I would encourage anyone with a strong constitution, who can weather a storm of what Robthree has adequately described, to swing through Southern Air for a type rating, enroute to somewhere else. Each pilot is in his/her unique situation. If it works for you (temporarily), then I recommend that you give it a whirl, but don't plan to stay.

Other ACMI
 

What about Kalitta??? I hear those guys are turning the corner.:D

Dammit! I was almost qualified!

Troll? You think I'm trolling? Srsly?

Southern Air was very good to me. I can't thank Don enough for giving me the job. It was a significant pay raise from my previous gig. Which at the time was critically needed. And I certainly appreciate the four type ratings I got in five years. It was exactly where I needed to go to advance my career.

In 2010.

But 2017 is knocking on the door. My time at Southern was exceedingly difficult on my relationships with my family and friendships as well as placing a significant physical strain on me that I didn't even realize was there until it went away.

Southern is NOT a place most people want to go to. I think of it a little bit like I think of my time in the Army; I'm glad that I did it, but while I was doing it, it kinda sucked. If someone is considering it, I'm saying ask yourself Why? What is it I expect to get from Southern Air that I won't get at a RJ operator? That 777 or 737 type isn't going to get UA DL or AA to call you much if any quicker. My class was filled with RJ guys; only a couple supplemental guys made it in. FedEx and UPS aren't taking newly minted 777 FOs from SAI. The two guys I know who made it to brown had years of cargo experience. Decades, even. Places like Envoy are paying new hires $60k. RJ Captains make a lot better money than SAI FOs on either air frame, with better benefits and working conditions.

How does 100% DH pay sound? 150% open time pay? 401(k) match? Too much to even ask for at SAI during the last contract, right? That's the standard at the regionals these days. Not majors, regionals. Why take a pay cut to enjoy worse working conditions and career progression? What is the upside of Southern for any new hire?

The choice in my mind isn't what's better: UAL or SAI, there is no question. A third year FO sitting reserve on the 787 or 777 at UAL makes more than a topped out 777 CA does at SAI. The question is for a newhire at SAI is there any advantage over being a newhire at an RJ operator?

And there are a few good reasons to consider SAI instead of the first RJ operator that calls. #1) By a very wide margin, if you live in or near CVG. Living in base is worth a he11 of a lot. Not worth giving up a seat at a major, but maybe it beats the pay and benefits advantage of commuting to a regional. Depending on other factors. #2) The type. 737 types aren't nothing. 777 types are shiny, but the 737 type is probably more valuable on a resume. Maybe its worth 6 months of your time. Get in, get the type and some time, and get out. You don't have to have it. But it does have value. #3) If you are not entangled with relationships, or if your relationships are accustomed to the military life already, its a heck of a lot easier to take than if you haven't lived this life before.

The short answer to the question "Should I work at Southern?" is "No."
The long answer is "Probably not, unless you have unusual needs or circumstances, and even then you'd probably do just as well, if not better, somewhere else."

I for one really appreciated this post. I'm brand new at a regional now and am furiously plotting my path to brown/purple. Thanks for the insight.

Yeah. No. Robthree speaks truth about SAI. Pretty much always.

I think you misread that post.

8

centurion pilots stop flying
 

centurion cargo pilots stopped flying today 12/6/2016,after giving the owner more than a year to pay overtime money since dec 2015 and been behind on guaranteed up to almost 3 months at a time and using skylease as his tool to weaken centurion a teamsters represented company to the point of having only 1 airplane and sky lease 4 747s and 2 md11s.

You know, I had an interview with SAC earlier last year. I had not even gotten to my car before they called and said, "thank, but no thanks". I wonder what I did wrong?


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Who knows? Now they can't get anyone without criminal convictions to accept an interview. A possible exception would be someone who has had no contact with the civilized world for several years, and has no idea what Southern Air is all about. Apply again, they are desperate.

I wish I could of read this way before going to work for SAI, stayed there 13 months... i had very hard time trying to adjust to the working hours, with family at the time, was very very hard to commute to CVG... end up with no life. so I quit with not even having any job on my line, lasted 2 weeks being at home before getting pick up at my local regional..

thank you Rob for you great post.