So we shut down Comair and now ASA. Those are some good pilots. Why aren't we hiring them? Seems like everyone I'm flying with has zero PIC. Lot's of PC FOs. Who is doing the hiring? Why don't we hire pilots with more hours?

HR seems to be driving things, and it is going to bite us.

 

I think you've answered your own question in there.

 

I have friends who have been hired recently with thousands of hours of PIC and many years at regionals. Maybe you just have had bad luck?

 

As I'm sure you know, it's based off points scored during interview day. COG, JKT, HR. Add them up.

I interviewed and got a six month reinvite. I was "very close."

Maybe my stories to HR weren't good enough? I'm not sure, since there's no feedback.

I'd love to be at Delta.

4k military, 2400TPIC, instructor/evaluator, retired, at a regional now.

/shrug

 

Don't let it get you down man....some guys/gals get it the first time through and some people don't. Work at it for a second go at the six-month point and your chances are probably even better--it's a gut check and a blow to the ego for sure but character building is what it's all about. I can tell you the training isn't a piece of cake either so it's all about getting you ready for that as well. Good luck on the second go, we'll see you here!

 

Your post makes it seem like everyone we hire has no PIC time. Do we hire younger guys with little to no PIC time? Yes. I had a 24 year old in my class with no 121 PIC time, but was a captain on a metro flying single pilot at night, 135 freight.

The metroliner. The ones that back in the day, ya know back in the day it was flown with two pilots and a handful of pax. This guy was doing it by himself, at night. And then came to Delta.

We hire some young guys with no PIC time, but the vast majority of the people we hire come from regional airlines (myself included) and we did 8-12 years at a regional. Others come from low cost carriers, military, corporate, etc. We aren't hiring guys that are CFI's.

We also hire military guys who haven't flown in a crew environment. Is that going to bite us? No. We train them. We hire guys with no pic. We hire guys with a ton of PIC. Everyone is trained to the same standards. Everyone learns day in and day out at this job.

I flew with MANY Comair pilots when they shut down when I was a RJ captain. Some were good, some were very very difficult. Try teaching a guy who has been an RJ captain for 18 years that he is now a FO. That doesn't go over well. This may also shock you. Some of those long time RJ captains with a lot of hours, like flying their RJ. Some did not want to come to Delta. They didn't really have a good attitude towards Delta after Delta took that from them.

 

Even if we did, it wouldn't be unprecedented. Friend's dad just retired as a UAL 744 LCA, was hired in 1978 at 25 from his CFI gig.

 

Don't get yourself too bummed out. 6 months comes very quick. Often those negative thoughts can come up subconsciously second time around. I know it did for me. It's very common to come back and crush it the second time. I felt more like myself that round and not what I thought Delta wanted me to be.

Best advice I got was when my buddy told me to treat it like darts, you play better after your first round. Go in with that mentality, you, just more relaxed.

Hope it helps, and you'll be back in no time.

 

"Maybe you have just had bad luck"??

And a guy with zero PIC time is less of a pilot? This seems shortsighted.

 

Actually it is going to bite the entire industry. Delta's has less zero PIC new hires than UAL or AA. We will adapt, we always do.
At Delta pilot hiring is done by Pilot Selection which is inside Flight Ops, not HR.