corpjet

How long will it take to fly the 1000 hours required for upgrade? ATP license but zero 121 flt time
Thanks

corporategypsy

About 18 months after you get a line. Possibly faster if you live in base

njd1

As usual, it depends on a lot of factors.

I hit the line early this year. Did 4 months on reserve at roughly 50 hours a month, or 200 hours. I then bid min credit at 70 hours in order to get (and keep) a line. I've flown on average 60-65 hours a month despite having a line due to wx cancellations. As a result I'm figuring 15 months to get the time to upgrade.

That said, people coming here recently have not been flying as much because the FO:CA ratio isn't ideal and more people are stuck on reserve because growth is hampered by a lack of captains. I don't see anything improving in the near term as the mothership turns down flying a few notches for the winter.

I suppose the light at the end of the tunnel is that we're slated to begin contract negotiations this month. If we can sign a good contract later this year I think more people will flock here, particularly if they continue to offer the $50K DEC bonus, and that should allow growth to continue and more people to get lines.

My bag will fit

Word around town is less than 15 hours a month for FOs on reserve, and as the previous poster said, will not be improving anytime in the near future.

Excargodog

If captains are the limiting factor, perhaps captain seniority should be determined by upgrade date rather than hire date.

It would undoubtedly encourage a lot of senior FOs to move up.

round2

It’d be better to do forced upgrades like Southwest. Or something along the lines like you have 1-2 years after your seniority can hold it. At my previous employer I held off for a year to really enjoy my base seniority. It was nice being number 3 out of 120 or so. From the chief the other day he said come April a lot of guys will have time to upgrade.

Bahamasflyer

Yikes!!!!

I guess the silver lining is that I’ll be able to finish my online 4 yr degree sooner.

Not to drift off centerline too much, but can anyone give me advice about whether I should go with Thomas Edison State or Utah Valley?

Looking for which school would award me the most credit for ATP and already having a 2 yr deg. Thanks

JediCheese

There's no one eligible to upgrade that hasn't upgraded. There's no reason to not upgrade, you'll get paid more and have an equivalent schedule as long as you're not a DEC.

njd1

Not a solution and not necessary either. As someone else said earlier, every eligible FO has upgraded because there's already a huge incentive to upgrade -- the pay differential between FO and CA.

The problem is, as usual, not a shortage of pilots but a shortage of pay. Captains have little incentive to come to C5 as it's now one of the lowest paid gigs among the 121 regionals. The $50K DEC bonus is a bandaid over a gaping chest wound. The sooner management realizes this and increases pay across the board, but particularly for captains, the sooner we'll be able to attract the necessary talent.

corpjet

thanks for the info