I figured you would try that excuse for asking me about AMF. :)

Well....simply put I've never said anything about AMF. Never commented on the work environment, the pay, the hours, the management -vs- employee relations or anything else associated with the company, the pilots, or the airplanes. I'll let you and the other present and former employees hash those issues out.
So to answer your question...."how to do know all this things."
Exactly what things are you talking about? Single piloting skills? Transitioning from a single pilot cockpit to a multi-crewed cockpit?
Do you think AMF is the only place where a pilot can have these opportunities?

What I have commented on is the idea that single pilot skills are worthless (in your mind), that no one needs PIC hours anymore to get hired at the better companies, or the idea that coming from a single pilot background is somehow a real hinderance to multi-crew training. All of THOSE items I have experience with and feel that I should give my 2 cents in counterance to your opinions.

I want to have a beer with USMCFLYR.

The obvious reason for the majority of this is --- They are required to by regulation. Any company flying big jets has no choice because the aircraft is certified for two pilot. We have the same thing with our E120s here at AMF. It's required.

Most corporate operators fly two crew, even in single pilot certified aircraft, because their insurance carriers require it. Aerial photography would do it because you have two separate tasks going on that could actually conflict with one another; one to fly and one to take pictures. One is looking around the sky and one is focusing on the ground, not exactly something you would want only one person doing.

It almost seems to me that you have the impression that PIC experience isn't important. The Strategic Air Command came to the opposite conclusion several decades ago.

When bombers were piston powered, pilots would spend a short time flying right seat and then move over to the left seat as the need arose. The planes were relatively simple (comparable to any piston twin or small turbo prop today, in terms of systems complexity) and there were no issues.

When large jet aircraft came on the scene (B-52, KC135) they found that pilots with little time being the primary decision maker became overwhelmed when things didn't go quite as planned. They developed a program in conjunction with Air Training Command called ACE. This stood for Accelerated Copilot Enrichment. They would take B52 and KC135 copilots (first officers in the civilian realm) and send them out in trainer aircraft (T37s and T38s; I personally have about 250 hours T38 PIC time from the program) as PIC to fly all over and get experience having to make command decisions such as dealing with weather and aircraft malfunctions (both inflight and correcting them once on the ground.)

They found that when these pilots then upgraded to PIC they were much better prepared to deal with situations that came up during missions in their primary aircraft.

Frmrbuffdrvr and USMCFlyr,

You guys are engaged in a battle or witts with an unarmed opponent.

TransMach

Was on the line with in PHX the other day with someone very high in mgmt at BUR. He seemed pretty excited about the move ( as mentioned in another post cost of living is definitely a player in that).

Kimba
 

One think I know is that if I see kimba's resume come across my hiring desk the poor writing and spelling will be painfully obvious #roundfile #nowhinersallowed

AMF
 

I'll add my experience to the mix. I was at AMF for 3.5 years. I thought the pay on the larger aircraft was fair. The schedule is very predictable and you can turn it into a major positive if you choose too. I was always treated VERY fairly by management. The training and maintenance were excellent.

I believe that at AMF, as well as most any company, the employees that give honest work for honest pay are highly valued by the company. Employees that are a major PITA are not valued. It's really very simple. Be at the places you're supposed to be, on time, and squared away. Treat the customer well. Fly by the rules. Don't bend metal. Don't bad-mouth the company.

My PIC turbine experience at AMF got me exactly where I wanted to be. I would definitely go back to AMF if the right situation presented.

Yes, preatty clear that i did not make make self clear enough about the difference beteween pilots and companies.
Having been there for 13 years made you belive that maybe you are part of the company mangement and maybe you have forgotten that you are not.
I have a deep respect for the pilots that can be there for a long time because i know how hard it was for me and if you have been able to find a good balance between the job and your personal life good for you.

Money wise, just to be more precise my paycheck was 890$ after taxes and before heath insurance and 401K every two weeks.
If you can pay all the things you said with this money, congrats, i was not.
At the regional where i work right now I'm making 22-2300$ a month (because they pay the per-diem which is not paid at AMF). Of course they also offer Heath insurance, 401K matching for the new hire after 30 days and not 90 days like AMF, of course benefits may be better or worst according which company you work for but they are offered to the new hierd with the minimum ATP.
They also offer travel benfits for you and your family and jumpseat befetis for you only with all the majors and not only with Southwest like AMF. Just to be more specific, as a pilot, you can jumseat internationally paying only the taxes.
All this things make the life in a regional a little bit better that at AMF. Of course you won't be rich but better than AMF.

As far as the pay goes, considering the money spent to get a college degree and a commercial pilot license if i ask a fair pay i don't hink i'm asking too much. And if if ask to be treated fairly at work is just a matter of respect and been professional, not seniority in the company.

As far as the PIC time goes on Turbine, i don't want to say that is bad or not important, I'm just saying that if you want to go for a job at a major today Turbine PIC is not a requirement, if you have it better but if you don't... don't stress out.
Does anyone know an FO who was hier at a major with no PIC time?

Just check the webpage of the majors and check for the requirements.
The only difference maybe Southwest that wants a 737 type rating that you won't get at AMF anyhow.
The PIC time that can make the difference is (and that's my personal opinion) not when you are the Capt. of yourself like at AMF but when you have upgraded from SIC to PIC in that regional. So when you have been the Capt. of somebody.
Just to clarify something that may not be clear to the ones who are thinking to go AMF.
The First Officer in a Regional flyes as much as the Capt. does. They alternate the flying every other leg. So the FO are not the ones how slam the gear for the capt (like they say at AMF) but are pilot and fly as much as the capt everyday!

I did not really want to say that PIC is wothless, i don't think i said tha, but is not a requirement to go for a Major today. Of course if you have it's better but if you not i should not worry about it.
Coming from a single pilot background may not be a problem for someone with a good personality and good flying skills but it has been a problem for others.
Considering you experience i thank you for your opinion that i worth extremelly valuable and I'll keep that in mind.

Thank you for the replay.
That gives me the chance to clarify two things:
1) if regulation and insurances require two pilots on board of an aircraft that can also be flown by a single pilot, that's got to be for a reason. Safer? More proficient? I don't think is a simple requirement.
And that leads me to the second point.
2) thank you for the little piece of history on the Strategic Air Command, but it looks like that this makes my point: two pilot is better than one (just to summarize).

Finally just to add another piece of information:
the future of the Military Aviation is not a two pilot crew but single pilot again (because of new advanced technologies that can reduce the load of a single pilot and a copilot may not be necessary anymore) look at the new genreation of fighter plane: F22, F35 and the European EFA- Thypoon.
All single pilot to be used in a swing role from A/A to A/G to EW.