Hi all, trying to gather some Intel on the regional market for a friend who is going to reach ATP mins in the next 4-6 months.

How is piedmont? Is it a place you'd recommend working?? How many hours per month do most guys get? How is the flow etc? Anything would be helpful and if you think somewhere else would be better please explain why.

For context he is not a CFI and has no degree but has gotten time by flying literally everywhere in the lower 48 and is currently logging 150-200 hours a month. I know he doesn't have the boxes checked that envoy or PSA require but he's a great stick just doesn't have all the resume stuff that recruiters look for.

Thank you.

 

Not a PT dude but I'd assume it's pretty comparable to other WO's and 50-seat RJ's in general. Budget for 75 hour guarantee, if you have the opportunity to pick up open time more power to you. I'd also assume the flow is the same as MQ/OH, roughly 7 years.

Not sure why PDT would be more open to hire someone outside their cadet program/without a degree than CommutAir, GoJet, etc. The market has cooled down considerably from 2022-23 and there are very few 1500-hour GA dudes getting called to 121 without some sort of leverage; either a cadet program, military, aviation degree, bonking the HR lady, etc. He may have to go and get 91/135 time in a Caravan or wherever he can get hired to get multi/turbine PIC; not having a CFI/CFII/MEI is definitely a negative and hopefully he has a lot of hard IFR time to make up for it.

 

Well, he’d have to go .76 to the fix…
PDT he’ll block around 60-70hrs a month.
No degree is going to hurt him trying to escape to a legacy. Flow realistically has been 6.5-7 years, vs 5 years advertised. One of my classmates used his ratings to enter LU online as a Junior to finish up his degree on an accelerated timeline.
PDT is a workhorse regional that’s feels like it’s perpetually understaffed. He’d likely have a better schedule and QOL at other regionals aside from Commutair or Mesa.
He should look to joining PDTs or one of the other AA WO cadet programs. He’ll be prioritized for class dates as long as they’re hiring when he gets his house.

 

ATP mins doesn’t really mean much anymore. He should be networking for non-121 jobs

 

Having been "around the block", I can honestly say that the best regional I've experienced is Endeavor, hands down.

Compare a 600+ page EDV contract to the 150 pages at PDT (plus 60(!) letters of agreement) for a start.

That said - if PHL or CLT base is important to you, then yes Piedmont makes sense...so does PSA for that matter.

 

Tell your friend that almost ZERO CJOs are coming at ATP mins, unless they are a cadet. Great option is to start looking at 135s, SP Cargo, etc. Just finished up a conference with about 4000 attendees. Many of the regionals had unresticted ATPs with over 2000h standing in line anywhere from 3-4h. Shoot, even PlaneSense line was bout 1.5h long with 1800-2000h pilots pining for the face time.

 

No training contract or vaccine requirement. Life is great here.

 

That no contract is a game changer these days! I wish I was able to wait in the line for Piedmont, but had to leave for the airport.

 

Who has a vaccine requirement?