JohnnyG

Mind you, I'm not considering Instructing entry level, I'm speaking more of entry level jobs within the industry flying professional level hardware.

I see the job boards every day. I spend at least 3 hours a day in front of my computer on the job hunt.

I'm squeaky clean, almost have ATP mins, and I get no interest. I've never recieved a turbine job offer. I've never even recieved interest from most step-up piston jobs.

The 10 or 20 jobs posted every day on climbto350 that largely want one or two guys per job can't account for a recovery when there are tens of thousands of unemployed pilots. I've never once recieved a turbine job offer. No one owes me one, but at one point, after putting in this much effort for this many years, I'd appreciate one. I'll take anyone's industry advice. I keep irons in the fire for several different kinds of aviation.

bozobigtop

Similar to allowing politicians to operate the Titanic on its latest ocean crossing. I think I am going to sit this one out because I am trying to cut down on those ocean crossings.

bozobigtop

I think if you know someone or are you willing to move you should be fine, just hang in there.

rickair7777

Honestly in the grand scheme of things in aviation a CPL is an insurance discount card for private pilots, or an internship card for professional pilots. It really does not represent that much effort, since you can get one one in about four months starting from scratch.

Get your ATP, then apply for the most readily available jobs (135 and regional). Regionals will save you the cost of your ATP. Get some turbine experience and hopefully some TPIC, and then see where you can go.

JohnBurke

Ameriflight. Flight Express. Both hire fairly inexperienced pilots and put them in multi engine aircraft. Ameriflight transitions shortly to turbine equipment. Done.

Use all the resources. I got my first jet job from Trade A Plane, flying a Sabreliner.

I turned down a chief pilot position and then a director of maintenance position several days ago from a company to whom I didn't even send a resume. They had it, but I have no idea how they got it. The jobs are out there, severally and individually, and they're plentiful. Not ever job will be available to every person. Not every job is available to every experience level. Not every job is worth taking, but it's a cinch that at the early stages of one's career, it's usually best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I found early-on in my career that interview waiting rooms are chock full of people in cookie-cutter images, waiting to do their thing, most of whom are probably much more likely to get the job than I. Being one who believes in maximizing my potential (sometimes it's better to hunt with a shotgun), I looked for niche work that had less competition. I did ag, I did many jobs that needed maintenance experience, and a lot of utility work. Conventional gear (tailwheel) stuff. Places where the usual airline-bound crowd didn't want to go. Jobs that got my hands dirty. I seldom had trouble staying employed.

Maintenance experience is a good divisor. It separates you from the competition, much the same way some airlines and corporate departments use college degrees to weed out applicants. The difference is that a college degree doesn't have a thing to do with flying an aircraft, whereas maintenance skills can be very job-related (especially for field work). In my opinion, it's one of the best skill-sets a pilot can have.

One may not want to flight instruct, but one may feel that dropping jumpers on the weekend isn't the way to go, either. That jump job may introduce your next job, however. I know an individual with fairly low time, not yet to ATP minimums, to has a degree in aeronautical engineering and is an A&P/IA. He towed gliders at a soaring school, and taught gliding aerobatics there. Gravel runways middle of nowhere. Ten years of that, struggling. He got picked up flying large piston singles then large turbine singles, and now makes a wage comparable to most airline pilots...but he has a fraction of the total total time, and no multi. He's happy, and he's got a great job...and the skills he picked up doing the gliders became directly applicable to what he's doing now. One job lead to another, and made him uniquely qualified for the assignment. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Consider everything.

I saw a job recently for a corporate position in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's flying a Mooney. That's right...a corporate pilot in a mooney. Many might scoff at that...a single piston. Probably has outside duties. Obvious limitations. It's piston. It's single. It is what it is. But it's also an entry level position that can be the experience spring board to the next job...or it might be the job that grows into turbine equipment and makes one the stake holder in the corporate department. One never knows, but such positions do come up, and should all be considered.

More and more jobs are appearing on the job sites. Not all the job sites are the same. Some cater largely to airline pilots, or corporate pilots, and some are primarily international assignments. Not all sites do that, however, and those shouldn't be overlooked. A few of the sites are downright fraudulent, regurgitating jobs that no longer exist, sending out resumes for people who never asked them to be sent, trying to inflate their wares by making it seem like they have more jobs, more qualified people, etc. I know of one site that is a bait and switch operation in every sense of the word, and ridiculously expensive...and has a large client base hooked into their program. No shortage of willing victims.

Take everything with a grain of salt, widen the scope of the places to be considered, and take aim at all of them. Something will open up.

PeopleMover90

For those looking at this forum as a time builder, any update on the NPRM giving aviation colleges grads a break? or a waiver for those already at a 121? at my carrier, those who do not yet have the 1500 by 8/1/13 risk "losing employment," as the letter said that went out to them.

Siren

It would appear after putting guys through GS, SIM, IOE the company would want to hang on to the employee by allowing a Personal Leave for those pilots and help them find a way to build their time.

Take Mesa for example who is getting ready to recall furloughed pilots, what would be the point in bringing them back on, getting them through training, only to terminate them in August. Right now, Mesa has an obligation to bring them back per contract, but it would be in their best interest to work out something rather than termination.

All I can say, sincerely that is, Good Luck to those who find themselves in a situation lacking 1500 hrs in August.

rcfd13

You're making too much sense. This is an airline forum. The way airlines work never makes sense.

JohnnyG

I have a fair amount of multi for someone in my position.

To that, Ameriflight is not interested in hiring me. I've recieved no interview offers or other.

I've never heard of Flight Express, and this is why I talk to people and stay active. I'll look into it today.

I'm willing to move anywhere in the world. I probably wouldn't move to Kenya to fly a 172, I'm not that bad off. I'm very thankful for having the jobs I have now, simply flying and building multi. I'm just annoyed that there really doesn't seem to be a step up.

I would be interested in hearing about job postings on sites that don't just cater to corporate and airlines. Anywhere I could find out about utility or ag work or anything else would be worth looking into. I put as many hours into networking and researching my next job application as I do holding a yoke or stick.

Climbto350? I have indeed wondered if the site is fraudulent. I'm hesitant to throw any accusations out. I do find it curious that so many people who are very qualified hear nothing back from some of these places. On willflyforfood.com I got many responses back, some even to say 'no thank you'.

jochumtj

I do agree with getting another job; just outside of aviation. All of those jobs you have mentioned I have tried to get as a CFI but most of the operations are so broke they cannot even pay minimum wage. I have personal as a CFI taken a job outside the industry while building hours.