Originally Posted by freightdog

Schone,

If you have close to 1200 hours TT and around 100 hours multi and you qualify for the Part 135 mins then you are eligible for a captain position on the Chieftain. In about 6 months you will have acquired enough time to upgrade to the BE99. As a captain on the PA31 you will upgrade as CAPTAIN on the BE99. You don't have to deal with sitting in the right seat (only during trasition and IOE training do you sit in the right seat). AMF does have a commercial FO program where pilots come and "pay to play" and they pay for right seat time in the 99, but for the the most part you are
single pilot. The 99, Metro, and 1900 are all flown single pilot IFR. Except when you have a commercial FO in the 99.
Getting an BUR base is not that hard, AMF always needs pilots. Plus if you don't already live in LA then most people don't want to move due to cost of living.
If you upgrade to the 99 there is a 6 month commitment, and if you upgrade to the Metro, 1900, or as an FO or CA on the Brasilia then it is a 1 year comitment. Most pilots sort of make the decision after the commitment in the 99 whether or not to stay. The pilots that I know have stayed and upgraded to the Metro or the 1900 because those are over 12,500 lb aircraft. The 99 is not. So some pilots want that 12,500 experience. However, you are right in about 1 year in the 99 you can get 1000 PIC TURBINE, it may take longer than a year, but it is better than sitting right seat at a regional for 5-7 years before even getting a taste of the left seat.