Any info on Gama/WheelsUp?
 

Looking for info on WheelsUP/Gama. Lowish time and some jet. Will this make a difference? Are they hiring into the Excel, or coming out of the King Air. How's the QOL and morale?

How much is "lowish" time?
I believe the minimums are 2,500 hours for First Officer and 3,500 for direct entry Captain.

I would say that most, if not all of the hiring is for the King Air. There are plenty of highly qualified pilots flying the King Air right now who are waiting for their number to come up to move over to the Excel.

Last I heard from guys at WU, only guys with BE30 types in hand and the 3500 TT get hired as direct entry captains. Turnover is about what you would expect. Those that I talk to live it since the schedule change last year

I'm loving flying for them. But it's not for everyone. Slinging bags, vacuuming, restocking the supplies, and removing the "honey bucket" (lav) are just a few of the things that keep you moving during an 8 day tour. Along with having a company credit card, you must reconcile said card on a regular basis. Also the captain of record is responsible for doing all of the daily paperwork, which isn't a lot if you keep on top of it, but it is time consuming.

Some questions:

1. For those transitioning to the Kingair without that specific experience, how do they like flying the KA350? Easy/fun to fly? Are pilots flying both the PL21 and the ProLine Fusion Kingairs? Will all Kingairs use Fusion eventually?
2. For someone meeting minimums as an FO, what is the likely upgrade time to Captain on the KA? Seems like you guys are expanding quite a bit.
3. Lastly, any new rumors regarding potential larger jet aircraft than the Excel? I would expect your customer base wants nonstop transcon capability at some point............

I didn't have any 350 time coming in, and only about 100 hrs KA time coming in. I like it, not as fast as the Piaggio I flew before, but a good solid aircraft. Some people are doing differences training at there scheduled training event (I did) but I think once you transition, you get a few tours in the Fusion before being scheduled back in the 21. However, I haven't flown the Fusion yet. No not all the KingAirs will be Fusion. The rumor is that textron will be transitioning to a Garmin product in the near future.

I started in late February, I've only flown just under a couple hundred hours and I'm in the upgrade process. A lot of weight is put on merit. I also have quite a bit of 135 PIC experience, though.

There's always rumors of different aircraft, but we aren't in charge of that. We don't own the aircraft. Wheels Up does. We work for Gama Aviation. The customers like flying on the KingAirs, I flew a couple from NC to Fresno, CA a couple weeks ago.

It looks like the guys that started on the 6/3 schedule are really happy with the change to 8/6, but I'm a little worried that it may be a little long to be out there. I also saw in another thread that there was a lack of communication and the line guys are kept in the dark. Has this changed?

Nope. Sure hasn't. Everything comes as a surprise or heard second hand. You get used to it.

What are First Officer minimums as of right now?
I've heard some pilots graduate college and instead of flight instructing they fly for Wheels Up King Airs. Is that true or is this a company that wants more experience?

Um. Yeah that's definitely not true.