Thread: Boutique Air
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Old 11-01-2016 | 01:42 PM
  #1017  
thenewguyhere
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Joined: Mar 2016
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A few notes if you're trying to come to BTQ, especially DEN based:

Lately moral has taken a serious downward spiral in DEN, with even some of the brand new crews wanting out. As these things always are, it's 50% actual legitimate complaints, and 50% flight crews *****ing to each other and hyping the issues. Knowing what to expect will solve the latter part.

The schedule sucks in DEN, and will for the foreseeable future. Promises of imminent improvement by management only serve to make it seem even worse when they're not lived up to. Best policy is to come in knowing that you'll probably fly 12-17 constant duty overnight shifts per month. A lot of your days off come one at a time, and the 4 on / 3 off thing is fantasy. That way, you could only be pleasantly surprised. Some CDOs involve 12-15 hours of duty for 2-4 hours of flight time. You only get paid for flight time. BTW, they cut pay for day off flying in half if you exceed min guarantee (most crew in DEN do). No biggie, just don't fly on days off.

Seniority has no affect on scheduling, only on bidding a new base. This month, 3 senior FOs work on Thanksgiving, 3 of the most junior have it off.

There's not a lot of support for the pilot group from management, dispatch, or anyone else. Just make sure you're the type that can deal with that. Be flexible, take each day as it comes, and focus on why you're here and you'll have a great time. The routes are fun, PC12 is amazingly capable and easy. Our GOM relies heavily on crews that can make critical decisions every day. The safety, quality of life, etc is mostly a matter of attitude and expectations. I still like it here because I can manage expectations and stand my ground.

Hope that helps.
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