Fly2k

Yes once you include overtime, incentive pay, and overnight per diem it really adds up quickly. You can make 50-60k first year without too much effort, 80-100k if you work lots of 6 days.

Nopasta

In training now for a FO position. They want you to pass. They said the guys that washout (not 50% and not very often) are the people who come here and treat it as a vacation. Come here work hard, study,learn the flows, and keep an open mind you will do fine. If you struggle with something they will try their hardest to get you through it.

Pay isn’t the greatest as a FO but I’ve already seen OT just in ground school. Also they are in the process of a new contract for pay.

As for the contract, I figure it will take about a yr to get from 500 to the 1500. Now don’t forget that you upgrade to PIC at 1200. Then a yr from 1500 I will have around 2500hrs and a Atp. From there you could go direct entry captain flying a jet for a regional with a hefty bonus. Oh and the guys that are upgrading get through quick as they have priority trading over us pilots in training. A buddy of mine was here just over a week upgrading to captain.

I will admit I had my hesitations, but now I can say I wish I could have gotten here sooner. Cape is a great company and they treat their employees like gold. Yes you will work your butt off, but you will get great experience here that will further you in any flying career (especially airline) you choose to go to after.

SWLogic

Also are pilots at Cape Air usually home at their bases at the end of the day or are they living out of hotel room so during their duty week?

Rcordeiro122592

Pilots based in Billings typically overnight in the outstations they get put up in a hotel and I believe its $36 in per diem. Pilots based else where can expect to be home every night.

Fly2k

You're typically at home in your base unless you're out in montana, then you have overnights at the hotel which company pays for. If you ever get stuck outside your home base they will set you up with a hotel room, transportation, and per diem. I'm probably a minority but my first year as a FO/PIC I made over 43k.

KaiGywer

So for someone who wants BIL (like me), but have to commute there (by commute I mean drive 450 miles or take a DL flight through MSP or UA through DEN), is this feasible?

Are the schedules similar to regionals to where I can show up Day 1. Fly all day, overnight in outstation. Fly all day 2 etc etc until Day 4? Or would I need to get a crashpad in Billings? Also, GDV is only about a 2.5 hour drive for me, are there flights from there early enough to jumpseat into BIL to pick up the trip?

Rcordeiro122592

I am guessing the 450 mile drive would be about 5-6 hours and that may be alot quicker than jumpseating on 2 legs. I drive 3 and a half hours to my base and have a crashpad for my days on. Depending on what schedule you get for Billings it may be possible to jump on the GDV flight to BIL, there is one every day that leaves GDV at 7am and 2:30pm.

MaxMar

Received an offer today! May 29th class. I'm real close to PIC mins and would probably FO for 2-3 months just to build my XC time up. I'm still weighing options and have some other offers too. Could someone please give me a rundown comparison between Cape Air, Tradewind, Boutique, PlaneSense, and Exec Airshare?

dera

I doubt there's anyone who has first hand experience with all of the companies.

Cape Air (second hand info): Multi time, but it's piston time so no turbine PIC. Pretty basic equipment. Never heard a bad thing about their operations. PIC time counts towards your 121 PIC requirements. They fly a lot.
Tradewind: Turbine PIC time, complex plane with real multi-crew training and environment, PIC time does not count for 121 PIC. Fly a lot. Awesome company. Better pay than Cape. Choose your base etc right and company pays for your housing for a big chunk of the year.
PlaneSense/EAS/Boutique, no clue.

MaxMar

Interesting. Why is this the case at TW and not CA?