Check out aviationinterviews.com most of the gouges there have ~1000TT. I got hired with 625TT/95ME. All of the other candidates in my interview group had >1000TT.

I got on with 622tt/54multi.

I'm going to interview in a few weeks; logbook right now 670/65.

Congratulations to all of those whom we have hired.

Good luck to all of those selected for interviews.

Our official classes so far are Apr 23 (32 new hires) and May 7 (15 new hires). So far, all of the new hires will be Saab F/O's. I am as surprised as any at the number of lateral moves occuring. Seems that many more people than I thought are willing to take a 24 month seat lock to fly the new jet.

It is official now that the A-model Saab is no longer part of our training. For those of you who may have training material from friends or other contacts, you can disregard any limitations or systems items related to the A-model airplane. We operate only B+ Saab's now :)

Couple of general points...

Beards and/or Goatees are not allowed.
Flight Cases must be black
Initial uniform costs are shared and will be payroll deducted at $25/check until the obligation is met.
New hires accrue vacation at .58 days per MONTH (7 days per year). Vacation is accrued to be used in the FOLLOWING year. (You have no vacation your first year here)

PM me if any of you have additional questions prior to starting training. Welcome aboard!

RJ85FO, I can't send you a PM... Any clue on where I could find copies of the limitations and mem items?

Once you get to class, you will be given access to the internal website. On there you will find a lot of Saab Training material, including the limitations, memory items, test questions etc.

We would much rather have you come to class having reviewed the AIM, FAR 121 and staying proficient in your instrument scan. You will have PLENTY of time to learn the limitations and memory items when you get to class. It is actually easier to learn the memory items and limitations as you are learning each system...memorizing just the words will not help you in the long run.

Mesaba has a very tried and true training program. You will be more than prepared for your oral and PC after going through training. We have had the Saab for over 10 years now, and the training program has evolved to be quite thorough in coverage. (As long as you are not a partier at night!!)

Enjoy your time off prior to coming to training. We will feed you from the fire hose when you get here.

Good Luck.

I second what RJ 85 said. Enjoy your time at home and come to training with a good scan. They can teach you all saab stuff. welcome aboard. :)

Thanks for the kind words that puts me at ease.

I am starting in the July class (no exact date yet, they said they will let me know later) with 1700TT/50ME (probably around 1800/60 by the time training starts). I am excited to get into the Saab systems--would love to get some training materials beforehand but I will enjoy my two months before jumping in.

Do enjoy your time before training. I know how exciting it is to be coming to your first 121 job and learning a new and more complex aircraft. I can tell you though, that there are two weeks of Indoc/General Subjects before you get into aircraft systems. You cannot bog down, even now trying to learn the airplane. We need your head clear to absorb the General Subjects material: Ops Specs, Customer Service Plan, Dispatch procedures, Flight Crew responsibilities, Non-Normal Ops, Security, Preflight planning, weather, alternate minimums, takeoff minimums, Charters, VFR, part 91 legs, Dangerous Goods, Passenger handling, cargo handling, weight and balance, performance calculations, enroute considerations, diversions, ground operations, winter weather aspects, international operations, Maintenance, uniforms, manuals, jepps, etc!!!!

You get the idea. The general subjects stuff is the stuff that can put your certificate at risk on the line. Landing after the tower closes and not having "approved" weather can land you in a LOI with the FAA. Not remembering what temperature the Duct Overheat light comes on at is not as critical.

I know this is free advice, and you get what you pay for, but I am going to say it again. Be free, enjoy life as it is now. Things are going to be much differnet as we shape you into a Mesaba pilot. Fun, exiting and challenging times are ahead. We look forward to having you, and we will help you get through training. There are lots of resources available once you are here.

All good stuff and thanks for the info! It should be fun to be a student again.

Now I just have to sell my house so I can move . . .

Are you a pilot for Mesaba?

I am a Mesaba pilot, yes :)

I have 1500 tt about 1400 pic with comm , inst and a mult rating .Only 10 hours in a twin I am from north east Ar so I am not far from MEM .How hard would it be for me to get on with Mesaba???

RJ85FO,
I"m in the May 7th class date. Just wondering how long do you think it will take to get MSP, also approx how long with training last? Lastly what will my seniority look like when its all said and done (end of 08") thanks for all your info.

You'll be ahead of me ... . :)

For now, we need 50 multi.

Doesn't hurt to apply though. Go to the website, fill out the online app, attach your resume and keep it updated as you continue to build time. If our hiring minimums change, at least you will be in the stack to be considered.

MSP could be 6 months or more...really depends on attrition and how the staffing works out with the CRJ and Saab upgrades.

Initial training is 1 week of indoctrination, 1 week of general subjects, 2 weeks of systems, 2 weeks of sim (roughly). Total of 5.5-6 weeks here in Eagan. IOE will start soon after training is done and then you will begin your "green line" or consolodation of knowledge flying the line in your domicile.

Our seniority list ends at 580 today. Next week we will add 32 more, so 612 in round numbers. Depending where you fall in your class on the 7th, you will be in the 613-627 range. By the time we get all 36 CRJ's by the end of 08, you stand a good chance of having at least one opportunity to upgrade. We are still losing about 10-15 per month to greener pastures.

thanks for the quick response. when XJ had there 36 Avros how many did you have on your list?

920-950.

Ideal staffing numbers for 49 Saabs and 36 CR9's puts us in the 950-970 range. This may reduce slightly as the pilot group will go to PBS (Preferential Bidding System) in 2008.

When we had 36 Avros and 49 Saabs, junior captains (SF3 MEM Reserve) were 620ish on the list.

So how much flying time can we realistically expect in the Saab over the next year and what is the best way to get the most?

Average line holder will block about 87 hours per month. On reserve, hard to predict. With all the training going on, I would expect utilization of reserves to be pretty high.

You can pick up trips in open time so long as you don't go below 10 days off per month. So if you have 11 off in your schedule, you can only pick up one extra day of flying. Open time flying pays at 1.5 times your normal rate, so it is a way to make some extra $ as well.

avg days off for DTW this month was 14 days off. only a few lines had less days off. :) It's gonna be a mad house with people upgrading and there will be many trips in open time from FO's who are upgrading and had their lines dropped to go ground school.

If you want to fly, you'll get it. Tell Crew scheduling you want "first out reserve." Back during my first divorce :) I called scheduling and told them to get me out of the house to keep my sanity. They flew me a ton.

Cool, I fly pretty much 7 days a week now so thanks for the advice.

I want to apply for a job at Mesaba but don't have my Passport yet....i applied a few weeks ago and won't get it until June sometime, should I still apply or do I have to wait till the passport is in my hands?

You don't need the passport for the interview. I paid the extra $$$ to get mine expedited, and it still took 5 weeks, FWIW.

Do any of you Mesaba guys know Brian Freerking? He's probably a CA on the Saab now...?

Yes, Brian is a DTW Saab Captain.

If you get the chance, tell him Jeremy,one of his old Beaumont Wings students said hi. I'd appreciate it. He was my PPL instructor in '97. LOL..... :p

Does mesaba frown upon guys that went out and bought their multi time?

Cool! A waco pilot! I took a ride in one of those back 2001 at a Georgia airshow in Mallards Landing. Fun plane! :D

Anyway, I don't think they'll frown on the purchased multi-time. My dad has talked to a few guys at SKW, comair, PSA and Pinnacle who actually went out an bought a twin engine (partner share of course) and built time that way. When they finished building up a lot of time, they either sold the plane together or sold their share of the A/C. This has actually been a pretty cost effective way of building ME time. I'm thinking about doing this when I return to SC.

Whoa, I worked at BMT Wings in '04-'05.

FWIW, I bought a little bit of multi time in the fall (before they even signed the TA/started hiring again). It wasn't very much, and it was just to take a trip down the East Coast... but it didn't even come up in the interview. However, it wasn't one of the Ari-Ben type deals where you buy 100 hours and fly around Florida for a few weeks, either.

LOL..wow! How much flying did you do? They hardly had any planes last time I was there and I don't think any were IFR certified. No multi. Gotta pay my respects though...that is where I learned to fly :).

check your pm's

For those of you coming to Mesaba in the May 7 class. Today's vacancy award shows that you will all be based in DTW.

Thanks for the updates. Any insight on how long it would take to hold MEM?

If we keep seeing vacancies every two weeks, I am thinking you would be able to transfer to MEM before you are done with training. MEM is the junior base...just that it became overstaffed with the furlough recalls and the new hire class that started yesterday. Things are starting to disperse now, so I would assume MEM will have openings on each vacancy going forward.

No the new hires will go to mem the BID award out right now is for the current new hires to bid to detroit.(the april 23 class)

I have to disagree with you on that one.

The April 23rd class was awarded MEM on 07-03. They were not eligible to preference bid a different domicile on 07-04. (If they were, it would show their names not "New Hire." The award is for the May 7 class and is DTW.

I will clarify with F.S. if we are still in disagreement.