How Do I Get To Alaska?
04-27-2018 | 04:53 PM
#31
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Swimming, or drowning, depends on the day.
I have two friends who couldn't air refuel to save their lives. Never busted a check ride but they couldn't upgrade either, languishing in copilot hell.
One is at a major now and loving life. Not much air refueling in fifi or guppy.
Keep pressing on, you can make it if your record isn't spotted with failures. If you did bust evals, then hope you can get a regional gig (I'm not sure how they look at busts, I've gotta think they are slightly more accepting than the majors). And if you do, be happy with a regional gig, get that 121 experience and pass all of those evals and then see what happens when the world runs out of pilots in 4 years.
Just my thoughts. Take it for what it is worth.
One is at a major now and loving life. Not much air refueling in fifi or guppy.
Keep pressing on, you can make it if your record isn't spotted with failures. If you did bust evals, then hope you can get a regional gig (I'm not sure how they look at busts, I've gotta think they are slightly more accepting than the majors). And if you do, be happy with a regional gig, get that 121 experience and pass all of those evals and then see what happens when the world runs out of pilots in 4 years.
Just my thoughts. Take it for what it is worth.
05-01-2018 | 02:49 PM
#32
Banned
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 516
Likes: 0
Herc,
At present, I am taking my older kids to tour trade schools. The welding school reported that they had a graduate last year who made $160,000 in his first six months (20 years old). There are a lot of careers that one can choose these days that can match legacy airline wages without the huge cost in cash to become trained and educated nor the decade or two of sacrifice.
Just saying, that even the rosiest of airline outcomes is facing strong competition from fairly pedestrian careers. Pilots seem to live in a bubble. Often we don't stop to consider the opportunity cost of the lives we are choosing. Why do we put ourselves through this? 10-25 years to reach a position that can support a family is not great.
Real Estate is crushing it right now too.
Its great to encounter you again by the way.
Skyhigh
At present, I am taking my older kids to tour trade schools. The welding school reported that they had a graduate last year who made $160,000 in his first six months (20 years old). There are a lot of careers that one can choose these days that can match legacy airline wages without the huge cost in cash to become trained and educated nor the decade or two of sacrifice.
Just saying, that even the rosiest of airline outcomes is facing strong competition from fairly pedestrian careers. Pilots seem to live in a bubble. Often we don't stop to consider the opportunity cost of the lives we are choosing. Why do we put ourselves through this? 10-25 years to reach a position that can support a family is not great.
Real Estate is crushing it right now too.
Its great to encounter you again by the way.
Skyhigh
05-25-2018 | 12:03 AM
#33
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 385
Likes: 0
Reg FO to LCA: upgrade ASAP or training dept?
As a regional FO seeking to eventually become a check airman, what's the right goal: getting 1000 hours to upgrade to CA ASAP...or getting into the training department ASAP while still an FO?
You'll have no trouble with most regionals, AA regionals with flow *might* scrutinize you a bit more carefully.
If you get to keep your mil wings, then some quality time at the regionals should fix you up just fine, and you should still catch the peak of the hiring wave. If they pulled your wings it will be a little tougher, just due to perceptions.
Plan on upgrading at a regional, and try to get a check airman slot. Best way to do that is to get into the training dept ASAP as an FO (you'll want to have a clean training record at that airline too). Once in the training dept, you're known to management and will have an obvious advantage when applying for check airman and sim jobs. Regionals now tend to use FO's for ground instructors, so if you wait until you upgrade you won't have an obvious way to break into the training dept.
Other ways to stand out are to volunteer for test programs (software, etc), volunteer for union jobs or things like HIMS, run for union leadership jobs. Anything above and beyond just flying the line. You can also of course volunteer outside of the company... leadership is better of course (ie BoD for the nonprofit vice ladling soup once a week).
Expect to be at a regional 3-4 years, not 10+.
If you get to keep your mil wings, then some quality time at the regionals should fix you up just fine, and you should still catch the peak of the hiring wave. If they pulled your wings it will be a little tougher, just due to perceptions.
Plan on upgrading at a regional, and try to get a check airman slot. Best way to do that is to get into the training dept ASAP as an FO (you'll want to have a clean training record at that airline too). Once in the training dept, you're known to management and will have an obvious advantage when applying for check airman and sim jobs. Regionals now tend to use FO's for ground instructors, so if you wait until you upgrade you won't have an obvious way to break into the training dept.
Other ways to stand out are to volunteer for test programs (software, etc), volunteer for union jobs or things like HIMS, run for union leadership jobs. Anything above and beyond just flying the line. You can also of course volunteer outside of the company... leadership is better of course (ie BoD for the nonprofit vice ladling soup once a week).
Expect to be at a regional 3-4 years, not 10+.
05-25-2018 | 12:54 PM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,348
Likes: 330
No more hiring for the rest of the year, 4% expected growth this year and next. So next year expected hiring about ~100 FOs.
Do the math. If you want Alaska it won't happen this year and maybe it might happen next year. Starting 2020 then maybe the doors open more. But why wait that long? Your apps should be in at AA/DL/UA/SW/FDX/UPS/B6. You're much more likely to be picked up at one of those places and a lot sooner than you are at Alaska. I'm not speaking ill of the place, I'm strictly talking numbers.
Do the math. If you want Alaska it won't happen this year and maybe it might happen next year. Starting 2020 then maybe the doors open more. But why wait that long? Your apps should be in at AA/DL/UA/SW/FDX/UPS/B6. You're much more likely to be picked up at one of those places and a lot sooner than you are at Alaska. I'm not speaking ill of the place, I'm strictly talking numbers.
05-25-2018 | 02:24 PM
#38
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 396
Likes: 0
I have two friends who couldn't air refuel to save their lives. Never busted a check ride but they couldn't upgrade either, languishing in copilot hell.
One is at a major now and loving life. Not much air refueling in fifi or guppy.
Keep pressing on, you can make it if your record isn't spotted with failures. If you did bust evals, then hope you can get a regional gig (I'm not sure how they look at busts, I've gotta think they are slightly more accepting than the majors). And if you do, be happy with a regional gig, get that 121 experience and pass all of those evals and then see what happens when the world runs out of pilots in 4 years.
Just my thoughts. Take it for what it is worth.
One is at a major now and loving life. Not much air refueling in fifi or guppy.
Keep pressing on, you can make it if your record isn't spotted with failures. If you did bust evals, then hope you can get a regional gig (I'm not sure how they look at busts, I've gotta think they are slightly more accepting than the majors). And if you do, be happy with a regional gig, get that 121 experience and pass all of those evals and then see what happens when the world runs out of pilots in 4 years.
Just my thoughts. Take it for what it is worth.
Thank your lucky stars for the likes of the Airbus, flight directors, automation, and even HUD/HGS to aid the WDs. Fortunately, airline flying is just point to point mostly-mindless flying and ex-mil bubbas will do just fine. As the saying goes, it's hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror. With so many retirements coming up, one should be able to land a job with some perseverance.
05-25-2018 | 06:53 PM
#40
Respek
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,915
Likes: 61
Take the upgrade, if LCA happens obviously snag that asap. I asked the Alaska chief 2 years ago if I should go to the training department or continue flying and upgrade. Word for word he told me we’re interested in hiring pilots not instructors. So I opted to stay out of the training department and fly as much as I could and upgraded. As far as coming to Alaska if you get an interview and offer then take it, that’s what I did. I was over the regional lifestyle and while it’s not much better here at Alaska at the moment it’s still better. If you get an offer for something better make the choice and decide from there if you want to stay or go. Remember that you get the smallest sample on this forum of the combined airline... there’s a whole lot of problems right now that we’re trying to fix but it’s not all doom and gloom and some of this is going to take awhile to fix.
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