FO Great Lakes
 

I'm considering applying for their FO. They're (understandably) not very responsive to inquiries roughly summarized as "should I even want to work here?", and most of the searches I run return info that might be old given recent developments.

I'm interested b/c I need the time for the ATP by next July, and BE-1900 experience would be ideal (short of a King Air gig...).

I meet the minimums (with quite a bit of extra multi- & IFR time, have a BE20 initial sim training (w/ high alt end), valid written ATP, 1st Class, FCC etc.

Qs:

1) Is the FO schedule still 15 days on, 15 days off ?
2) What is the range of logged hours per month ? I understand minimum guarantee is 75, but that's for pay of course
3) Are the only junior bases "Mountain Time or westerner" still Cheyenne WY, Farmington NM and Prescott AZ ?
4) Are these BE-1900s bases?

The undercurrent of what I'm asking that objectively this would be a big, sour pill to swallow, I could rationalize being away from my family for two weeks a month but only for enough hours and experience.

Insights greatly appreciated!

pretty sure there's some kind of training contract if you use them for the 9 seat 135 time building scam

Man I wouldn't go there if my life depended on it. Flight instruct another year and try for some multi-engine IFR students. I have not heard a single happy story about career building at Great Lakes since they went to the dogs. They may not even exist this time next year; is that the the kind of company you really want to work for?

To be honest, I did not even know they still existed today...

I still hear them on the radio in the MidWest, they still service a few EAS locations out here. They lost the bulk of their EAS flying to Envoy and Skywest a couple years back. The rumor has them at 30 pilots now.

training contract is $7.5K for 15mo. It should be pro-rated (though CO state law might be different), didn't bother check yet.

I would take suggestions of any other high-utilization operators of BE-1900 (or, of course, BE-200 / -300), even BE-99.

I'd leave the industry and go work at Home Depot before taking a job flying for Lakes.

ATP073116:
The information you have is a little out-dated. There is not a specific 15 on/15 off schedule. Standard schedules provide 10 days off per month at this time. Sept 2016, the contract will have a minimum of 11 days off per month.

Bases currently are Denver for both BE1900 and EMB120.

Average hours per month (if holding a line) are 90+ hours on the 135 side, and 80+ on the 121 side.

You should check, because first of all, the contract is not pro-rated. The contract has been successfully enforced by the company (state of Wyoming, not Colorado). I know three guys currently at Great Lakes. I know One guy left his contract after 4 months. Another guy still has 3 months left and is thinking about paying out his contract, because he is making pizzas on his days off to make ends meet anyways and wants to go somewhere else. Another guy just started.

One of these guys told me that half of his class did not make it through training and that the company actually bragged about washing out guys with prior 121 experience.

Last I heard, there were 38 pilots on the seniority list. Last year, there were 100. To fully staff all of their aircraft, they need approximately 300. Five captains are apparently leaving this month (one of them is one of my friends).

There is no pay during training. Hotels are paid, but that is pretty much it.

The company does not have enough pilots and does not have enough captains. If you get hired below ATP minimums but reach ATP minimums during your employment, they move you over to the 121 side of operations. You upgrade by seniority. If the company doesn't last during your first 15 months on contract, at least you won't have to pay out of your contract.

38 pilots when they need 300? How is it still a viable operation? How many aircraft is that?