RI830

EAS drivers are qual'd on two types. Typically is Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 or KA 350 and KA 90. There is some mixing between the KA's, Phenom's and CJ.

I personally now fly the Legacy, Phenom 300, KA C90 and a Cirrus for my job. I am paid per the highest salary for the largest airframe, so that we get a bit extra for the extra load. We are about to reduce to 3 airframes per person. I find that I will always maintain professional proficiency in all jets (2 is my max) and a competent efficiency in turboprops or else. Meaning, I will have all limitations, memory items and systems knowledge in my feeble noggin. For the tp's and recips....i will know basic knowledge and how to unscrew what has happened when needed.

On the per diem vs company card. You ask 10 people this question and you're likely to get 13 answers.
From my experience of both sides, guys on a per diem will start hoarding the per diem money and haul lunch boxes or eat crap. Some won't, but they aren't the majority.
As for the company card, yes...you have the 15,15,30 limits, but 90% of the time you don't have a problem unless you buy booze, you like to eat like a king or are in NYC.
I have always defended the "You can't always eat for the 15,15,30 limits in all cities". When you out of the US or major metro cities (NYC type places) you can't always eat on that budget.

On the pay scale issue. EAS has given raises every year for as long as I have known. When you don't have a set pay scale, this gives the freedom to give more when they have more to give. If you set a defined raise schedule, you will only get what the schedule allows.
The set pay scale only allows one to know or plan on what he will make down range.

Would this set pay scale make a difference in your desire or lack there of to stay at EAS?

bye727

EAS Facts...

1. 10:5 schedule requires 18 months employment to become eligible. Even then I think it'll backfire in the company as more n more PICs get assigned it. Has anyone stated here that SICs aren't eligible for 10:5? I don't think I've seen that statement yet. Many pilots have been leaving prior to 18 months some even prior to a year. With the 10:5 schedule you should still expect to be gone 7-10 days living out of your suitcase doing laundry at your hotel. Hopefully you will have a long overnight to do it. Try to make room for: 2 white shirts. 2 polo shirts. 3 different colored ties. Overnight clothes. And daily clean undergarments for 7 days.

2. RI is a salesman.

3. In order to tag on a couple days off to your 5 days off as VGSIpegged mentioned you have to get those days approved by the company. Good luck. Many of us were promised 1-2 day trips when we had a phone interview and again at the personal job interview. Well if that used to be true that sure has changed! I personally am looking forward to the 6:3 schedule and $22k bump in pay!

4. Salesmen and public spokesmen can't be trusted. Proceed with caution with APC sales comments. "So what's wrong with this used car you have shared so much positive news about. There must be something wrong it!"

5. One particular Chief pilot wants you to use a competitors' Marriott promo code to get a good discount and is sharing it with pilots. Many pilots, if not majority, refuse to use it. But even still many pilots are still using it. Disgusting. The company has yet to meet with large hotel brands to negotiate a company promo rate. $130 should be increased to $150 for some locations as the standard doesn't cover short notice Astro changed trips as hotel rates go up the day off or day prior. Peak conventions in town. Or peak vacation locals.

6. Astro changes your schedule many times a day. All those hotels and rental cars and flight planning you just spent an hour doing all gets changed and now your not going to any of those airports. Wasted research. Doesn't make you very motivated to start planning on the new trip so you do it last minute and lose out I hotels and such.

7. I got a phone call from the expense dept on a day off asking why I ordered a GPU because it was expensive. Seriously? Passenger comfort in the summer ring a bell?

8. You will airline out to an outstation and another pilot will airline back to base from the same out station and you both talk about why the company is doing it and neither pilot knows why as both pilots are legal for either duty assignment.

9. When you upgrade to PIC you will remain in current flying status as SIC on that previous aircraft type and attend both recurrent trainings. PIC for one type and SIC for the other type. So if your schedule wasn't busy before it is now being a PIC on one and an SIC on a second and keeping the two airplane systems and limitations separate.

10. Expect after a year or so to become PIC on a second type. You will receive a phone call from the lead chief to report to training to learn and fly a second type as PIC. Some of our pilots are PIC on Phenom 100 and Phenom 300. And some are PIC on Phenom 100 and CJ. Remember keep those limitations and systems separate!

11. RI830 likes to embellish with good. Smoke and mirrors.

Company spokespersons never tell you the whole story. I want upcoming pilots to have an expectation of what is to come if they accept as I wished I had that when I joined. Now off to a greener pasture.

runsky42

I will still enjoy working at EAS with or without a payscale. It would be nice to know that 5 years down the road that I will have an opportunity to make X amount.

USMCFLYR

#2, 4, 11 - WOW RI - three comments about what a salesman you are
Guess giving the good and bad isn't enough for some.

#1 - If I work 15 days - I get 4 off (domestically). That is almost a standard 40 hr work week. When I was looking for flying work - I knew that I'd travel. I recently had some water damage at home. The claims adjuster used to be a catastrophic adjuster for Farmers. He would spend MONTHS on the road. My father owned an independent company in the same business and did the same. Sometimes you just have to have some comparisons.

#5 - We have the same troubles getting hotels in certain locations at times. We are allowed to go something like 250% over rate with justification. Do you have anything like that? If not - and you can't get a hotel room for at rate or below - you aren't you saying that you are expected to pay it yourself are you?

#6 - You aren't kidding! My scheduled changes constantly! Keeping up with the logistics of the trip is a major hassle, but like some others have said - most would rather have the flexibility to make those choices themselves. One of th reasons that I decided against International work was the 2-3 week worth of logistics put together and then the thought of the schedule constantly changing and making all those changes! It is hard enough in the central US - working those issues throughout Europe, the Middle East, or the Pacific Rim would be troublesome.

#7 - One thing our bosses tell us is that it is OK with management asking where the money is going. When you were asked about this expense - did you receive any fallout or was the answer accepted never to hear anything else about it?

#8 - Big picture? We often have some of the same questions. Especially if two aircraft both end up at the same airport when one aircraft could be doing both inspections. Hummmmm. At some point though - sometimes there are bigger issues at play.

#9, 10 - Yep - dual qual questions asked in another post. That is part of the issue with dual types. LOTS of places do it obviously. At least you are only a PIC on one type of aircraft.
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So bye727.....if RI did come on and give a long post with #10 different ONLY good paragraphs I can understand why you might feel the need to call him a cheerleader. If a person came on and gave 10 different paragraphs and didn't have anything good to say - would that person be considered a debbie downer and jaded then?

OBTW - some of those FACTS sound an awful lot like personal stories - and that is fine - but unless they are happening to EVERY PERSON - those are just your experiences with different situations and shouldn't be portrayed as a FACT (of course we might have a different definition of FACTS too I guess.)

RI830

SUNDAY...SUNDAY...SUNDAY
It's an EAStravaganza!!!
We're having a blowout sale!

Guys....I fully understand that everyone has complaints about EAS just as other have about NJ, FLOPS, Flex, etc.
I read on another thread that morale at NJ was bottomed out. Surprised? As NJ was supposed to be a holy grail! Or morale at FedEx wasn't what you think.
There are three sides to every story. Which side is bye727?
I see bye727 and others never being satisfied with any job they take. They will always allow the jobs negatives heavily outweigh the positives. These are the guys who complain about only having 15 days off a month.

RI830

Just sayin

runsky42

I think it's all in ones perspective. Would I rather be flying a POS frieghter in my case a C402 with 18,000hrs plus no autopilot no GPS over the Sierra's at night it crappy weather packing on ice making 30K a year or flying a Phenom 300 at FL430 listinging to ESPN on the XM and making 80K a year. In my case a no brainer. So when I fly with FO's that are in there 20's just barely at 1500 hrs and making 36K and they start *****ing about schedule and this and that I just want to tell them shut the F up. I am not a cheerleader for the company but in the short 18 months I have been here I have seen changes for the good, with one exception. ASTRO!

Franky

I agree with you USMC about the per diem. It's a meal allowance, not a second income, but, some people DO think of it as such. As for the two types, flying 2 airframes isn't really an issue. It's when you're current on two airframes, but mainly only fly one, and only fly the other enough to be current per the regs. Thats when we run into the current vs. proficient grey area....

At year 5 you'll be making around $87,850. For those that don't know, we have annual salary increases of 2% based on the previous 12 months earnings. The 300 caps at $93,000 and in your case runsky, you'll be on year 8 to reach the cap.

Let me guess, you walked uphill in the snow and ice to fly that 402 as well and walked uphill on your way home? Don't hold your own flying career against new FOs. Yes, a lot of new hires have it way better than when I started flying as well. Yes, pilots are natural complainers... but some of them have valid complaints. Especially those with 1500 hours or less and will be SIC for at least 2 - 2.5 (assuming for a 350 upgrade) on a 12/3 schedule with, you said it, Astro! I know, still better than what maybe you and I experienced, but hey, the industry is rapidly changing!

Here's the thing. EAS has its pros and cons just as tiredcfi has pointed out. It really is a decent place to get some experience and fly with a great pilot group, but, the incentives here are diminishing with the continuous hiring and movement within the industry. I'm not sure about the 100, but our Phenom 300 pay is no longer above industry average. Its just average, and the king air pay has already been mentioned. This is a very unique time in aviation with all the hiring, and companies have been making changes to attract pilots not because they want to give more, but because that's what they need to do to be competitive. I'm grateful for our own changes that allow me to have a 10/5 schedule, but that was announced early this year, initiated in October, and now it's December almost a year later and guess what- it's not as strong as an incentive as compared to earlier this year based on what other companies are now offering and continually changing to offer more as well. Since it has been brought up several times, lets compare Wheels Up. I could be an Excel SIC making the same as I am on the 300 as a PIC, with the opportunity to make six figures as a PIC with a 2:1 schedule, just as we have here after 18 months... and with the majors excessive planned hiring next year, that will affect the whole industry. So what I'm really wondering is what EAS will improve next (if anything) to keep me here?

FlyingPirate

Sums it up for me pretty well. They are already struggling to find SIC's in this environment so they are going to be forced to sweeten the pot or die trying.

Franky

I don't believe we will close the doors if they don't improve pay and other QOL factors, nor will we stop receiving applications. We will most definitely lose quality pilots that go above and beyond for our owners and the applications with people who are the "right fit" will dry up. I don't want to be around if or when we get to a point where we hire candidates who will most likely clash with the pilot group only because they were the only option, and I'm sure the management team doesn't want to hire people who will be trouble because of the same reason... but unless things change, I foresee that in our future next year.