SwiperNoSwiping

Hey Guys, I'm hoping you can offer some advice. Here's my situation... Currently I fly a Citation Bravo, part 91 for a small company. We fly an average of 10 days/month and have an average of 2 overnights/month. The pay is 35k per year plus a Chistmas bonus. We fly 250-300 hours per year. I am logging Jet PIC.

So here's my dilemma, I have aspirations of one day working for Fed Ex or some other Major. I know that I'm not flying enough hours/year and I'd like to bring home a better paycheck. What is your opinion on my next move?

I've been persuing the fractionals, but I have low time and haven't had a callback yet. 2100TT 1300MEL 1100PIC 1200Turbine 300JetPIC. Should I
A. spend time in the fractionals then try to make the jump or B. should I apply to a regional (Comair) take a pay cut and try to go from there or C. should I just be content with what I am doing and expect that I can make the jump from the company I am with now.

I realize that by leaving where I am will require more hours on the road and a lot more flying. And I realize that I will have to spend some years working my way up. I'm ok with that, I am 27 and willing to work hard. But what will best qualify me for the future I hope to persue?

I would appreciate your honest opinions. Thanks in advance!

SkyHigh

If you are young and have time to burn I would stay until I had 1000K of Jet PIC then go to a regional. I don't think most airlines prefer flexjet types. They seem to like 121 better. The bottom line however is your contacts. You could have 1000 hours of shuttle command time and it would be useless in this market unless you had some strong contacts. The regionals offer more exposure to commuting pilots, that could help. Leaving with less than the 1000 hours of Jet pic would be a big risk. I have friends with 350 to 500 hours of 757 PIC and they can't even apply to most companies. They might as well have glider time because it is just as worthless.

SkyHigh

SwiperNoSwiping

Thank you for your advise, I appreciate it. So you think stay until I hit 1000 jet pic, then go for the regionals, then on up from there. I have to admit, it has been very tempting to leave b/c I occasionally run into or talk to guys I went to school with and they've got so much more time than I do now. And they are building seniority. I feel like I've been treading water. But I guess I have to consider the fact that I am building PIC and they are not, and my pay is not too bad. Thanks again.

p.s. To those of you who voted: I'd be interested to hear your opinion and why you chose to vote for regionals. Thanks.

SkyHigh

Jet PIC time makes all the diffrence. Regional FO time is almost worthless in this market. 1000 hours of PIC time opens many doors bedsides with the airlines. Your friends at the regionals could waste many years waiting to get into the left seat. Unless you plan to make a career in the regionals then you are in the best place. Besides it seems that the future lies in corporate anyway.


SkyHigh

SwiperNoSwiping

Again thank you. It is very reassuring to hear your advice.

Going back to what you said about contacts in your previous post...I do have a few, I did an internship at CAL, the other pilot I work with has old friends throughout the industry in all capacities, and I have one good contact at one of the fractionals. I am kind of isolated with the job I have at the moment b/c it is only a 2 pilot operation and we use a private hangar instead of an fbo (another great place to make friends). Anyway, I'll continue work on building up my contacts. Hopefully a positive attitude, hard work, and perseverance will pay off.

Thank you for answering my questions and offering great advice!

SkyHigh

Swiper

I just spoke to a Horizon Capt friend and he told me that he is still on reserve after 18 months and that he was averaging 300 hours per year. You are on par with that. Stay put.


SkyHigh

shamu

Swiper,

If you are getting 300 hrs of PIC MEJet and home most of the month...stay. Granted 35K isn't fantastic, and is about third year salary at the better regionals, but you are home and presumably able to watch Dora, Boots and Deigo help Penguino get back home with the loved ones. I'm balancing commuting to my reserve FO regional job and my reserve military job all so I can get 121 experience so that I can fly boxes around in a few years to be home more...to watch Benny and Isa with my kids...

I know that they say one man's trash is another's treasure, but I say stay and maybe ask for a little raise. If you have connections at CAL, maybe that will offset the lack of 121/135 experience. You're gonna get good time in 3-5 years - the same amount that it would take you to upgrade and get PIC at a regional.

Best of luck, enjoy the home life.

Tomcat

For what it's worth, you sound as though you have a pretty good position. You have something that many of the pilots at the regionals don't have.... connections in corporate aviation. As you probably know, good corporate jobs are difficult to find unless you're on the inside. I recommend trying to pick-up some ocassional fill in or contract flying at other companies as long as this doesn't create a conflict at your present job. Network, Network, Network....... I've flown for Raytheon Travel Air prior to being hired at Delta. With the current concessions proposal, I would have been making more with better benefits in my last position. In addition, my schedule would have been better. Fedex and UPS are still good jobs, but contract at the majors are being gutted. Many corporate operators offer solid pay and benefits, but you have to be in the right place at the right time to make it in the door.

A friend of mine is leaving Delta in his 7th year. The corporate operator he's going to will pay him close to the current narrow body captain rates with health and disability insurance, 401k that they contribute to and a pension plan. The pilot he is going to replace is retiring. The big joke on the field is that the only way pilots leave this company is in a coffin or with a gold watch. I'm talking to two diffierent corporate operators that offer a better compensation package than I have in my 6th year at Delta. These are not the average corporate jobs, but they are out there.

It appears to me that the pilot market is flooded with regional pilots with less qualifications than you..... so keep on doing what you doing and enjoy the flying. Good Luck!

IFlyFL410

Don't go to Comair. They're not hiring anyway. If you're looking for a quick upgrade for the 121 PIC, and as much as it pains me to admit it, you'll have ot go to somewhere like Chataqua/Shuttle America or Mesa or one of those type outfits. The pay is horrible among other things at those places, but with your qualifications, they would hire you very quickly. I'm a 4 year regional FO at one of the "better regionals" and still have no PIC, but my pay is decent though. Just depends on which path you choose to go down.

hope this helps.

dckozak

There is plenty of advise on other forums, Re: Fedex. To somerize, you need inside contacts who will sponser you, the more the merrier. They will know (or can find out) what is needed to get you in the door.
Now if you don't have inside help, there are two options that can help. 1) apply to the training department or corprate flight department. Either of these may work without the "inside" contact. 2) Less desireable but also a good bet, take a job working for Fedex (express not ground!) and apply as an internal. Keep in mind you must still meet Fedex's mins quals. And give your ground job either 1 or 2 years. Check http://pilot.fedex.com for info about current quals. Good luck!!