Cape Air
#1251
New Hire
Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 6
Cuba will be a race to bottom for air and sea operators. Competition is good while the stampede for Cuba will be whoever can hold out the longest while losing money against each other. Jetblue and at least one of the cruise operators already announced operations there.
#1255
New Hire
Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 6
Depends on the base, average loads, and season. If you are flying as FO on routes to the Nantucket or Vineyard the flights are not long and your chances of getting bumped for passenger is pretty good since they have walk-ups at last minute.
EAS routes are a toss-up. You can bumped at out-station first flight and lose half (or all) of your day but still get paid before possibly jumping on in second half of day. Or make it to BOS, STL, SJU... and jump on some other flights if you get bumped. Some routes you very rarely get bumped and then if with high mins Captain or autopilot inop and possible weather you are safe.
Successful people seem to be ones who get on with other pilots, station agents, and flight ops and have everything sorted before they ask to be put on different flight instead of "is there anything for me to do?." Then there is bag plane in St.Louis and Fort Leonard Wood where as FO you won't get bumped but some captains/PIC will fly probably whether there is any need and others that go only when they have too.
Transitions, getting put on flights to paint shop, with high-min captain, etc. Then you get 1200 hours you are PIC and can fly mail, transitions, repo/rescue/mx flights.
The Islanders don't use FO's given the limitations of the aircraft already. The seaplane operation uses FO's but so far they seem to have busy days and non-busy days.
Personally I would hope to be FO in bigger airport and hope that ability to jump on and off scheduled line would be worth the sacrifice of higher living costs unless you are from area. BOS and Hyannis are expensive, St Louis not so much and you have train right to airport but some shady areas like East St. Louis, Billings is cheap I guess but not sure about public transport. San Juan cheap for most but guess utilities high and again not sure about public transport and there is no-go type areas.
EAS routes are a toss-up. You can bumped at out-station first flight and lose half (or all) of your day but still get paid before possibly jumping on in second half of day. Or make it to BOS, STL, SJU... and jump on some other flights if you get bumped. Some routes you very rarely get bumped and then if with high mins Captain or autopilot inop and possible weather you are safe.
Successful people seem to be ones who get on with other pilots, station agents, and flight ops and have everything sorted before they ask to be put on different flight instead of "is there anything for me to do?." Then there is bag plane in St.Louis and Fort Leonard Wood where as FO you won't get bumped but some captains/PIC will fly probably whether there is any need and others that go only when they have too.
Transitions, getting put on flights to paint shop, with high-min captain, etc. Then you get 1200 hours you are PIC and can fly mail, transitions, repo/rescue/mx flights.
The Islanders don't use FO's given the limitations of the aircraft already. The seaplane operation uses FO's but so far they seem to have busy days and non-busy days.
Personally I would hope to be FO in bigger airport and hope that ability to jump on and off scheduled line would be worth the sacrifice of higher living costs unless you are from area. BOS and Hyannis are expensive, St Louis not so much and you have train right to airport but some shady areas like East St. Louis, Billings is cheap I guess but not sure about public transport. San Juan cheap for most but guess utilities high and again not sure about public transport and there is no-go type areas.
#1256
New Hire
Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 6
I believe they are looking for more seaplane pilots because they are not going to give the entire pilot group a big raise because they're flying a few seaplanes in small niche operation and at some point they are going to have to be put on seniority list and join the union. I think the likely situation was that the captains on the seaplanes have already or will move on, or to management/flying/training role (or over to different Resorts World aircraft), and FO's will move up to captain and first officers will be hired to replace their spot at salary more in line with current Cape pay. The NYC-Mass seaplane operation would be something that would take quite a while to set-up.
#1257
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jan 2013
Posts: 23
Is there a contract for first officers who don't get their atp's with cape air? Say a FO wanted to build time to 1500 hours and then leave and get their atp at a part 121.
Last edited by Bassetjet; 06-14-2015 at 06:13 PM. Reason: different question
#1258
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2014
Posts: 44
If you were hired today you wouldn't see the line until September or later. Unless something changes. If you want to build time it might be a good idea to go somewhere that training won't be 3+ months. Its a cool place without a doubt but we are hurting in the training dept.
#1259
New Hire
Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 6
Cape don't need FO's in it's main aircraft, so yea there would be a problem with a pilot using them purely as time building. The biggest being that you would be much better off at a busy flight school if all you care about is hours. Now, will it stop you getting a job at a regional right now? No. But you lose the ability to ever come back and any potential employer that calls is told you left on bad terms. Again, probably not enough to stop some regional from hiring you right now, but at some point you are going to get laid off and need a place to go, or move up and have interviews with United, Jetblue, American, etc. Most of which have relationships with Cape and the management there. So I would say that is is short-sighted but it does happen.
As for the training department, they have a sim and a bunch of spare aircraft around right now. This winter the weather was so bad that you had aircraft getting stuck at out-stations and spare aircraft at Hyannis being the few without GPS or boots. Speaking of training, I would much prefer to mess up at Cape and get given a 2nd or 3rd chance than booted out of class at a regional.
If you want to fly regional then stick to flight instructing, getting hired for peanuts for first few years flying bigger equipment, being treated like crap at both, and hoping that you pass training and that the airline doesn't fold before you move to the left seat and get enough hours. Otherwise you will spend few years at Cape and then take a paycut going to bigger regional.
As for the training department, they have a sim and a bunch of spare aircraft around right now. This winter the weather was so bad that you had aircraft getting stuck at out-stations and spare aircraft at Hyannis being the few without GPS or boots. Speaking of training, I would much prefer to mess up at Cape and get given a 2nd or 3rd chance than booted out of class at a regional.
If you want to fly regional then stick to flight instructing, getting hired for peanuts for first few years flying bigger equipment, being treated like crap at both, and hoping that you pass training and that the airline doesn't fold before you move to the left seat and get enough hours. Otherwise you will spend few years at Cape and then take a paycut going to bigger regional.
#1260
On Reserve
Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 11
DO NOT come here to time build. It's wrong to build time here as FO, then leave at 1500. It's a shame that people are so eager to go to a regional to fly something "big" and still not make enough money to pay bills and live comfortably. Someone who comes to Cape and fulfills the 1 year after ATP requirement will have a lot of great experience and stick skills. The 402 is a lot of fun, and you will definitely not be broke on captain pay. Come here and learn PIC stuff, enjoy CASS, and the pay.
Also, Cape Air is stable. What's the status of any other regional airline over the next 10 years? What if in 5 years when I'm at a regional, it tanks, or there is some global event that hurts the industry again and I'm furloughed? If I honored my commitment at Cape, I'll be hired again. And sure, I can't read the future and promise Cape will be totally healthy, but there's little evidence of any trouble. And I'd hate to burn this bridge.
Also, Cape Air is stable. What's the status of any other regional airline over the next 10 years? What if in 5 years when I'm at a regional, it tanks, or there is some global event that hurts the industry again and I'm furloughed? If I honored my commitment at Cape, I'll be hired again. And sure, I can't read the future and promise Cape will be totally healthy, but there's little evidence of any trouble. And I'd hate to burn this bridge.
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