Frontier Flying Service in Alaska
 

Anyone out there have some information on this company? I looked at their website and it says they are currently not hiring, does it always say that or do they update it frequently enough? Do they have you sign a contract? Can you JS while working there? What is a typical schedule like? Any good/bad info I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

I know very little about them. But I do know that they r not a part of CASS but I have a few friends that have jumped (in the back) whlie working for them. I also rember the reason for the non CASS is they dont want thier pilot looking for other jobs. The Contract is very liberal and is prorated. They are always looking for peeps but I guess that just another sign of the times. Good luck!!

They have recently merged with Hageland Aviation. They are not hiring and probably won't be for a while. Just like anywhere else some people like working there and some don't.

Like any other company in Alaska. If you REALLY want to fly there, you either have to know someone or you have to fly up there and knock on their door.

It's as simple as that! ;)

Hageland is CASS. The Hageland guys work 2 on 2 off.

Don't know that much about Frontier though. They used to be a pay for training outfit but are no longer.

Thanks. It seems like everyone up there requires Alaska time.

I flew for them for a couple years. They hire some without AK exp. but it helps if you know somebody there. Going to FAI and putting yourself in front of them is essential as well.

You'll easily fly 100+ hrs per month if you get on there. Be ready to work and have a good attitude about the harsh conditions and it's a good way to build some time.

definitely not the case, to add to what akaviator said.

I work there... we just started operational use of CASS and are expanding our jumpseat agreements, currently we have Delta, NWA, Alaska, Southwest and a few others, though those have always been sufficient to get me from point A to point B. Last I heard Chief Pilot was looking at Resumes for 1900 FOs, attrition will go up in the spring and we're already short in both ANC and FAI bases. As an FO you can expect to earn between 27K/year and 40K/year. Also, part of the reason that many operators want to see some sort of Alaska time is because things run very differently here than they do in the lower 48. I average about 120 hours/month, best month was 163, worst was 70.

The "prevention of CASS" reason stated earlier was because of a constantly paranoid "axe-man" of a GM, who is no longer with the company.

Aviatorhi,

Do you know what the minimums will be when they start hiring? Is there a training contract? Where are most new hires based?

Thanks.

Commercial Multi.

No.

FAI or ANC, both bases are short.

Chief is doing interviews this week is what I heard today... hurry up and get your name in, if you don't hear back after 2 or 3 days call and ask you'll jump to the top of his pile of resumes that way.

Oh and just today we announced that we're buying ERA on the 27th.

I can't imagine they will be hiring anyone now with the purchase of ERA.

They will because I imagine most if not all of the Era 1900 drivers are going to be out on the street sooner or later.

Are you implying that they will quit or be let go? A frontier FO seems to do a lot better when it comes to pay than an ERA FO so I can't imagine they would quit, especially with the job market. I'm wondering if they are going to move the Dash 8's to FAI? Do you have any info?

Info is always scarce around here, speculation says the Dash 8s will come here to fly FAI-OTZ, FAI-OME and FAI-BRW, with the fourth staying in ANC to hit the big markets once a day, but that's it, speculation, you never really know what they end up doing until you're sitting there doing it.

They will be quit of let go, they will be REQUIRED to do a lot of things they haven't done in a long time, if ever, including fueling their own planes at certain outstations, deicing themselves at certain outstations etc. etc. It would be a significant increase in pay for ERA FOs, but at the same time it would be a total switch of work environment.

Also RUMOR has it that they will be re-applying for their jobs in the first place. Also them being overstaffed (58 pilots for 7 airplanes... Frontier does 11 planes with less pilots currently), is not going to help.

Frontier FOs make more than ERA FOs? I thought they were identical. A few years ago frontier fos made 15 or 16 an hour to start. I'm assuming captians do better at era. Best bet was to fly a navajo for frontier before the hageland merger. I hear both frontier and hageland pilots saying they make less now.

When you own all of the airlines you can pay the employees whatever you want. It's not like they can quit and go work for the competition.

Hey dude how do you legally do 163 hours in a month part 135? Part 91 ferry add on stuff I'm guessing?

Does Frontier still have the DO 228's for the smoke jumper contract?

8 hours per day max for single pilot
10 hours per day for 2 pilot crews
500 hours max in a quarter
800 hours max in 2 quarters
1400 hours per year total
Only required to have 13 days off per quarter

Clearandcold is correct on the flight times.

No DO228s, we wonly do repositioning charters for the BLM, no jumping. That all gets done with the 1900Cs which are our "main" aircraft, our route structure has each one seeing gravel every day. If I remember correctly we did have a D model a while back, but due to certain circumstances, not being as good or a bush plane as the Cs and also it being a single D amongst a bunch of Cs we got rid of it.

2F FOs make 15 to start with 50/day and perdiems based on the trip (sometimes there is one, usually there isn't).

H7 on APC has a payscale of 23,000 to start.

23,000 is how much a 2F FO can make flying 180 days in a year and timing out. Most of us fly much, much, much more than 180 days in a year and most come close to, if not, timing out.

CAs at 2F make 50/hour plus 1.50 each year of seniority. On a time out year they earn 70,000 to start, ERAs best CA pay is on the Dash and that shows 47,500 to start. At 20 year seniority looks like ERA Dash CAs do 79,000, at the 2F rates they'd be making 112,000. Also being in the training depatment can have you break the 100,000 mark by your 5th year.

What do you think they will do with ERA's Ds? I guess they could just keep them on pavement. I think I've seen Bering Air using a D model so maybe they aren't that bad of a bush plane after all.

I bet the Ds will end up being absorbed into the system on the less demanding routes, pretty much what Era was doing with them, the Ds do alright when its above 0 but supposedly those EFIS's don't do well when it hits -40 in FAI and the slope. Bering's Ds do a lot of Nome - "The Island" and back, so it's a little different than getting sent to tour the slope for a day.

C models were cheaper to lease and the extra glass in the cockpit of the D model didn't like the cold as much as the steam gauges of the C's.

Doing those BLM charters was awesome, those guys eat good out in the field and the camp cooks always had a plate for the crews.

But I'm kicked back on the 4th floor of the Hilton now...give and take.:)

"When you own all of the airlines you can pay the employees whatever you want. It's not like they can quit and go work for the competition."

Good point. And now they'll have the majority of the 121 turboprop market out of ANC as well.

Aviatorhi, thanks for that pay scale. Thats good money. Imagine making over 100k a year by year 5. Can't think of any other regional thats possible. Course you deserve it too.

Other thing we're preparing for is the sunset of SFAR 41C, which will end in 2010, after that we can't use the C model on the 121 side, unless we start getting some things going (ie friends in Washington vouching for us).

hey aviatorhi, can you pm me your email? i lost pm privilege on this forum due to some whiny pilot. I would like to ask you some questions.

Anyone have more information on this?

newsminer.com • Six survive plane crash near Nome

Looks like everyone walked away. I'm guessing it was a C207?

No, theres a thread started on that. A navajo. I think the thread is in the 135 forum.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/re...raft-down.html

Found it in the regional forum. Also saw a story on adn.com, sounds like CFIT.

Passengers describe plane's sudden crash into mountain: Alaska News | adn.com

Glad they all survived it. Nome and the Seward Peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in the state to fly but the terrain and weather demands big respect.

Frontier's certificate would not be used
 

flight operations with 9 seats or less under the Hageland certificate and 10 seats or more under Era's certificate. Frontier's certificate would not be used.

Interesting, good for Frontier. Isn't today the day that deal is supposed to go through and be finalized?