I just read through about 20 pages and have to say, youguys are pretty damn funny!

I'm a current National Guard Helicopter pilot who is looking into GoJet.... Let me rephrase - WAS looking into GoJet... It sounds like they really are bad news huh? Let me present a question to the group, if you had to order the following list of regionals from best to worst - how would you arrange it (as of today)??

- GoJet
- Republic
- PSA
- ExpressJet

This will really help out in streamlining my application process! THANKS!

Keep researching, those four wouldn't even be on my radar.
Try Compass, Endeavor and Skywest in no specific order.

Of those four, PSA without a doubt.


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I am an ex employee of one of these companies, and I worked for another one. I know quite a few people in the other two as well so I'll try to give you my honest opinion.

ExpressJet is a dead horse. their future is very uncertain, so I wouldn't go there.

Republic is garbage, don't even think about it. The pilot group is great, it has nothing to do with them. Management will abused you more than at any other airline. Their contract, in my opinion, is one of the worst in the industry if not the worst. When you compare contracts don't just look at the money. QOL is just as important. Now if you live in one of their bases, and it will save you the commute, I can't blame me for going there.

PSA is growing and is told to be hiring until mid 2017.

Any regional you'll choose will be a mixed bag of good and bad, there is no such thing as a good regional. You just need to think what are your priorities.

Hope that helps

Thanks very much for the info guys! I am in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area and the airport is 15 minutes from my house. That is pretty hard to igore since RDU is also one of their pilot domiciles... That was the main reason I was looking at them... That and I heard that the promotion time to captain was pretty short...

Republic has a domicile about an hour away in Greensboro, NC, which would be doable as a drive a few times a week...

I have heard great things about Compass and a few others, but my main issue with getting on with one of those companies are two fold:
- Commuting across timezones can REALLY screw with your internal clock leading to increased exhaustion, stress (both on family and at work), etc
- I have to maintain currency in the AH-64 which means I need to reside on the east coast. When you start dropping currency in that thing, life gets pretty stressful (not to mention dangerous)...

It sucks that starting out in regionals has to be so such a bad deal seemingly everywhere... I think my main goal is to just jump in with both feet SOMEWHERE, give all I can, expect to be paid like crap and hopefully find / qualify for something else in a few years. Isn't that what we are all trying to do? :)

Not totally sold on the ETD deal, but SkyWest and Compass are a solid bet.

ETD is a done deal. Now offering retention bonuses

Trans States is working on a RDU base for the American Flying later this year and is actively looking for space at the airport for a base.

You are one of the lucky ones who lives in a city that has an airline base. I would not commute for a "better regional", that is utterly stupid. Don't even think about commuting. Being based at home is priceless. It's more important than any other factors, like contract language, type of plane, etc. And since you're new, let me tell you that all regionals are the same with the exception of maybe Skywest but those guys are west coast and ord.

between GoJet, Trans States, Mesa, and ExpressJet, which would be the best move (if you could move to the base, which I could)