kfahmi

I'm brand-new here, and know very little about 121 ops, so please be nice Just interviewed at Skywest and was told to expect an offer next week with my choice of airplane. My questions:

If you were a new-hire at Skywest, and you lived in SFO (and had no desire to move), and had the choice of the Bro with the SFO base and the CRJ with an MSP base, what would you take?

I'd really really rather fly the jet, but the idea of commuting to MSP to sit on reserve seems like a terrible idea. So I guess my questions are:

• Do the majors care whether your turbine time is turbojet or turboprop?

• At Skywest right now, how long are the upgrade times on the Bro vs. the CRJ?

• Similarly, how long are guys sitting reserve on the Bro before getting a line, vs. sitting reserve on the CRJ?

And finally, I have some family circumstances that will probably prevent me from starting training until September or so. Is that generally a problem, or not a big deal?

Thanks... from a noob

kfahmi

And one more question:

• If I did take the jet at MSP, and sit reserve there, any idea how long guys are waiting before they can change bases? How long is the wait to get the SFO base on the jet at Skywest?

Thank you kindly

rightside02

Take the bro..... You can get a feel for the life and always transfer to the jet at a later point when allowed to do so. Commuting to MsP versus living in base isn't worth the jet in my opinion.

wrxpilot

No question about it, take the Brasilia. Commuting vs. working in base? Absolutely no question about it. Plus it's a very fun plane to fly (and you'll make more money).

Seminole00

if you live in SFO you can easily get SFO out of training on the bro.

TallFlyer

Take the job and take the Bro. Regionals living in base is a cake job.

kfahmi

Wow, I hadn't expected the answers to be so unanimous. But if my goal is to move to the majors eventually (I have 5000 TT but a paltry 12 turbine hours), is turbojet time seen as more valuable than turboprop time? Or, since I'm presuming the Bro has a faster upgrade time so I can earn TPIC, is the TPIC time the most important thing to get?

The idea of being able to drive to my base in 30 minutes, vs. commute all day across the country and live in a crashpad on reserve, is pretty darn appealing, I have to say...

USMCFLYR

k -
Don't let the SJS bite you in a way that ruins the experience.
It seems you know the pain of commuting but still consider it because of the jet.

You have a long career ahead of you if you keep at it, and according to nearly every airline pilot on this site (never say always or never ), commuting is one of the most stressful and discouraging parts of the job.

Did you really come on the forum to get advice or to hopefully validate your decision?

ClarenceOver

Do you want 10 years of living at home and enjoying your days off or 10 years of commuting? The majors aren't going to call anytime soon dude.

kfahmi

Honestly, to get advice. I've been a Part 91 instructor all my flying career, and know very little about the 121 world.

The idea of commuting to, say, LAX wouldn't bother me. But SFO--MSP...that's one heck of a long haul.

I just want to make the decision that'll make me more attractive to the majors, eventually. I have no idea whether they value turboprop time equally with turbojet time.