Envoy Pilot PBS
 

Anyone heard anything about PBS coming online?

What does the training footprint look like? Do you travel home on weekends?

Supposed to be sometime this year. From what I hear, it'll be sometime this Fall before it's fully rolled out.

1 week of indoc, 2 weeks of ground school, 2 weeks in the procedures trainer, 2 weeks in the sim, IOE. A lot of guys getting a week off between indoc and ground school.

From day 1 of indoc to your LOE is roughly 60 days on average. FO IOE is 25 hours, CA is 50 hours.

Weekends you can go home if you want but I don't recommend it unless you live locally. You're provided a hotel throughout training including weekends.

Referral bonus?
 

Back in 2017 envoy was doing a referral bonus program. Is that still a thing?

It is...

For 2023 it remains critical that we attract and add to our ranks those pilots with previous Part 121 experience who currently meet or will shortly meet the FAA minimums to become Captains. As a reminder, we are still offering a Pilot-to-Pilot Referral Bonus:

• $10,000 referral bonus for pilots >950 hours (121 Experience)
•$5,000 referral bonus for pilots >750 & <950 hours (121 Experience)
• Complete the online pilot referral form (QR Code below)
• Both the referred and referring pilot must be on company payroll at the time of payment.
• Referrals paid within 45 days of successful completion of IOE.
• There is no cap, pilots may refer as many pilots as they wish.
• Bonus will be taxed and is not eligible for 401(k) match.
• Program is only for Envoy Pilots.

At this rate, I wouldn’t even expect to see it until early 2024. AFAIK the talks were basically shelved and once everything is actually agreed upon, still quite a process before it becomes active.

100k bonus
 

Is orientation considered training in regards to the bonus being paid out on day 0, or is day 0 the day before Indoc?

Is logbook review/orientation the same thing?

No. Orientation is scheduled after the logbook review.

No. Logbook review replaces an interview if they gave you a CJO based on prior experience.

Orientation is a 1 day event to get you on payroll, seniority number set. We had a group of 65, they broke us up into 3 groups, each starting 2 weeks behind the prior group.

I was in the first group to come to actual training, which was a week after Orientation. From there they further split that into 2 groups so the SIM and CPT schedules can be set smoothly. First 1/2 stayed through, second half went home for another week, then back.

With those breaks, then the holidays, it was Nov 3 orientation, Jan 26 LOE/type ride. IOE gets scheduled from week to week, but there is apparently no lag in time for us. I start my second trip this week.

Hotels or Crashpads for commuters
 

I've been out of the commuting game for awhile. Any advice on hotels or crashpads at DFW and ORD? I'm going to be on reserve for a loooooong time and am going to have to find a place to stay that won't break the bank. Thank you!

I’m hearing basically the same thing from contacts in recruiting.

I can't give you specifics, but Envoy does give 4 hotels a month as part of the commuter clause. I would guess at DFW if you try, you'll be flying on your RSV days so won't spend too many nights beyond that in a hotel. There are some less-than-expensive hotels around the airport with transportation. I'd stick with north of DFW personally.

Plenty of crashpads to be had in ORD off the Blue Line (train). From what I hear, crashpads in DFW are few and far between due to much less convenient public transportation.

On the contrary, hotels in DFW tend to be cheaper than ORD.

How quick to get DFW?

Right now, day one, Direct Entry Captain or FO, IF they hire any.

As alway, YMMV. The truth can and does change rapidly, and without warning sometimes.

Not looking like they’re hiring? Just noticed the IF.

I believe the if referred to hiring FOs. Envoy seems to be prioritizing hiring DECs and high 121 qualifying time FOs who can upgrade quickly. No one knows when their supply will run dry and they will put 1500 hour CFI street hires in ground school again. I am in jet refresher training and met a couple pilots on the hotel van coming in for logbook reviews the other day who had been out of flying 2+ years and had prior 121 time.

Ive seen a lot of non 121 fresh new hire FOs doing observation flights recently.

I suspect they were cadets. Did you ask?

I was in DFW for Jet Refresher training a few days ago and my instructor mentioned that Envoy is still only hiring DECs, near DECs, and cadets. I met a bunch of high Part 121 and 135 time pilots in the hotel van and hotel lobby there for logbook reviews. It appears to me that Envoy’s high time pilot supply is still going strong.

Insurance requirements for decs

Do any recent DEC’s have an idea of how long it took from logbook review to get an orientation date? Tryin to figure out how to bid my March schedule…

Logbook review 9/29, orientation 11/3.

Appreciate it.

DEC's
 

Question: Are DEC's, {Direct entry captains} paid the prevailing captain rate on day one or some other starting rate during orientation, training, etc.?

My understanding is you receive your 1:1 longevity pay @ 72 hrs during training. I think reserve guarantee is 75 hrs.

I'm happily at another carrier now but Envoy called me (at time of my Envoy CJO), a 1500 hour CFI to invite me for an indoc in early March. My interview was sometime in May 2022 though. They called a buddy of mine for the same class date as well

I am happy to be wrong. No one has posted a class drop since November. I wonder how many people waited 6+ months for a class date.

Published App/CV 9 Jan, received CJO w/in 3 hours
Log Book review: 20 Jan
TJ Refresher: 4 Feb
Orientation date: 9 Mar

TJ Refresher???

The Jet Refresher Course is 3 or 4 days in an E145 simulator required for pilots who haven’t actively flown in the last year or so awarded at the discretion of the Captain’s Review Board as an additional condition of employment. Travel and hotel is provided by Envoy. The training comes with a contract to pay back $3,000 for the training if you leave within a year. Envoy is doing this to help and test non-current pilots with Part 121 time or qualifying time who can upgrade sooner. An instructor’s endorsement is required to move on, but they are just looking for basic stick and rudder skills, situational awareness, and a little bit of decision making.

Employment and pilot pay begins at Orientation.

Training pay
 

Is the Training pay still 64 hrs per month while in training? is it based off the new pay scales or is there a separate training hourly rate? Also, monthly lines last year look very different from this year. Now it seems that every line is 4 day trips across the board. Does this have to do with the 145 going away and envoy being primarily E75? Thanks!

New pay scales. It’s 64 hours a month, unless you take a CA spot on the initial bid. Then it’s 75 (I think). No clue on the trips! Sorry.

PHX base
 

Anyone have insight into what aircraft will be flying out of PHX? Wondering if it is feasible to get a DEC slot out of there in an E175.

The E145s are being slowly retired or sent to Piedmont. I think I heard by June. All new pilots are being trained on the E175 as well as current displaced E145 pilots.

Right now DFW is the most junior base and Miami is the most senior. Phoenix will be opening soon. It would make sense for it to be an E175 base since the E145s are being phased out. No one can guarantee you that a DEC can hold it since it hasn’t opened yet and the base will be awarded in seniority order. Hopefully there will be a lot of expansion in Phoenix since PSA has announced a new base in DFW to hopefully backfill as Envoy shifts more resources to Phoenix. I expect the people who know the actual numbers aren’t posting on here.

PHX
 

Thanks for the help, Ravenwing.

There are quite a few Envoy pilots commuting from the west. The base will likely be very small. Expect it to go senior because of this.

And as indicated, zero chance of it being anything besides 175.

DFW vs ORD
 

Anyone have opinions on QOL differences in DFW vs ORD? I know one point might be the lower cost of living in the DFW area, but could anyone comment on the trip quality of either base? I'm currently a cadet instructor with 900/1000 hours and would like to avoid commuting as much as possible. Thanks in advance!

DFW is three to four times the size of ORD. And it’s not in Chicago, so it has that going for it as well. De-ice a lot fewer times in DFW, but boy, when you do, it’s a $h!+ show!

DFW being larger, there is more variety of trip DESTINATIONS. LOTS of destinations many consider undesirable, but many that people like as well. One man’s trash is another’s treasure. The standard Envoy trip is four days, irrespective of base.