondering about their shortage of pilots. From the sounds on the dispatcher side, they sound pretty desperate.

I'm sure you will EVENTUALLY get the job.

But I am in the exact same boat as you, going the instructor route after a good solid attempt at entering the job market.
if only these 135 carriers would harness the desperation of the newly minted commercial pilot, they could staff employees that might stick around for more than a year. Instead they wait till we've got some experience under our belt, but with that comes many options. And the ATP is much closer than before.
On another note , it's truly a conundrum how BRAND NEW pilots teach BRAND SPANKING NEW pilots for what, 5 months ? before moving on. The instructor position should be the harder one to get than the 135 SIC which is more like an apprenticeshIp . Instead we have in some cases, the blind leading the blind ; or investing all this time, money and effort to become the educators only to bounce in a few short months , when insurance is finnaly satisfied. I know DPE's that cringe at this aspect of pilot certification.
Enough with my rant though. Gotta stay optimistic regardless.

 

[ctab5060X]

if only these 135 carriers would harness the desperation of the newly minted commercial pilot, they could staff employees that might stick around for more than a year.

Thanks for the laugh.

Go fly 100+ hours a month on a crappy 5/2 or 6/1 schedule with plenty of scheduled reduced rest overnights.

Then tell me you'll stick around for more than a year.

There is a reason you hear major airline pilots talking about bidding whatever gives them the best money AND quality of life.

I know you're eager, just don't be so desperate that you would be willing to put your career at risk just for a job.

 

[H46Bubba]

Thanks for the laugh.

Go fly 100+ hours a month on a crappy 5/2 or 6/1 schedule with plenty of scheduled reduced rest overnights.

Then tell me you'll stick around for more than a year.

There is a reason you hear major airline pilots talking about bidding whatever gives them the best money AND quality of life.

I know you're eager, just don't be so desperate that you would be willing to put your career at risk just for a job.

MMMTO!

 

[ctab5060X]

MMMTO!

I unliked this so I could like it again!

 

[tcco94]

On another note , it's truly a conundrum how BRAND NEW pilots teach BRAND SPANKING NEW pilots for what, 5 months ? before moving on. The instructor position should be the harder one to get than the 135 SIC which is more like an apprenticeshIp . Instead we have in some cases, the blind leading the blind ; or investing all this time, money and effort to become the educators only to bounce in a few short months , when insurance is finnaly satisfied. I know DPE's that cringe at this aspect of pilot certification.
Enough with my rant though. Gotta stay optimistic regardless.

It's ironic that new pilots teach new pilot but I find it much more relaxing for myself to do the CFI route and learn more about flying through teaching then going to sit in a left seat somewhere. Regardless of the career paths we take, stay positive and take what you can out of everything as a learning experience. The second I started regretting stuff or hating things then my whole entire life just got worse.

 

[Tram]

If all you want to look at is pay, then it might be bad. Look at the total compensation package. QoL can go a long way.

Sure, QOL means something, but when you can't afford to live, what good is QOL..

$40K a year to sit left seat in anything is atrocious.

 

[jwp_145]

Oh how quickly we forget how good any port (even a queen air in the dead of Midwest winter) looks during a time like 2008-2012ish.

Im not knocking the job... before I got hired at COlgan I was washing dishes at a BBQ joint to keep the bills paid. I just can't imagine 135 cargo in Minnesota being anything other than difficult and freezing cold work.

 

[Inverted]

Sure, QOL means something, but when you can't afford to live, what good is QOL..

$40K a year to sit left seat in anything is atrocious.

What he means is, if you are gonna take a job where you can make 40k and have 10-12 days off a month, versus 40k and you get 6-8 days off a month. QOL is HUGE.

 

[Tram]

What he means is, if you are gonna take a job where you can make 40k and have 10-12 days off a month, versus 40k and you get 6-8 days off a month. QOL is HUGE.

Yeh, I know. Doesn't change the atrocity level of the pay.

 

[Inverted]

Yeh, I know. Doesn't change the atrocity level of the pay.

Never said it did. Welcome to the world of entry level aviation jobs...

 

[Tram]

Never said it did. Welcome to the world of entry level aviation jobs...

I didn't say you did..

Why do I feel like I'm in this skit?

 

[av8tr1]

So let me make sure I got this straight.

1. Some of our aircraft autopilots aren't working at the moment so that makes the company a horrible place?
2. Supposedly one of our employees made a mistake that had nothing to do with the company (Mind you I am not defending the practice of driving while drunk, that is a major issue) but somehow that makes the company a horrible place to work.
3. We are in need of pilots like everyone else in the industry so that makes us a horrible place to work.
4. We are so short of pilots we are having to cancel flights (yet still pay our pilots for the flight they didn't fly!) and that makes us a horrible place to fly.
4. We give low time pilots their first real opportunity to fly professionally outside of the airport pattern but that makes us a horrible place?
5. We don't move at warp 5 for hiring and training said pilots so that makes us a horrible place to work.
6. We only fly single engine aircraft so that makes us a horrible place to fly.
7. We fly our pilots somewhere between 80-116 hours a month so that makes us a horrible place to work for

What other stupid crap was mentioned here.....

Here's the real deal. We don't have a pilot here with a DUI, our insurance doesn't allow it. We don't have anyone with criminal history, they couldn't pass the background check to work at the airport. We are desperate for pilots, but so is everyone else in the industry.

SeaPort isn't perfect but it does have a management team that cares about its employees. Our Chief Pilot is the best manager I have ever had (I'm 44 years old started flying in the early 90s so I have had a lot of bosses to know the good from the bad). He actually cares about his pilots and goes out of his way to support them and make sure they have all they need to do the job. Yes even the two knuckle heads who geared up one of our PC12s. Our CP did everything he could to support those two who did everything they could to get fired.

We have a great program and opportunity for new pilots who don't have 1500 hours. We pay better than a CFI job would. And we have a lot of great stuff in the works.

We are buying another airline (possibly two), our owner is negotiating to buy another company that will bring twin engine jets with seating capacity over 20 passengers to our fleet (yes there may be SeaPort flight attendant openings by the end of the year), we have a flow through agreement starting soon where our pilots will be able to move on to bigger and better things in the future (and no I can't tell you who it is yet), and we are expanding our route system.

But if a few pilots want to get on here and whine about the fact that they actually have to do the job they get paid to do (you know actually fly planes instead of letting the computer do it for our 1 or 2 hour flights). Put on your big boy pants and try to get some perspective. Ground school gives you all the info you need to fly legally here. You won't be fired for following the rules. And even then we have a great ASAP safety program with FAA that has allowed pilots in the past to make mistakes that elsewhere would be a certificate action but here is a training opportunity and continued opportunity to fly the line. There are very few 135 operators who have that sort of arrangement.

It blows my mind that we have pilots here who are actually complaining that they "have to fly so much" You're not flying over 120 hours in a month. Our pilots actually have it pretty good. And guess what. They are FLYING. If I ever get to the point where I am complaining about my job flying just go ahead and put a fork in me, I am done. Go get a real job and spend 180 hours a week in a cubicle filling out WENIS reports, then come tell me your flying job sucks.

I am a pilot at SeaPort. I love my job, I love the people I work with. I am respected and welcomed here. Its a great friendly supported environment to work in. I am excited to get up every morning and go into the office so much that I find other opportunities to do it. I've never had a job like that. I am not a snot nose little kid fresh out of a 141 flight school drinking the coolaid. When most of you were still a glint in your daddy's eye I was flying a helicopter in the Army during the 1st Gulf War. So I've been around a bit.

SeaPort is a great place to work. We aren't perfect but you'll be hard pressed to find a better outfit at this level to work for.

 

[ctab5060X]

Stop drinking the koolaid.

Your career will thank you.

If things are so rosy there, why are captains bailing out left and right for better airlines?

I don't think SeaPort is a "horrible place to work", however, new hires should be made aware of what they are getting into. Especially with the 1 year training contract just about forcing them to give a years service to the airline.

Listen to the ones who have already walked a mile in the shoes you just put on.