nlrfireman

Sounds a lot like my scenario. I've moved on. I really just wanted to put it out there and to see if anyone else is having the same problems. I'm only 350 away from my rATP and have been hired at Envoy already. On top of that I actually like instructing.

I take my II in the morning at 8 and my school just made me a check airman so I think those 350 hours will melt away.

It sounds like a great place to work and the experience is priceless. I'm not the one to get people in trouble but if she represented my company like this I would consider moving her out of HR.

hawk21

^ you gotta realize BTQ is still a small company and people are often overworked, especially the schedulers and dispatchers. Gotta understand this HR lady probably has a thousand other things the company wants her to do other than interviews.

thenewguyhere

This guy gets it. If you're so upset about the HR dept dropping the ball, it's probably best you don't come to BTQ. Fast growth makes this sort of thing difficult to avoid, especially in the EAS business. BTQ is doing everything it can to avoid becoming the next Seaport.

godsnotapilot

Who's getting upset? Just literally sharing experiences.

RBZL

Don't make phone calls, send messages, etc. to check on an application unless someone has tried to contact you for an interview and you're having trouble getting a hold of them using the return contact information they give. The application form says as much after you submit your resume and information.

Submit an updated resume every so often if you've acquired more hours and you're still interested, and they'll contact you if you're competitive. People seem to forget that throwing in an application doesn't guarantee an interview. When they've got so many applications, they start being picky and looking at what else you've done aside from rack up time.

Also keep in mind that hiring may slow down a bit now that DEN and PDX are a little more well-fortified, at least until another new route or two opens up.

I don't think the above was in reference to people complaining; more that BTQ is still experiencing growing pains so this type of experience is somewhat standard even when you get into the company. Management takes a while to get back to you on anything that's not critical, etc. - if you're not the type of person that can handle such an environment, BTQ probably isn't a good place for you to be right now.

If they've truly got somewhere between 30-100 apps a day, I can see why they aren't able to personally notify every person that doesn't move on to an interview. I didn't hear anything for about a month, and then I had to play phone tag for a few days after first being contacted about the HR interview, which is standard for BTQ's process. Then, it was another three weeks of radio silence until I got a call for the technical interview. This timeline/experience has been posted a few times now, so it should be expected if you're still interested in working here.

Despite all of the above, I'm still happy to be here. We have regular pax at outstations that will tell us how happy they are to have us in their town, how much better we are over the previous guys (not difficult considering who the previous guys usually were), and how great of a job we do. CSAs and pilots alike generally try to get to know the regulars, be as friendly as possible and help everyone out however we can. Word is we're trying to slow our growth by bidding high on contracts we don't want to take on yet, and we're still being awarded contracts because our reputation is spreading and towns are willing to pay more to have friendly, reliable service. It's kind of nuts but it's also a great thing to be a part of.

Whether or not it's worth the wait during the application process is up to you, of course, but as mentioned, you'll need to be competitive too.

flydaho

BTQ is a great place to work. Honestly, part of me's considering never leaving with things as is. Add in flight benefits, retirement packages, and a pay raise after year 5... Yeah, now its really tough. In your position if you want to make the majors faster envoy would be the better choice though imo. You should be at rATP min's within 4 months if you're flying hard now. With BTQ you've got a month of training where you'll see 10 hours of time, and even then there's the training contract slowing down how fast you leave. So basically you'll be at ATP min's a lot faster on your own. If one of the big airlines is your final goal then stay instructing. If having a good QOL is the end goal then maybe look at boutique.

hawk21

You can now make more first year at some regionals than captains at BTQ, have retirement and legitimate travel benefits, per diem, the list goes on. A lot of people are bailing for 121. Myself included.

If they get the charter side of things up and running I think it would be worth sticking around if you hold a good schedule but that EAS stuff gets old really fast.

Bellair

Hey everyone! New to the thread.
I am currently flying at a on-demand cargo gig and I am thinking about applying.

Just curious on how much flight time Dallas and the Denver guys are currently getting?

Thanks for the responses.

hawk21

I'm not with the company anymore but I was averaging 80-90 a month in DFW. I think I had two months I broke 100.

chrisbnsvs

Another new guy here - just read the thread from the beginning and am very grateful to all of the posters who've been so helpful and honest. I'm finishing up a professional pilot 2-year degree program, getting commercial & instrument AMEL/ASEL, and CFI (possibly CFII) ratings by the end. I'm around 440 TT (40 ME, 104 turbine) now, and ultimate objective is to fly for a major 121 carrier. A few career-oriented questions:

1) For BTQ hiring, several have said they like to hire folks with CFI - is it for the rating, or are they looking for a certain amount of dual instruction given? Would someone with a wet CFI be competitive to apply?

2) One knock on flying PC12s is that it's single engine, so you don't build multi time. A couple of graybeard, old time pilots have advised me that I might be better off instructing until meeting rATP/ATP minimums and then going to a regional. I'm skeptical, since looking at hiring mins for majors shows they're also interested in total turbine time and turbine PIC time, not just multi time - something I'd think you'd build more of sooner at a place like BTQ than doing pattern work in the right seat as a CFI. Thoughts?

3) I understand commuting isn't a good option for BTQ, but how close is considered local? For example, could a DEN based pilot live in C Springs?

Thanks especially to all the current and former BTQ folks who've posted here - your first person insights are absolutely golden for someone like me working towards a career change.