MR JT8D

Exactly.............. You wont' HAVE a life.

MR JT8D

50K for TEB with 2500 hours is NOT above average pay. Period. Paying the healthcare IS a good thing, but what is covers, and what the co-pay amount should be disclosed. Post the facts.

HSTABFAIL

MR JT8D, not sure who you are or why you think Gama is such a horrible place , I take it you have an excellent job and can look down at the rest of us. You are right the 6/3 schedule sucks, but it is being addressed. I was told the schedule when I was hired and I accepted the job, like others, knowing the 6/3 is the worst part of the gig. $50k in KTEB is not a lot of money you are correct. However if you do well in the interview you can start out at 55k, plus perdiem and benefits with an opportunity for a fairly quick upgrade so the chances of going the whole first year on the 50 or 55 k are pretty slim.
The health insurance is the main reason I took this job. At my last employer it cost me almost 10k a year just to have insurance and I still had co pays and deductibles to go along with that. Here at game the only thing you pay for is standard co pays for doctor visits. If you want to have a kid here you can do so for only a couple hundred bucks. Insurance covers your entire family and it is the best health insurance me or my wife has ever had.

For some reason you seem to have it out for Gama and Wheels up. This place is far from perfect, but from a current and active employee who has had far worse flying jobs believe me when I say Gama is one of the better options out there. We all can't be so lucky as to have our dream job, Gama is a good company, with good pay and benefits for the equipment we have. A jet first officer makes 80k plus per Diem and benefits. I have turned down captain jet positions in the past because they paid less then a first officer at Gama.
Not a company cheerleader by any means but stop beating up on the guys who want to work here. There is enough information about the pros and cons of this place for people to make their own informed decisions without your personal diatribe about why this place is so bad, to each their own.

Das Auto

OK, what's the story MR JT8D? It seems like someone at Wheels Up pee'd in your cheerios, kicked your dog, called your mom fat? Come on now, spill the beans, what happened?

Unusual Att

You are completely incorrect..find me one..just ONE job listing for a King Air F/O (regardless of location) that even touches within 5K of 50 grand and you'd still be wrong because we are talking averages not the exceptions. Gama IS the exception. Now captain pay is about average perhaps leaning more towards slightly above average.

It's a single pilot aircraft that WU and Gama have adopted into a crew operation for safety enhancement. Most King Air F/O jobs are check the box gigs for live leg insurance coverage and pay very little..Do some research..average FO pay for any KA model is between 25 and 35K.

And to anyone hired in at 50K you get popped up to 55K when you are off hi mins provided you haven't pissed anyone off.

The following is news from the line and are ONLY rumors but worth mentioning:

8/6 has been approved and to be rolled out mid summer to mid fall depending on getting some details worked out - possible small pay cut and vacation period reduced to 1 per year. Personally I think it's the short staffing right now that's delaying it going into effect. We shall see - it still may not happen at all so don't come here unless 6/3 is tolerable to you.

WU has "allegedly" inked deal for 30 to 35 more KA 305i's with the Fusion avionics package. Current fleet will possibly be retrofitted.

Not a rumor just my opinion but with all the FOs we have sitting and no PICs to pair them to I think upgrade is gonna come down from 6 months to a few weeks off OE. Word from out VNY way is there is still a guy that was in the March class that hasn't even started OE yet..so take that for what its worth.

Good luck to all applicants...and JT8D..chill out dude...your opinion is worth noting but doesn't seem to be backed up by anything other than a little weird anger towards Gama...wash out from training maybe? There have been a few lately.

Fetzervalve

8/6 schedule, more bases in lower cost cities and a clear path to the jet fleet (if you want it) would make the job a lot more appealing. Surprised your management hasn't figured that out yet. Make those changes and attrition might decline.

MR JT8D

Just ask the guys that left there. Ask them what they think..... and you have your answer.

Das Auto

I recently interviewed with Gama and was offered the position. PM me if you want to know the scoop. I'm excited to start class and looking forward to flying a new 350i for a living.

skydisaster

I spent 14 months at Gama. Feel free to ask my opinion. They are taking steps in the right direction. It took a mass exodus of pilots to get them to wake up. Like all jobs, it is the right job for some and the wrong job for others. I gained my first type rating there, got some King Air experience in a really nice airplane, and made more money than I have ever made while I was there. I have no regrets about my time there, nor do I have any regrets about moving on.

Unusual Att

Excellent post!

Annnnddd there it is...a good dose of reason amidst some truly non-factual bias.

By the way there is new official news to share with the whole class:

KCM is a done deal though pilot's have to pay for it themselves. It's slightly irritating they went that route but being only about $200 every 2 years I'm taking it as a positive.

And for those following JT8D's comments on the topic at hand...99% of everyone who left did so for better schedules. I knew most of them and still talk to half of them. And three of them want to come back as they found better schedules was not the end all to end alls they thought it was.

It is and also has been an issue of the customer service/aircraft management aspect of the job too..some pilots just can't handle flying work structured the way it is at Gama.

Now in the defense of several guys that bailed, things in the beginning created a lot of resentment between the pilots and management. There were a lot of failed polices and broken promises. I think for some the positive changes that have happened were too little too late.

Up until last week I had one foot out the door myself but a job I thought I had in the bag didn't pan out to be what I thought it was..we all have gone or will go thru that in this biz... But life changes and so do plans so I am now gonna hang in there for a bit to see what materializes.

I want anyone that wants challenging, fun and rewarding flying to come and work at Gama, but please don't come here if you are going to fall apart after a few months of 6/3 and won't do your cabin resets without your PIC having to ask you to do it 4,564,897 times for the same leg. It's the JOB people!

The reality is that Gama isn't perfect. There are some pretty frustrating issues that need to get fixed. But show me a company this size in 135 that doesn't have that? Days are long, hot, cold, tiring and stressful. The tours drag on and on some weeks. However...on payday, and anytime I need a favor from management I get reminded why I do like a good portion of working at Gama.

Don't know if it will be a "retirement" job. With the contract ending in a couple years there is no way to know. All this said guys...come here (if you come here) with your eyes wide open! There are certainly better jobs out there in 135 and in all of professional flying, but there are far far worse!