Originally Posted by
Police2Pilot
After 15 years in law enforcement (our pension is in a bad way so I've decided to pursue my dream of flying) I'm going to interview at Envoy. Im in my mid 40's so I've got to make it to a major, probably within the next 5 years, to have any chance of a livable retirement so I'm sort of pressed on time I guess. Perhaps I should just finish my LE career and then take what little pension I will have and start flying in my early 50's and just sit at a regional and build seniority and enjoy it (if a regional can be enjoyed at all?)
I've chosen Envoy because I live in the DFW area. I've read a lot of this thread but can use some help. I don't understand some of the terminology. I know there has to be something good about Envoy. As for the bad.. things are bad in every industry, every company everywhere. If you want some real negative things go check out some police forums. I have some questions for Envoy pilots and maybe they can also tell me the good things they like and why they joined the company? Or, if it really is that bad, why (and I have read a lot of this thread so I have an idea.. quality of life is a major issue). If they could work at any regional carrier which one would it be?
Are the projected reserve times still current? I saw 8 mos for CRJ at ORD, 2-3 mos for 175 at DFW, 1 year for 145 at DFW.
Although Envoy doesn't publish those numbers its a pretty well accepted fact that reserves don't extend past a year for any base/equipment. For FO's, LGA sounds like it has the shortest reserve, while DFW 175 is looking at 8 months to a year reserve. The last class was only offered 6 175s if I'm not mistaken. This could be interpreted as Envoy dialing back on 175 new hires. Less people getting hired behind you = less vertical movement on the seniority list. Same with CRJ, as the company is going to start removing CRJ's from the property, which means less people being hired into it. Only 5 CRJ positions were offered last class.
If that's not correct, which air frame has the shortest projected reserve time?
145 LGA
I don't understand the required rest periods between flights. I've heard that most regional airlines are horrible at this, so I'm guessing Envoy is no different. How is it REALLY at Envoy?
The FAA has legal limitations on required rest; most people at Envoy will complain about the 4 on, 2 off schedules that are common on the lines. If you are commuting, be prepared to spend minimal time at home before you start thinking about getting to the airport for your next trip
What are my chances of getting DFW right out of the gate? I'm not too fired up about commuting on reserve. I'll do it if need be, but not exactly my first choice.
In the past being 40 would mean getting anything you want out of training. As of late, I've been seeing the average age of the group go up to the point that 40 year olds in my class did not get their choice of base/equipment. The only DFW base offered out of training right now seems to be the 175. If you don't get it, grab a 145 and wait for the next vacancy bid (we just had one, next one might be coming around April). You should be able to transfer to the DFW 145. I might be mistaken but I believe everyone in the last class that was able to bid for their desired base (who didn't get it the first day of class) got what they wanted.
Just like everything and everyone else on this forum, take this info with a grain of salt. I'm pretty new here but all this info is based on what I have been hearing from people in class, what management has told us, and what I have read on this forum.