socalownthesky7

Thanks a lot RBZL,

I will hold two more weeks then.

Rockies Pilot

It just depends. I know some people that were in my training class got 2 phone interviews the same day, and some people had a week between interviews. As far as working for the company I don't know too many people that really think "morale is down". Personally I have been working here for just a couple months now and absolutely love it! Honestly best job I have ever had. but I a, coming from a crappy 91 gig. As far as job and workload as a FO it really isn't that difficult. Typical first officer duties are show up 45mins prior to departure, run a couple checklist before start, lock up bags in the back, check refreshments, pick up clearance, and get the weather information. What people complain about the most are the CDO's and scheduling. Others complain about workload but it's just typical 135 flying. If u just wanted to show up and sign off on a flight plan and put everything into an FMS then go work for the regionals. Bc honestly ur only talking about 20 mins of work to get the plane ready for the PAX at the most. If ur somebody around 500hrs this is honestly the best gig out there and I was so happy when I got hired. Being Denver based kinda sucks bc of the cost of living but the experience you gain is so worth it bc every leg I fly I'm logging XC, TurboProp, IMC, and usually night as well. That's way better than logging useless Day VFR time in a c150 or piper archer. Ohh and the Pilatus is such a great and versatile aircraft very easy to transition to if you haven't flown anything other than trainers, and it is honestly the best plane for the 135 EAS routes. If anyone has any questions or curious about anything feel free to PM me I would be more than willing to answer any questions.

socalownthesky7

Thanks a lot Rockie pilot,

scorpius

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. Nice to be here and to meet all of you!

Just really quick: I've read this thread in its entirety. I've been a United Airlines ramp agent for the last 10 years. Actually, I started with Continental back in '06, was a lead for a few years during the merger and then went back to a regular agent so I could get better schedule flexibility. I got my Private in 2008, Instrument in 2009, Commercial in 2013. I recently went to a CFI crash course and it was crazy because the kid who gave my spin endorsement took his first lesson as a student pilot after I had already got my commercial ticket! It's been a long road and definitely a grind at times, but I've had a lot of fun at CO/UA and seen much of the rest of the world.. at the expense of my knees and lower back!

I have a friend who is a Skywest CA and he had given a BTQ guy a jumpseat (I believe) and he was the one who told me about your company. After reading the thread I can see the Boutique pilot group is pretty tightly knit and there's been a lot of helpful information given out to those who have been interested, even the window shoppers. Of course there will always be people who are negative about everything, but that's just everywhere and especially in the airline industry. It all boils down to upbringing and your life experiences. As someone earlier in the thread mentioned, if you've worked your share of crappy jobs in the past.. you likely learned something from all of them. You can't go to school for that.

Anyway I will get to the point. I don't have the TT to be competitive for a flying job there with you yet but I wanted to reach out to you guys to see what advice you might have to make me a good candidate for SIC, that could help me get hired sometime early or mid-next year 2017. Any suggestions are welcome. At this time I hold a Commercial Single only with an Advanced Ground Instructor certificate. I didn't get to finish the CFI course, but I intend on finishing it here in Texas. I plan on instructing and grinding out a few hundred hours but I'll keep my resume in the system at Boutique and network as much as I can during that time. I really like the Pilatus and I don't really care for flying a twin at this point in my career. Boutique is my first choice and I will be as persistent as I can at getting a job there.

Some questions if I may --

• What bases are in most need of pilots at present?
• What values do you and your company look for in a fellow pilot? (company culture)
• Any "gotcha" type questions during the phone interview?
• What did you use to study for before day 1 of training?
• What books did you hit up regularly before even applying?
• Did anyone have a PC12 flightsim profile set-up to prepare?
• Which legs/approaches/wx/ops would you find the most challenging in your everyday flying?

Also if there are any DFW pilots here that would like some BBQ and a beer on my dime, please PM me and I can come out there and annoy you with my questions I live in Houston. I can also answer any questions for someone interested in United's hiring process formula or any questions about Mesa or Skywest for those wanting to get into the 121 world. Those of you who have offered a receive PM's I will definitely be contacting you after I get a few more posts under my belt.

Thanks for everything! It's been quite a read.
scorpius

RBZL

Yessir. We have quite the variety of pilots, from the young and barely 20's to the 40s/50s looking for good QOL. There are whiners and cool ones in all the age groups.

Instructor experience and applying around 600 hours seems to be the ideal thing to do right now.

1. They all need pilots every few months, as the job is still a stepping stone for most. DEN has seen a lot of growth lately. PDX just opened and an entire new hire class was dedicated to it, so they may need more or they may be good for a bit.
2. Even though trips are short, we still want you to be a tolerable person to be around. We're in front of the pax all day, so our appearance and conduct is important. Aside from that, being knowledgeable on the airplane and the operation once you get through training and not being lazy on the minimal things your job entails are looked upon highly by other pilots and the CSAs.
3. Not really, they're all very straightforward. I avoid giving out gouges because it's all truly basic knowledge and if you can't make it through the interview on your own, you probably shouldn't be here (not meant in a rude/condescending way, it's just that training assumes you're good on basics and doesn't have time to babysit you).
4. Not a lot - you'll be given computer based training to start on, it's a huge pain in the ass. 40-50 hours of material, a lot of it not applicable to a small 135 operation like ours but it all has to be completed anyway.
5. I tried to look at a PC-12 POH but didn't get very far. I also brushed up on IR basics via study guides and everything from my IR checkride. I did some basic 135 studying with things like "Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot" but it wasn't necessary for the interview - since I didn't have 135 experience, they didn't expect me to know anything about it.
6. No - there's a basic XPlane sim set up in the crew house at training but the controls are jacked up and it's not very useful for what you'll be doing in training anyway.
7. Where I'm at we have two different trips, and they're both pretty straightforward. WX at night can be fun (thunderstorms/strong echos), but we have weather radar and center is usually helpful. Getting in and out of the Bravo is probably the busiest part of the flying, and that isn't even too bad if you're on top of radios.

Honda400F

Also if there are any DFW pilots here that would like some BBQ and a beer on my dime, please PM me and I can come out there and annoy you with my questions I live in Houston. I can also answer any questions for someone interested in United's hiring process formula or any questions about Mesa or Skywest for those wanting to get into the 121 world. Those of you who have offered a receive PM's I will definitely be contacting you after I get a few more posts under my belt.

Thanks for everything! It's been quite a read.
scorpius[/QUOTE]
Work on getting your TT competitive as fast as you can. Work on your last paragraph...get to know the pilots at BTQ and try and get an internal recommendation. You'll like flying the PC12 plus it's a great transitional aircraft that will help you in training with a regional jet. When your ready, apply at SKW to get your friend that recruiting bonus plus you'll get your 135 bonus.

scorpius

Thanks guys for answering my questions and offering your recommendations. I will definitely be going to try and meet some of you guys when I get done with my CFI. Time to get back to lesson planning.. ugh.

PowerMan

Hi all, quick question for current Boutique guys/gals. What is your jumpseat status? CASS participants? Profile shows just two cabin reciprocals. I may need to hitch a ride out of Cortez, CO.

Flyin J

If you have a valid airline ID then you can ride on Boutique.

PowerMan

Thanks J...