That was tongue in cheek. Sorry it didn't come across very well :o

I'm a Portland Q400 FO. I'm quite happy down there, but wish Seattle had vacancies and would compare favorably on our side. It's where I was hoping to be based. Either way life is a lot better than the horror stories.

A few of my buddies went through the 2008 years. It did not look fun.

And yeah, legs are short in the Q. What you don't get in hours you make up for in experience, LoL. Personally I love the plane and the flying.

Comments here would lead one to believe Q400 guys are getting the most hours at PDX. Is that also true for very junior FO's/CA's? Recruiter today said MFR is likely first base for a new hire Q400. Are there limited flying opportunities there? That base seems lit a bit of a punching bag on this forum, but I can't tell why. Any insights are appreciated.

Don’t try to predict what’s happening at a base. It changes overnight.

Does anyone know what 401 is doing in Sault Saint Marie since December 30th?

Nevermind.

seems odd for sure

it had a pretty bad bird strike, wing spar damaged pretty good. Got some MX in pdx and then was sent to YAM to be inspected and repaired further.

Is that what happened with 448 and 417 as well? They're both in random places.

is that possibly some bombardier repair location?

N417QX was being prepped for sale, and was headed to some random airport in Ontario, last I saw/heard.

N448QX seems to be at YAM, where we send our Q's for C-Checks.

No. CYAM has been a heavy mx base for QX for several years. Probably one of the finest mx facilities for the DHC-8

One was in the hangar at PDX this week and I saw it pulled out on to the ramp two nights ago with the logos painted over or removed. I didn't see it in there last night.

What kind of 175 are you guys flying, is it the STD the LR or the AR?

Thanks for the info

Hiring
 

Horizon is hiring flight attendants. Can anyone confirm that horizon is also hiring pilots???

"Possibly" new hires by end of the year, last I heard.

Can you request an airframe before training?
 

If you get CJO from QX, do you typically have the Q or ERJ assigned prior to indoc? Can you wait out for an opening in a class for the airframe you want or do you just get what you get? Thanks for any insight.

Your class date will be for one or the other. You'll know ahead of time.

You can choose the airframe and wait for your preference, assuming they are hiring into both.

July FO Window
 

Just Curious, has QX started calling people for interviews from the July window?

I submitted my application literally with in the hour after the window opened and haven't heard anything beyond generic responses. I have an unrestricted ATP with an E175 type bolstered by hundreds of Ejet hours and used the pandemic slow down to finish my graduate degree. Plus, I took on some primary students after lock down to keep flying part-time (250+ Hours). I was hoping my prior experience and productive use of unemployment might move things along, but so far crickets.

Don't worry about it yet. If Horizon had an animal mascot, it would be the Great Pacific Northwest banana slug. By the time they called me for an interview, I'd almost forgotten that I'd applied there. Figure 6-8 weeks.

Last I'd heard, Horizon had over 200 pilots in the "external" pool and around 500 in the Pilot Development Program. I expect hiring to be pretty brisk for the next few months (unless Covid shuts us down again).

Does anybody have new hire numbers? What are the odds of a Joe Schmoe 1500hr CFI getting an interview without having been a part of the pilot dev program?

What are QX 175 guys and gals crediting on average per month?

85 is a nice round number. Depends on how much you want to fly. Lines are about 83.

That's with min days off of 12. At 85 you're working pretty hard.

Just drop days
 

Just drop days and enjoy some QOL

Totally just drop to zero and pick up 300% pay

Current Conditions at Horizon
 

Looking for any information as I am considering coming to Horizon. Trying to decide which aircraft I would choose. I have a few questions I hope might be answered. QOL on each aircraft? What are the junior bases for each aircraft? How long to hold PDX on either one? Is there any type of commitment for taking the bonus? How long is reserve on each aircraft? What are the upgrade times currently running at? I know it's a sliding window, just trying to get an idea as I have some 121 time in the E175 before COVID.

Thanks for your replies!

This place is slow the majority of the time for people seeking info. I would be willing to think most of our pilots don't come on here much as our union has another source of communication that tends to be quite active. I'll try to answer you as best I can. IF you live in Portland I think the Jet would be the area to go, I don't know much about the Q, but the jet as of this summer was trying to get FO's to bid PDX as the numbers of CA's to FO's aligned very well. You should be able to get PDX out of training on the jet. Again, not sure about the Q, but i've always heard PDX is senior for us on that aircraft, but that could just be the CA side.

Bonus: I have no clue, I would email HR or recruiting rep for that info and keep that email to have it in writing. Also, ask how that is paid out because I guarantee it isn't as straightforward as one may think or how recruiting lays it out. Have that in an email in writing as well.

Reserve: Should be pretty quick here shortly as staffing looks to be hurting in the spring/summer timeframe. I can't give you a good answer and I am not sure many could right now, and if you live in base it won't be much of an issue anyway. Best guess, 3-5 months, if that, once the major movement of staffing happens.

Upgrade: I think the regional industry as a whole is going to be the same.... as soon as you get your 1000 hrs 121 you can upgrade. That is based on the current environment and of course, if the economy takes a hit and things halt, then times/availability will vary. Right now, doesn't seem like much is stopping the majors from getting as many as they can as it's a staffing war between them all. Alaska seems to be slow to react and changing our Pathways program (for the better this time) and the big 5 are fighting with each other. FO's are getting hired at the United and American right now without any 121 PIC.

Reserve
 

Thank you TyWebb for the response. I noticed that there wasn't much on Horizon on the forums here, so that clears that up. I live about an hour+ from PDX so that would be ideal. Which brings up another question, what are the different types of reserve and report times for each one?

airport reseve (where you sit at the airport for 8 hours a day)
short call 2 hour call out (1.5 in Boise and geg and mfr)
long call 12 hour call out
with current staffing and hiring picking up I’d expect to fly on reserve a lot

Looking for Kate
 

How do I reach Kate for help dropping?

Are interviews currently being conducted in person or virtual?

Phone screening, then in person interview. They fly you in unless you're local.

We found out last week that AAG cut our insurance benefits (specifically, the HSA contribution the company makes) by 17%, which is on top of the 20% cut they did last year.

This happened within 24 hours of AAG bragging how much money they made, so it's nice to see that we can still count on Alaska treating QX like the unloved stepchild to be a rock of stability in the confusing world in which we live.

is this for reals? or just flame bait

Yes, this happened. The union will file a grievance, which will be resolved somewhere around 2029. Our basic medical benefits are actually somewhat O.K., but the dental and vision coverage is poor. Busted a tooth and need a crown? That'll be $500 or so out of pocket. Need glasses to skate through your first-class medical? Plan on $300 - $800. As an FO, my single biggest medical expense was prescription glasses.

Ask on the QX Pilots FB page.

I'd say since I've been here morale is at an all time low.