Originally Posted by
Flymeaway
Would Gojet really be a faster upgrade for me? From what I read on this site, most of the regionals are upgrading folks shortly after they get their 1000 hour 121 SIC time anyway.
Gojet also has a much higher percentage of negative comments in its thread than does either Skw or PSA. I already have about 700 TPIC time in airplanes, though it's all single engine, so I don't know if that's really going to help me as much as just getting some 121 experience, TT, and ME hours. QoL is the big thing for me right now. I'm just trying to get a feel for whether commuting with SAP would be better than living in base.
I also have one other issue...if my wife gets sent TDY for a week a couple times a year, being able to get that week off for sure to watch my kids without getting fired. Not sure what most regionals' policies are on that. I don't want to get paid for my week off, just not fired.
GoJet is still hiring direct hire captain so upgrade would be as soon as you get you 1000 sic. PSA upgrade is running at about 2-2.5 years at this point. It will take you about 18 months following OE to log 1000 121 sic. Trying to guess what the upgrade times or really anything in the aviation industry will look like in 18 months is a fools errand. The industry is just changing too fast at this point.
Commuting is (almost) never better than living in base. And commuting to reserve is its own little ring of hell.
At GoJet you will hold a line almost right away out of training and have to chance to be based in DEN at come point.(guessing 9-11 months)
At PSA you cannot use the SAP until you are a round 1 line holder. (I'm guessing 8 months in CVG, Please correct me PSA guys)
If quality of life is your primary concern then you want to find a regional that will allow you to be based where you live. Skywest, TSA, or GoJet. Of those 3 Skywest probably has the best company culture, but also the longest upgrade and longest to hold a DEN domicile.
GoJet has the fastest upgrade and probably the quickest to hold DEN
Another option for you might be PenAir. It's turboprop and the pay is pretty bad, but the upgrade is relatively quick and they have a DEN base.
As far as days off for the wifes TDY; obviously you can try to bid the days of and then try to swap the days off. With most regional its not too difficult to swap to 7 days in a row. If that doesn't work then you can always call in sick. Sick days in this industry should really be classified as personal days, and in some airlines they are.