SkyHigh, that is probably the most fair and helpful thing I've ever seen you say LoL...but you are very, very right.

Everbody, no matter the industry, has to toil and fight their way in...Pilots are no different. Motivation is sometimes the only thing that separates you from the next guy, and thus, that dream job or upgrade.

I won't lie, my QOL sucks - I left TSA in a good spot - bidding half-way up the seniority list and living in base, to come to SKW...And in the last 18 months I have lived in 8 states, everywhere from FL to OR. For me, it was the right move - the right balance between what I wanted to do in the short-run and where I am headed after this. Your results may vary.

But if you can make yourself flexible and adaptable at this short, but critical juncture of your life, you will be far happier in the long-run. Do not choose a regional solely for QOL - Horizon may be good for you in the short-run, but if you aspire to larger things, it will put you behind the pack for the rest of your life. You can look at it a bit like delayed-gratification, even. Best of luck in whatever you choose, though, as always!

 

That's funny - holding a job fair at UND (where they have been provided with quality pilots before), and not hiring a single one this time around??

Well on a side-note...Sitting in the crew-room yesterday, reading this thread and this particular post, I headed downstairs to the gates for my Dead-head. Not 15 minutes later I come across a Big Sky Pilot commuting to work...we started talking and he mentioned he just got on w/Horizon...I had to chuckle. What a crazy small world!

Best of luck my friend - it was good to meet you :-)

 

The funny thing here is that it isn't quality of life vs career we're talking about here. It's quality of life versus quality of life. It's just that different people have different things they're looking for. Some (myself included) feel that their career needs to advance beyond the regionals to get it. If others don't feel that need, if they're looking for things that can be met without going to the majors, more power to 'em man - leaves room for those of us who do want to go. I cannot look down on a person who knows what it is that will make them happy and goes for it, even if it involves making different decisions than I'd make myself.

 

They hired at least 4 from UND during Wednesday's interviews. I don't know how the other 8 candidates did, but I think that they took a total of 8 out of the 16 based on what I have heard (6 will be in the CRJ, and 2 in the Q400).

QX is also interviewing this week out in Portland.

 

There is no reason for a twenty or even thirty-something to make the regionals a career...No reason.

For the older guys out there that get into Aviation a bit later in life and plan on a Regional career, well they have my utmost respect. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But we're talking about younger guys here I believe, right?

 

I hope you are young enough to absorb the lost 3.5 years at QX. I wasn't and didn't survive a similar situation. Horizon Air ended my career dreams.

To the rest of you let that be a lesson. Horizon Air is the end of the line for most and not a rung in the ladder. If you accept a position there you had better start house hunting and put down roots because you will most likely be there for the rest of your career.

I personally never wanted to work at QX or any regional for that matter. A senior captain at Alaska Airlines prodded me into going there. He told me that "if I wanted to work for Alaska Airlines it was what I had better do".

Lesson number two: Sitting major airline captains are the last to know what it takes to get hired at their own company or any other airline. The guy to ask for advice about how to get hired at a major airline is the one who got hired last.

SkyHigh

 

That is for sure!

 

I was hired at QX at the ripe old age of 22, so I'm fine. Sorry to hear it was that bad for your career. Mind you, when I got hired in early '04, a lot of things were in flux: UA and US in bankruptcy, NW and DL headed that way. ACA had just lost their UA contract and I was worried about further instability at the regionals so I figured Horizon was a nice stable place to ride it out. As it turned out, most regionals prospered with the majors' ill fortunes.

There you go with blanket statements again. Given my priorities and your priorities, there is no reason for us to make the regionals a career. Other people have other priorities! Some may have strong roots in a particular town or a spouse that refuses to move. Some see their children growing up before their eyes and refuse to start at the bottom of another seniority list and spend more time away. Now I personally don't have kids and no strong ties to any city and a flexible spouse so there's no reason for me to stay at the regionals - but if others want to stay, good on 'em. More room at the majors for the rest of us.

 

Anybody have more info on if they plan to hire more pilot after the October class? Are they going to have the same training bubble like last year? They hired around 60 people in <6 months. Wonder if they will do that again?

 

I think any hiring right now is going to be for attrition, we've had a number of FOs (myself included) and a few CAs leaving. They just put four Captains through upgrade that they weren't expecting, they were only planning on 28 (!) upgrades this year. The next "growth" in sight is the 15 Q400s that arrive 3Q 2008 as they phase out 12 Q200s. Three extra airframes, yippee!!!!

Edit: just checked the training plan, we have two more upgrades in the 10/16 class, plus six CRJ newhires and two Q400 newhires.