B727DRVR

Hey Dragon,

My answer would be Gama/Wheels Up, for the pay, excellent health insurance benefits, home basing, and non-jeopardy positive space travel to and from home on your 8 duty days. Unless you live in CVG, that is.... I believe that if you are trying to commute to CVG, that it must be on your days off.. adding to your 18 days at Southern Air.

See my more detailed answer on your other thread in the Part 135 Forums.

thesandbox

Is Southern a 121 outfit??? Didn't they just lower their minimums AGAIN to the lowest possible a restricted ATP or even a ATP/CTP course for instructors or something???? Must be some reason no one is going there.

Reactivity

Yes, Southern is 121. Yes, there's a reason they're scrounging for pilots.

All the same, if you're just going to treat it as a stepping stone to something else and as long as there isn't some sort of training agreement tying you to the company when better options might be calling, a 737 type with 121 time is nothing to sneeze at when the next economic downturn and hiring slowdown is on the horizon.

B727DRVR

Agreed,

But when the economy collapses, the market will be flooded with B737 typed pilots seeking employment ANYWHERE. I learned this painful lesson when my Part 121 dream world fell apart in 2008, and fractionals and 135 became lifeboats for thousands of us furloughed 121 pilots, both Legacy and Legacy Cargo. My fractional airline had furloughed UPS, UAL, AA, etc., and believe me, there were no 121's hiring during those days..

2008 really changed me.. When I was back home, I saw Main Street falling apart... Meanwhile, at work, I flew the banker/hedge fund class into Aspen, Martha's Vineyard, the Hamptons, etc., and they were totally oblivious to the carnage that was happening everywhere else. And this taught me an interesting lesson: Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, the wealthy are not going to be taking their shoes off for security nor will they be rushing to gt in the A line vs. the C line on SWA. The wealthy will always find a way to stay relatively wealthy, or even wealthier in an economic downturn. And they will find a way to avoid the airlines.

For job security, I will bet on the Wheels Up King Air/Excel/X job transporting America's 1% over any 121 job, with the DISCLAIMER that I do not work there.

Good luck with your decision: It's great to have options these days!