Originally Posted by
jc23
Given your situation I would bypass the Regionals. But if I had to make a run at the Regionals (which I did in 2010) I would make SkyWest my first choice, but I would consider the following before making your decision (I'm not a SkyWest or Eagle guy, was hired in 2010 at SkyWest and bailed after ground school):
- SFO SkyWest Base is a Reserve base (at least back in 2010 it was), which means you won't be spending a lot of time in SFO and when you are there you will be sitting Reserve.
- FAT SkyWest is a base and goes junior (at least back in 2010). Seems to me you won't have a problem with this, but things always change.
- Not sure how much you know about Regionals, I didn't know that much (military guy like you) but I had to bail from SkyWest after looking at the schedule and pay. The company was very professional and made a positive impression on me, just not a good fit for my situation.
-Your protected under USERA, that will help your schedule situation (drill days/AT, etc.)
I'm sure lots of Eagle & SkyWest folks will chime in with very detailed info, but at the end of the day your QOL will not be that good, but you mentioned commute time is your primary concern as well as not moving, which leads me to believe you want to build time but not leave your area of residence. For that Combination, OO would probably be a better match. Worst Case, bypass the Regionals, continue flying (assuming C-17?) Reserve and go directly to majors. Good luck.
Thanks for the info! You're right… I don't know much about regionals. When you say SFO is a reserve base what exactly does that mean? My assumption is I'll be on call for 3-5 days out of SFO, maybe a 2 hour call out?… then at the end of my "shift", I'll be back at SFO and can drive home. Is that close? Or am I way off…
Also, since it would be easy to hold a line at FAT, then I would just drive 3 hours there, do my 3-5 day trip, then drive home… correct?
I know the pay is pretty bad, but I think at 2000 hours, I'm not quite marketable for any Major. I can still fly for the reserves and build time while flying for a regional… it seems like it would be much faster that way and a source of extra income! Plus throw in a couple deployments, maybe a short tour of some sort, and my seniority will climb while I'm working for uncle sam. Not too concerned with which plane, but like you said, quality of life. Being based in either SFO, LAX, or FAT.