mkakhsfan

I’m in a similar situation as the OP; mid 40s, career change, current CFI flying about 400 hours a year. Current and proficient IFR, decent with the G1000.

Looking at Expeessjet b/c of their training and ORD base. Coming from only C-172/Pipers, this is my first forrey into fast a/c. Is the washout rate here similar to other companies and they will give you a few extra sims? I heard most make it though if you work hard and have a good attitude. I’ve never busted a ride and don’t want this to be the first. Thanks.

Hou757

Expressjet is known for having the best training in the industry. They will go above and beyond to help get you through as long as you are making the effort and have a positive attitude. You are pretty certain to get ORD if that is your base of choice.

Arliss

They do have good training and great instructors, and it's honestly not that hard either way. I came from basic GA and I was mostly bored during training. Had a good sim partner too. Your mileage may vary.

PhantomHawk

You need not worry. It sounds like they give unlimited sim sessions and ridiculous amounts of IOE to the “i always wanted to try it” crowd. No pilot shortage, indeed.......

J1180

What are the chances of holding Houston out of training?
Not good, but you'll get back here likely in less than a year.

How long are new hire FO's on reserve.
It completely depends on base. My fo today just got down to Iah after about 10 months in ORD. He said he didn't mind the ORD commute and he liked how quickly he gained seniority % up there. In Houston he's bottom of the barrel.. But driving to work on reserve with our work rules is not bad at all. I did it for years.

I am 56 years old pilot living in Houston and looking to make a career change. I have been a GA pilot for 17 years with just under 1500. I always regretted not following my dream into an aviation career so in the current environment I figured I should just go for it. Thus my username.
Time is ticking away. I say go for it. ExpressJet has fantastic training, great LCA , and probably the best work rule wise contract in the RJ world.

The best case for me would be to hold Houston, on reserve or holding a line. If I can't hold Houston but am holding a line somewhere else I won't mind the commute. To be honest sitting on reserve and commuting scares me a bit.

Commuting to reserve sucks, there's no way to sugar coat it. But, it's just part of the game. Again, I bet you'll be back in IAH within a year of being on property

rpatte1637

I have to say that the training department is excellent. I am in a similar situation. I am 54 and did my CTP course in the Houston training center and then went to the ASA side in Atlanta, since I live there. The instructors were the best and would work with you as long as you showed that you wanted to learn. All the pilots (8) that were in my training class were older except one. Systems class were straight forward and if you listen in class all the test were easily passed. My sim partner failed one major test and the instructors spent extra time with just him to make sure he passed the test and we moved on. I personally went through about 54 hours in the sims with training and CTP before having to go out on pilot leave due to a minor stroke, but ExpressJet has kept me on a leave of absent for the last two years, which means once the FAA approves my medical I will come back with seniority as if I never left. Even when I was not able to continue by training, our instructors worked with my sim partner one on one (one instructor instructing and one instructor working as a sim partner) until he completed his training. I know people will say a lot of bad things about ExpressJet, but it's not all bad. Best of luck.

Arliss

XJet has always been a very good company. Even more reason why what Scumwest has done to us is so infuriating.

Flogger

That will do the trick. Is an FMS part of the cockpit?

If you show up glass cockpit proficient and able to initialize/work the FMS, you will breeze thru training. Those two things are most likely to eat an older GA pilot's lunch.

Have fun!

My advice is to strongly consider someone besides XJT since their future is so unclear. There has been some good news lately for XJT, but it still looks murky.

If Houston is a big factor, then XJT is a good choice despite the shaky future. The way things are now, if XJT does go down the drain, you can always make a move somewhere else without worry.

Blackhawk

Again, based upon the GA background I would recommend XJT though I am pessimistic about our long-term future. He can always get initial 121 training here where the training is better, then move laterally as necessary.
Also, while I agree with the glass training comment (see my post above), I don't think basic stick and rudder skills can be ignored. Thus my recommendation to some training in a Mooney, preferably a modern one, learning to land on speed, on target, on the center line each and every time.

Jassbuff

Expressjet is so desperate for pilots. Apply and when they call you for the interview go. In the interview tell them you need IAH or you will go elsewhere. I almost guarantee they will give it to you.