ACE recent info?
 

Anybody have any info on ACE out of Anchorage? Schedules? Direct captains or upgrade times? Been awhile since Ive hung out up that way so am out of the loop with them.

Thanks

1: F.O.s tend to have 6 or 7 on/6 or 7 off. They seem cronicly short of captains who (during the summer) work 4-7 days on with 2-3 days off. In the winter things slow down a bit. You end up in Anchorage every night. If you are scheduled for reserve and aren't used, you receive 2 hrs of flight pay.

2: ACE has hired a couple of direct entry captains, I'm not entirely sure how that works other than that they are advertising bonuses. If a F.O. sticks around upgrade time is right around 1 year maybe a little more.
Upgrade times depend as much on your flight time vs. seniority.

In all a good place to work. It's hard work, and you will do some pretty fun flying out of gravel strips in rural Alaska. Pilot management really encourages pilots to be safe and not push any of the numbers.

Can anyone tell me more about ACE, how much TT are they looking for?

Minimum requirements are a AMEL. The latest class has a couple of 400-600 hour types and a couple of higher time CFIs.

I sent in an application about a month ago since their SIC position is still listed as open. Emailed the Chief Pilot and head of HR about a week ago to check up on my application, but still have not heard anything back.

Do they require an extensive contract? The flying looks challenging but a lot of fun. I just applied with just under 700 hours and they look pretty appealing to sit right seat to gain knowledge and build time.

I am not aware of any training contracts.

Ace is a decent company to work for, but there are a few things to know before you get in.

1) This is hardball IFR/VFR in places like the Aleutian Chain and Southeast Alaska. It's great experience, and you will learn a ton, but it comes with a lot of challenges, and is higher risk.

2) In the summer the company has so much business, they can't take it all. Don't be surprised if most of your work days are 12-14 hours, and you're flying 120-130 hours a month. Great for the bank account and logbook, but very draining. On top of that, you're basically the bush Alaska version of a UPS truck driver, so expect to spend lots of time loading and unloading the 1900. It's really not bad, you just have to understand this is also a physical labor job too, and don't complain about it.

3) ACE is perpetually short on pilots, they're constantly in the process of hiring and upgrading guys. This means that schedules are very fluid, so don't take any of the 5 on 2 off stuff too literally. Don't be surprised if you work 9 on, 2 off, 7 on, 3 off, 11 on, 4 off, etc. Since lots of their mail flight have a 1 or 2 AM showtime, don't expect to have a good sleep rhythm.

4) Robbie, the chief pilot is good about upgrading people who are ready, but just understand you will by flying with low time captains in challenging conditions. This isn't a legacy airline with captains in their 50's and 60's with 25k hours. Most of the captains are 25-30, and in the 2k-3k range. They're eager to work, and do a good job, but realize that you will both be put in difficult, dangerous situations, and the guy in charge may not be much more experienced than you.

Overall, it's a great experience. It's rough with the schedule and the labor, but if you work hard, keep a good attitude, be humble and ask questions, you'll do fine. Adventure of a lifetime.