Just got picked up by Mokulele @ 460HR for their mainland operation. Commercial ASEL & AMEL with instrument rating.
I put in a resume online. In addition, I also procured a few phone numbers of the chief pilot, assistant chief pilot, director of training, and a check airman. I gave all of these people a call in regards to possible positions. Each person I got in contact with had varying opinions of job availability but were happy to accept a resume.
I got a call a few weeks later from the Chief Pilot (phone interview) followed by an email interview, then an offer letter. Ground training was 5 days, no pay, shared rooms provided by Mokulele. Training was pretty informal and revolved around corporate structure, 135 operations and regulations, and caravan systems. The written tests every day were hard to study for, but completely doable. Final exam was assessed a few days after training ended via the internet.
Much of the training is online, through CTS training (40-60 hours of online modules). Flight training consists of 5 flights in the caravan, and involve aircraft familiarization, commercial maneuvers, and instrument approaches. (I have yet to start or complete this portion yet).
Pay is $18,000 for FO's. Schedule is a 13 hour day with about 7-8 hours of flying. 4 days on, 4 days off. This will differ based on where you are based. We have 10 days of vacation time a year, health and dental benefits. We also get MyIDtravel benefits for family and CASS privileges. $7500 training contract lasts 1 year for first officers.
All in all, it seems pretty good for this sector of the job market. The people you will work with are down to earth and interested in helping you succeed. The entire job is designed around making first officers attractive for their next career or upgrade to captain. Mokulele is well aware of their position as stepping stone, and embraces it. There is a serious focus on CRM and two pilot crew ops, so even though its a single pilot aircraft; the experience you gain will at the very least be helpful for future training at an airline setting.
Allegedly Sky West likes Mokulele pilots due to this two pilot training they give, but at this stage in the game the regionals aren't too picky anyhow.
Yeah, $18,000 a year is tough to live on - but I feel it is a fair wage for Mokulele to basically push you through a professional training program, for you to wind up leaving to fly bigger iron in a years time.
I will update you guys as I progress.
All in All, I was very impressed with the professionalism from this operation. I felt like as a Caravan operator, the stigma of a single pilot aircraft with a two pilot crew would have left a sour taste in my mouth. However, they have really spared no expense in taking people straight off the street (more or less) and turning them into professional crew members.