rvr1800

[QUOTE=Raffi4;1495615]Some people don't have the multi-tasking skills to operate in a single pilot environment. It's been years since I went through training there but one thing I do remember is just like any airline, you need to get those flows and memory items down exactly. Don't be afraid to get that autopilot on it's your copilot. There will be a lot going on in the cockpit with working the radios and getting out charts while dealing with an emergency. When I went through you could go out to a plane and work your flows. Do that. I definitely didn't take advantage of that as much as I should have and it showed in my first "sim" session. That's in parentheses because it's really an FTD/procedures trainer. They want you to pass and they have excellent instructors. Good luck and have fun.

Bozo the pilot

[QUOTE=rvr1800;1495762]Agree with all above. 4 airlines later and Cape Air was the hardest with a distant second being Piedmont. Its the most fun youll have flying though. Good luck

9kBud

[QUOTE=rvr1800;1495762]Soon, that "sim" will be a thing of the past. The training department is currently waiting on a new sim that will allow the company to comply with the new ATP requirements. Better yet, the programming for the sim is being created from one of our actual 402's, which means it'll perform like an actual 35000 hour 402 instead of the book.

rocketman3746

[QUOTE=9kBud;1496000]lol, so it'll be slow and fly crooked? Sweet!

rvr1800

[QUOTE=9kBud;1496000]Very nice! I liked the old sim with the repurposed car seat. Much more comfortable than the real thing haha.

blaine

Whats the latest on new equipment? Also, is the per diem actually $36 per day? That would be an extra $4.50 per hour making first year captain pay $19.50 per duty hour.

Bozo the pilot

Not on your life- You will only get the per diem if you get stranded due to wx/mx and dont make it back to your base. This happened 3 times in 2 years while I was there. Points for optimism though.

blaine

Thanks, the APC page for Cape only says (Per Diem: $36)..maybe they should change that. Kind of misleading. Can you tell me about your typical day on the line. I wonder if it's anything like a big regional. I left Expressjet 4 years ago to try something different and want to come back to aviation. I don't have a plan for the future and think Cape is the type of place I'd like to try out since I'm still in my early 30's. I have 1900 hours total time of which 1400 hours is 121 turbine time on the Emb-145. I think I'll be good in the future should I be required to have turbine time somewhere, granted it's not PIC turbine but it's turbine just the same. I only have about 400 hours of PIC time and I think Cape is a good place to increase that while becoming a better rounded pilot. I dont want to get stuck in line at a regional in the $20k - 40k range for the next 5-10 years as an FO. I think I would be happy making an average of $40k-50k per year as a captain at Cape Air for the next 3-5 years and weigh my options after that. Whats most attractive to me is being home each night and having short hauls. I hated living out of hotel rooms 4 days a week and sitting in airports not getting paid. My goal is only to make a decent happy living, not a move to the majors. What do you think? Is Cape a good fit for me in your opinion?

rvr1800

Yes absolutely. Another difference to consider in addition to the ones you posted is how flexible are you with where you live? Cape Air is a very difficult job to commute to. That may have changed since I left but I don't think it has. You could be based out of training anywhere from various parts of the Midwest and Montana, to New England, to the mid Atlantic or parts of the Caribbean.

If your flexible it sounds perfect for you. It's a great place to work.

blaine

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. Can someone describe a typical day at Cape Air?