What's the TBA at Avenge?

 

For initial training it is 12 months with 180 deployed days overseas. Recurrent training is 6 months with 100 deployed days overseas.

You can find more info about Avenge in the Part 135 forums talking about Dynamic/L-3. As I said, most of the post you will read from the last year were when pay was sub-par for the industry and so there will be MANY complaints. Especially given that the new hires were told that all of the company was taking the pay cut which was not true. It made things awkward when someone hired 6 months earlier than you was making $250 per day more. That has been fixed. Now the difference is more like $50-$75 between senior and new hires. What I would consider normal for seniority.

Honestly it is a good company. Had the pay raise come up before I accepted another offer I would still be with the company. As someone said before, the benefits are not great. That is why many of the people you will find there are retired military and have medical already.

 

Are they hard set on the multi mins etc? Looking to get in with mostly helo time..trying to stay out of the regional game, but they seem to be the only ones with multi engine planes that will have me haha

 

A training contract for recurrent? In a King Air?! THAT is BS...

 

Yeah, I was not a fan of a recurrent TBA. Once you were with the company over a year and rotating you would like to think that you had paid your dues so to speak. Because of the recurrent TBA there are actually "windows" of opportunity to leave without violating the TBA before you go back under TBA again.

As I said, I waited until I was free and clear of the TBA and had no issues. I related it to an athlete going into Free Agency LOL

 

Do these companies (Avenge, L3, etc.) only hire former military types or are civilian pilots looking for a home based schedule an option?

 

As they say, the best way not to get hired is to not apply. What's the worst they will say, NO?

 

As long as Military, DEA, Customs, and law enforcement pilots are available they will always have a better chance of getting hired for these jobs. That is primarily because of the Security Clearance requirement. Most all of them either have a clearance or had one before.

Having said that, I do know of a few people that came in direct from civilian and the company paid for the clearance. All you can do is ask. If the answer is no then at least you tried.

Mind this though, you will be living life just like the military in deployed locations. There will be times when an enemy will shoot at the base. There is a reason that you will get that level of pay, because of the level of danger. I am not trying to scare someone away if they want to follow this option. I just want to make sure you realize that there is still a war going on over there and an incoming rocket does not care if you are a civilian or military.

 

If one gets a King Air initial type rating on his/her own does Avenge still slap a 12-month TBA on the new hire?

 

Most of the time, yes. Avenge operates the aircraft by the US Army standards which are different from the FAA. There are even some slightly different emergency procedures and such. So unless you have US Army king air experience you will most likely do an initial training even if you already have a type rating.

There were some Air Force King Air pilots that had type ratings and recent time in the plane and they were not happy when they had to get an initial and 12 month TBA.