When it's time to move on...?

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I don't quite meet ATP mins yet, and I have an ugly 50-hour gap in night before I'd meet 135 IFR mins.

Around 1200tt, 600 Alaska / 135 PIC, 150 turbine (All 208 PIC, for what little that's worth)... bit less than 100 instrument (almost all sim inst), and ~60 multi (yay i r special). Currently flying 208s (AK) VFR year round for a scheduled 135 airline in AK, but pretty sure I don't want to go out west.

Most likely I'll stick it out here until I hit ATP, but I'm looking for a secondary exit strategy in case the wheels fall off completely before I'm at ATP mins., and I was curious if anyone had any ideas I hadn't considered.

Current "end-game" (read: until it's no longer fun) goal is SkyWest.

Leaving Alaska will break what's left of my heart, but that's life.

@Roger Roger (especially), @ppragman and @Capt. Chaos probably understand why.

Anyway, I'm not really expecting much in the way of replies to this. Just tossing it out as a "feeler", just in case someone has some idea I don't.

-Fox
 
With what's left in the season, if you bust your butt, you should be able to get danger close to ATP min...except for maybe the night requirements.

Get a CL350 account and be looking but if I were you I'd be focused on trying to log every second I could
 
Yeah, ask to relocate to SAN. I think we have a few openings. You'll get your night time pretty quick, then look to move on. I was in Noel's office earlier this week where he was looking for someone to pick up shifts and was going to send someone from MEM.
 
av8tr1 said:
Yeah, ask to relocate to SAN. I think we have a few openings. You'll get your night time pretty quick, then look to move on. I was in Noel's office earlier this week where he was looking for someone to pick up shifts and was going to send someone from MEM.
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I thought MEM was understaffed as it was??
 
esa17 said:
With what's left in the season, if you bust your butt, you should be able to get danger close to ATP min...except for maybe the night requirements.

Get a CL350 account and be looking but if I were you I'd be focused on trying to log every second I could
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Yeah ... sounds about right. That's what I'm currently doing.

Got a CL350 account... but the night part is going to be tough. I found a few more night hours (Like... two or three) when I audited my logbook last night, but there's still a big gap.

The good thing about the ATP mins is the landings part. I've got plenty of night landings. So I only need 22 hours of night for ATP mins.

Anyway, I'm working on it. We fly really short legs, so I'm only able to eke out about 84 hours a month on my current schedule. The good thing is that I'm a year-round pilot, not seasonal... so there's no specific "end date".

But I should be really close to mins by August. Will probably be trying to schedule an interview towards the end of next month, if my hours stay consistent.

NewYorkophile said:
Where do you want to live in CONUS?

Cape Air would hire you, and they're doing mountain flying out of Montana that sounds fun. Probably get your night/multi/actual numbers too.
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Cape Air was on my short list for a while, but now that I've kinda decided I want to live in the bay area again I've given myself a conundrum—it pretty much leaves only SkyWest as an option, as near as I can tell.

I don't want to go somewhere when I intend to bail. I want a company I can be somewhat loyal to. ("Loyal" is different than "Kool-aid guzzling", mind you)

-Fox
 
I thought you weren't interested in the airlines because of a lack of degree? Either way...
image.jpg
 
alaskadrifter said:
I thought you weren't interested in the airlines because of a lack of degree? Either way...
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I wasn't interested in the airlines for a long time. Now I am. I will never go to a major, because I lack a degree... but I think I want to try the 'minors' out.

-Fox
 
You could still fly a few months or part time for a drop zone somewhere and if you finished up the whole season would get ATP minimums. If working a drop zone is at all like working at a rafting camp I think it could be an awesome time, but at worst it's a way to build quick time and many drop zones seem to offer housing so you wouldn't have to worry about getting a place until you're ready for the job you want.

www.dropzone.com has a pretty decent classifieds section.
 
Acrofox said:
I don't quite meet ATP mins yet, and I have an ugly 50-hour gap in night before I'd meet 135 IFR mins.

Around 1200tt, 600 Alaska / 135 PIC, 150 turbine (All 208 PIC, for what little that's worth)... bit less than 100 instrument (almost all sim inst), and ~60 multi (yay i r special). Currently flying 208s (AK) VFR year round for a scheduled 135 airline in AK, but pretty sure I don't want to go out west.

Most likely I'll stick it out here until I hit ATP, but I'm looking for a secondary exit strategy in case the wheels fall off completely before I'm at ATP mins., and I was curious if anyone had any ideas I hadn't considered.

Current "end-game" (read: until it's no longer fun) goal is SkyWest.

Leaving Alaska will break what's left of my heart, but that's life.

@Roger Roger (especially), @ppragman and @Capt. Chaos probably understand why.

Anyway, I'm not really expecting much in the way of replies to this. Just tossing it out as a "feeler", just in case someone has some idea I don't.

-Fox
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How is 29Y working for ya? :)
 
Honestly come down to the lower 48 and upgrade here within the winter. PDX winters are great to fly in! Lots of ice and IMC. Out of the 300 hours I have accumulated 85 has been IMC. you will rack the night time up after september. Just a thought
 
Acrofox said:
I will never go to a major, because I lack a degree...
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You can change that.

Honestly, if you are coming to the regionals without the goal of moving on to a bigger airline I'd say find another route. 121 is great and all, but as a career the regional side simply doesn't pay enough for a career worth of BS.
 
milleR said:
Not to mention the questionable longevity of said plan.
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That too. I love airline flying and I can't think of anything else I'd rather do with my career. But if somebody told me this would be my last stop in the airline chain, I'd figure out a plan B and pull the trigger on that.

Regionals are a job, not a career. It's not really the job aspect of it either that makes me feel that way, really just the W2.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
That too. I love airline flying and I can't think of anything else I'd rather do with my career. But if somebody told me this would be my last stop in the airline chain, I'd figure out a plan B and pull the trigger on that.

Regionals are a job, not a career. It's not really the job aspect of it either that makes me feel that way, really just the W2.
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The lack of long-term job security was my biggest fear. Working for a sub-contractor is no way to spend a career.
 
milleR said:
The lack of long-term job security was my biggest fear. Working for a sub-contractor is no way to spend a career.
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Indeed.

I understand getting stuck here through uncontrollable situations (economy, etc). But setting out as this being your goal? Oh hell no.

Then again I'm a rather disenfranchised 7.5 year FO.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
Indeed.

I understand getting stuck here through uncontrollable situations (economy, etc). But setting out as this being your goal? Oh hell no.

Then again I'm a rather disenfranchised 7.5 year FO.
Click to expand...

We are living in very unique times for people with your particular skill set . . . just don't let the opportunity walk by without at least a handshake.
 
JDean3204 said:
How is 29Y working for ya? :)
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29's a sweetheart, honestly. Definitely quite weak compared to our other two caravans, her brakes are awful and beta is weak.. but she's docile and a joy to fly.

The 530 has go to go, however. Whoever designed the terrain on the 530 should be forced to fly with it in Alaska for a few weeks... they'll go nuts. Even with terrain inhibited, which is a pain in the butt to do every flight, the freaking thing goes off all the time... and there doesn't seem to be any way to permanently disable it aside from just turning the darn thing off.

Having radar is pretty nice for mapping.

But otherwise, yeah ... a sweet, good-natured airplane is 29.

-Fox
 
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