I would avoid an internship at any regional like so many others have alluded to here. Go to UPS or FedEx and get the good experience. Interning for a company that may not be around in another 5 years wouldn't be smart. Just look at the balance sheet of the company you want to go work for...I would think everyone would do this before running off like a pansy to the first company that nodded them in.

This industry is home to some of the biggest blind yahoos I have ever met in my life. They are blind to the fact that they may be on a sinking ship and will still try to sell you the fact that they will win the world cup one day. I'm never surprised at how little Kool-Aid it takes to make a pilot geek into a little Aryan love child.

Tread carefully and read the company's balance sheet for longevity and make your decision.

 

Thanks for all of the responses.

As far as interning at a major I understand that would be better, but I applied for several internships and ExpressJet is the only offer I have. So it is ExpressJet or no internship on my resume.

I have yet to make my final decision; I have been preoccupied with studying for the CFI checkride, but thanks again for all the different views.

 

And I think that in this competitive market where (no offense) the extra 300 or so instructing hours you get will be largely meaningless, that the internship will make a difference, whether or not XJT exists any more, and whether or not you're applying there or another regional or a major.

 

I question the wisdom of delaying graduation from an accredited university, especially with a non-aviation degree.

Flown with many who delayed their graduation, swearing they would complete it once they're at a regional......only to not complete it and regret their decision. Not saying this is the path you're on but its happened to many others.

My advice is to finish your degree without delay.

 

I will be completing my degree before I find a flying job. The internship would just not allow me to take summer classes, pushing my graduation date from December 2009 to May of 2010.

Thanks again for all the responses and different viewpoints, its appreciated.

 

exactly!! !

 

Another former xjet intern (and furloughed fo). Just to repeat what some other people have said...there are legitimate concerns about the value of an internship at a regional, and the value of an internship at a regional that is at least 2 years from hiring. However, you did say it's xjet or nothing. I would personally value an expressjet internship over your other options this summer. The value of seeing the inside of the airline, going through systems and getting in the sim with an instructor. There's boring aspects too, it's an office job shuffling papers around, so don't get too excited about the day to day work. But overall it's a valuable experience, and you'll meet people who can write valuable recommendation letters too. I can't speak for HR, but you can basically be assured they will take care of you when xjet starts hiring again. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the first couple of new hire classes were all interns. And I can tell you with certainty the only reason I even got in before they stopped classes was because I was an intern. I ended up getting furloughed, but I still worked there for a year. *edit* why aren't paragraphs preserved?

 

Just my two cents. But I would stay in school, do the internship. If you have monies for school then do it. the market sucks right now and there are few if any 121 companies hiring. I completed my degree went to two different regionals in 08 and I'm sitting on my butt furloughed. CFI work is even hard to come by. Get a minor if possible or a business degree you will definately need it as your career moves along!

 

i saw many interns in my time at XJT. Some liked it more than others, some of the pilots I flew with were former interns. As Clocks (and others) mentioned above it is mostly an office/paperwork sorta job, however everyone who does it gains a lot of experience. The training center has been slow lately (no new hires/upgrades) however that allows for you to gain more experience from the instructors who would otherwise be busy.

When I interned at UPS they hadn't hired in 3 years and it was a slow time like this that allowed me to gain valuable time/experience with otherwise busy guys with lots of knowledge to impart. UPS still isn't hiring, and I'm far from being qualified to apply, but its some good experience I've used in the mean time and may help again later....If/when they hire.

If you do the internship at XJT, make friends with the ground instructors in any spare time. They can teach you a lot, could use the office distractions, and are generally nice guys reasonably close to you in age you could hang out with locally if you are not from IAH. I am sure they would go out of their way to help you gain some valuable experience in/out of simulators and classroom. How would I know? I used to be one.......

 

I took part in the ExpressJet internship in the spring of 2008 and here is my .02 cents on it. I would highly suggest you take the internship as I would any college student who wants to join the airline industry. I worked in the Cleveland chief pilots office (naturally being that I'm a Kent Stater). The actual work wasn't all that exciting. Jepp revisions, intercepting pilots to go get drug tested, phone calls, setting up charter interviews, cleaned out cle crew room refrigerator, fixing the copier anytime a IAH bid packet came out, sometimes junior manning pilots (sucked) and obcourse going to Banjoe's . They had me go to Newark for a week to help move things from concourse C to A along with other random jobs. The main benefit is you get a full unabridged 2 week systems class on the EMB-145 ( we had two requals in our class so nothing was left out) and we took the systems test and did the first 3 FTD lessons and 2 full motion sim lessons. ( Even if you dont get a job with Express you will probably fly a ERJ or CRJ and if you can learn one jet it would make it easier to learn the other) We also got SA3 standby pass travel. ExpressJet is full of great people who are wonderful to work for and Trust me, there is so much more you can get out of it if your willing to learn. Most important thing is to be a sponge, ask questions and learn about the industry. While I was in Houston I worked with and had dinner with the manager of flight ops (technical) and I learned alot from him about the industry. He gave me the required texts (fate is the hunter, hard landing, flying the line, worst to first..the classics) but most of all from the whole experience I got to learn more about unions, and that it's about more then just strikes and the RLA, but how they help pilots and new hires and the services they provide. How important scope is ( as anyone with express knows how important that is after the spring of 08) and how contracts are more then just pay scales. Not only did I learn about the insides of how an airline works, but I came away with alot more knowledge and understanding of what it is to be an airline pilot ( for better and worst) and the responsibility every pilot has not only to the company but also to there own pilot group. Being a history minor, knowing your past is important when dealing with the future. The airline industry is taken a lot of hits since deregulation and it needs work, but it's still a good job and it's a job worth fighting for and you learning about the industry you want to be apart of is one step foreword in trying to make aviation (especially regionals) a much better place then it currently is.

Sorry for being so long winded. But It is worth your time to take the internship and overall I had a great time with Express and came away with a lot of knowledge. I hope that helps.