Which are the bottom feeders?

 

I would think that Great Lakes, Silver and GoJets would be considered the bottom of the regional feed. SkyWest, ExpressJet and American Eagle would be at the top, and most everybody else somewhere in the middle. All subject to change at a moments notice and with the whims of the mainline partners.

Remember, this post MAY be worth what you paid for it!

 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but why the hell would you be looking at the regionals with 6,000 hrs and a Lear type? The orange site is full of Lear pilot positions. You might have to find a way to get yourself current again, but someone with that kind of experience should not be sitting reserve in ORD for $20k a year.

 

All of those Lear positions require you to move. That can't happen with a wife that works and kids in school. I need to be able to commute. The LCC's and Majors require a certain amount of recency that I learned of from a recent interview experience. My goal is to get on with a regional to get current and some recency of experience then move on as fast as possible.
Also I do not want to go back to the corporate world because most of those positions require you to move to their home base. I have put apps in at the fractionals but have not heard a peep. Again probably due to the recency of experience.
So it looks like the regionals will be my best, fastest and easiest route to get current and some recency.

 

Eagle might be at the top if it had a future. Just sayin...who knows

 

Eagle may very well hire you with the condition that you take a course to get you back up to speed. This might eat up all of the $5,000 bonus money. Have you asked if the offer is contingent upon taking the course?

 

Actually I have standing offers and class dates at Trans States, Express Jet and American Eagle. Each one wants me to let them know ASAP if I will accept and I said I need a little more time because I have one more interview lined up with Republic.
I was just honest in my interview and said that I'm way out of currency. I felt that i did fine on the sims. A little rusty but good enough to get the offers. I did not have a sim ride at Express Jet because they said I met their criteria of not having to do one. Not sure what the criteria is but that is what was explained to me.
I'm just trying to find the right regional to get me back in the game that I can easily commute to.
So far Trans States is looking like the best for my situation. They have a STL base, quick time off reserve and no training contract.

 

Be careful. I would go to an airline current, and proficient. Just because you can get hired doesn't mean you'll make it through training. Airlines will hire people, send them to ground school, get you in the sim., and expect you to be able to fly an airplane you've barely even seen! They may also keep switching instructors on you (with each instructor requiring different things, and yelling at you for not knowing them), then send you for a check -ride with an examiner that wants to see things that you were never taught, and possibly fail you, which goes on your record. I believe it also depends on your age if they'll keep you or not. I personally experienced the berating at TransStates years ago by an instructor who thought he should be a vice-president, but his next step would be back to the line(a union rep. told me that). I have a friend who recently went through that exact scenario at TransStates, then Mesa. He now flies part 135. I also experienced the same thing years later at Piedmont. I don't understand how an airline can hire someone, spend the time, money, and effort (the airline's, and students) on them, then set them up for failure. There may be some regionals that don't do this, but I've mentioned 3 that I am familiar with. Be very careful!

 

Three separate airlines??? Might not be the airline.

 

great mistakes is the worst by far followed by silver, and pinnacle. (and soon to be PSA).