Air Wisconsin New Hire Questions
 

Hi,

I'll be starting class at AWAC next month and was hoping to get a few questions answered. I've looked through the other threads but that info was a little dated.

I'll be commuting from DFW and wondering what the thoughts were about commuting to PHL and DCA. There are lots of flights to both so I'm not overly concerned about that, but which base do you think would be better as far as ability to use public transportation from a crash pad to the airport? I originally thought PHL might be best but I'm starting to think more about DCA.

How about crashpad cost and availability in PHL and DCA?

Does the company positive space to and from IOE?

Is there a break between basic indoc/systems and going to the sim? I know this changes due to sim availability, but what's been happening recently?

Anything else I should be asking about? Feel free to offer any other thoughts!

Really excited about getting started - Sounds like a great company!

Congratulations, you have made a good choice.

DCA is the best base for reserve as just about every crashpad is within walking distance of the terminal. Also great access to public transportation. (Nationals Ball park is a 30 minute train ride with changes from DCA...if that

I don't know a lot about PHL but there are a few crash pads and the hotel rate is affordable.

You will get positive space to Indoc/systems and then positive space to any of the AWAC bases once you are done with systems. You will have to jumpseat from there. You can also jumpseat from MKE and avoid the extra step going to one of the bases since you are going to DFW.

There is a break after Indoc/systems with as little as 5 days to three weeks but the company has expanded their sim sites (CLT, STL, CVG...sometimes ATL)

Just bring a positive attitude, spend most of your time studying and you will have a relatively low-stress time. Indoc/sys hotel is downtown ATW and has lots of food/entertainment options so don't fret the middle of WI location.

Just looked at their website, do they really require an ATP written with one year left from expiration? Will be tough for the guys who did theirs this summer and won't be ready by July 15. AWAC going to offer a CTP course or change this requirement?

Currently no airline offers a CTP course so you have to have a current written. But AWAC is going to offer one, I don't know the timetable but I think it will be in the first quarter of next year.

What about ExpressJet?

Well bully for them...its very new so there are very few choices but every regional that wants to keep hiring is gonna have to do this. I was under the impression only UND and ERAU had something like that so far.

I dun hurd on the internet that Psa's Ctp will include a small piece of paper with the answers which you can hide on the inside of you're aviator shades during the test (aviator's not included, small scrap of paper must be returned at test completion or charged $13,000 paper rescraping fee, Psa not responsible if applicant fails due to inability to read)

Welcome to AWAC. Check your PM...

Side note ... Does anyone know how many people are in the current Indoc class? When I left ATW few weeks ago the rumor was a class so big they were going to hold the academic classes in Appleton instead of at ATW.

Thanks
 

Sorry for the delay responding, I was having problems responding to threads for some reason.

Anyway, many thanks for FODhopper and RDC034 for the info.

If anyone has any addition info about being a new hire at ZW I'd like to hear it.

Well, they pay for the space for their backup SOC... might as well use it. It's also walking distance from the hotel so you cut down on some of the transit time.

Why are you commuting, multiple hiring regionals have a Dfw base.

I certainly looked at Envoy and Mesa, but in the end the contract at Air Wisconsin and the interview sold me.

While the recruiter and interview staff did a good job presenting the company, it was really the ZW pilots that I spoke to on the way to the interview that sold me. They all had good things to say about the company.

Nobody told me it was all "unicorns and rainbows", but to a man they all thought it was a solid place to work, they have a pretty good contract and are fairly confident about future flying. They have their issues but nothing that outweighed the good things about the company.

At the end of the day AWAC sounded like a place I would like to work. There's nothing flashy or exciting about AWAC - no flow or new airplanes coming - just a solid company out there quietly doing their thing. I like that.

As far as DFW bases go the choices are Envoy or Mesa.

Envoy's future is a big question mark in my mind - even with the new contract and promise of 175's.

Mesa currently has a DFW base, but bases come and go, plus if the quick upgrades come to an end it doesn't sound like a very good place to ride out a recession or whatever other negative things come along in the next few years that could effect our business.

I hadn't intended this to be so long, but those were some of the things that went into my decision.