Originally Posted by
hoserpilot
My newhire class at Delta had only one Part 135 pilot. The rest were an even split between Regional and Military pilots. It is possible to skip the regionals BUT you have to really stand out. Your in a good spot, you have a good job. Your also getting PIC time with massive retirements coming up. You WILL be competing with RJ pilots with LOTS of 121 PIC time. These guys/gals have been stuck with no place to go since 9-11. The scariest thing I've done in my career was to leave my super seniority at a strong regional carrier and get a job with a company fresh out of bankruptcy. My ultimate goal was to be a MAJOR airline pilot, not a regional pilot. So far my choice has worked out well.
FWI I had 9000 hours and 7000 PIC, (6000 turbine PIC) when I got the job at a Major. With these numbers it was 5 weeks from when I posted my application to my interview and another 6 weeks later I was in class. Your life can change rather quickly when you've got some experience. I think I racked up 5000 of those jet PIC hours after 9-11....see what I mean about your competition????
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OR.. it could be that there weren't many pt135 guys that wanted to fly for Delta.
It's all about who you know, especially during these times. Sounds like this guy has a good thing going with the present employer. If he goes to ASA he will be at the bottom of a long long long long long regional airline pilot list. That's like entering the gates of hell. But hey! He might some day be able to bid on the CRJ-900! Seriously stay put and get some experience to be able to apply to the majors.