Who knows about...

[Airdale]

...pilots getting hired to fly at airlines (or corporate, or charters as far as that goes) with only 250TT, and skiping the CFI deal?

I know it is possible and usual outside the US.
What are your inputs about this?
Who would say no to an offer like this and why?

This discussion is like walking through a zoo of uncaged Lions.

I understand your question. I remember when I had 250TT, fresh out of school and still flying on a temporary Commercial certificate. I thought the Commercial certificate was my golden ticket to a sweet paying job. Unfortunately it is not, and to the pilot right out of school, its frustrating. After you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on flight training, all you're left with are some certificates and no way to get any job except flight instructor or banner towing. Even banner towing companies want at least 500TT.

It is one of the few career fields in which after you've dumped a ton of money in to, will not give you a return for awhile. I do not think that a 250hr pilot should hold any responsibility of piloting a jet or turbo prop. Sitting next to someone else who holds the responsibility while you learn, I don't see anything wrong with that. But in the 121 environment, that right seat is a required crew member, therefore you hold a lot of responsibility.

I have 400 now, I started instructing around 240. I am a much better pilot now then I was when I first started. Still I need a few more hundred hours, but I'm having a lot of fun and of course getting better at flying and teaching. Thats just the way the industry is dude, I wish it was different.

 

[DE727UPS]

"although I'm not going to say definitively there wasn't an experiment taking place with a few guys"

I remember in 94 or so, UPS hired two guys as an experiment from the Purdue program. I guess they have a program there where guys could get a lot of 727 sim time. The two experiment guys had around 1000 total and some CFI time, as well as being Purdue grads. They both went to the 727 as F/E's. I know for sure one is a Capt at UPS today. So, I guess the experiment was successful enough. So, why didn't UPS continue to hire more Purdue guys?

Safe to say it because they don't have any problem finding guys with 1000 PIC turbine.

"Matt being the exception, but I think he was above 300"

Matt also did an intership at the company he got hired to fly Saabs at.

 

[Cool2Fly]

Im sure your joking. If not then remind me to never fly on Singapore.

Negative, Singapore Airlines is is one of the best and safest airlines in the world. Lowtime pilots get right seat jobs all the time without paying for it. If they've been trained well and commit themselves to always improving there skill, my dad flew for Singapore Airlines and with 30,000+ hrs was learning right until he retired.
In my opinion, when the sh@t hits the large A/C whether the pilot has just flightschool hours or 1000hrs instructing it's goinng to really reflect what they learned in thier sim training on that "particular A/C". Just my input, hey this a forum right?

 

[ComplexHiAv8r]

He was referring to it being N57 I believe. I won't fly anything presently with him! n57 knows why, unless I am PIC

 

[B767Driver]

I forgot to reply to this part. I probably worded my sentence poorly by saying it was a deal he could not refuse. What I meant by that was not they they were going to give him a chest filled with gold but rather, he ended up with more money in the end by stopping work at 58 instead of going another two years. Perhaps similar to the Delta pilots that recently retired early, though I'm not familiar with the details of that separate situation.

It's not my intention to flame this post...and will let it go. FWIW, the TWA pilots had a DC retirement plan that was 100% cash contribution. So he couldn't have gotten more by retiring early.

This is why 70% of all TWA FE positons were staffed by retired over age 60 pilots...because their retirement had been hit so severely. After mandatory age 60 retirement...they went back to the panel to make up for lost retirement funds.

Retiring any number of years early could substantially cut your retirement benefits. Substantially from the PBGC benefit and also from the DC plan.

You won't find too many TWA pilots taking too kindly to hearing about retiring with a sweet retirement plan.

 

[CapnJim]

Ok, I'm just going to bang out all the 6-pager topics, so we can take bets on where this one ends up!

1. PFT/PFJ, and all it iterations.

2. 250 hour jet pilots are teh s uck.

3. Anyone who takes a jet job for less than $xx is a communist.

4. Jesus made the dinosaurs.

5. President Boosh is Satan/Mother Theresa.

6. If you disagree with me you're a dangerous fool who will kill someone one day.

7. In Soviet Russia, thread creeps YOU!!

Place your bets, place your bets...

 

[SIUav8er]

2. 250 hour jet pilots are teh s uck.

hahah!