New AWAC Mins
 

Well... Air Wisconsin has joined the rest of them:
Minimums

• 500 hours total flight time
• 125 hours multi-engine
• ATP written within 1yr of hire
• 1st class medical
• Valid passport

*Pilots must have a High School Diploma or equivalent, provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S., and must be able to read, write, understand and converse proficiently in English, the common/universal language of aviation.

http://www.airwis.com/car_pilots.htm?linkSrc=6

I never thought I would see that happen...

Skywest is next. Hopefully?

The only regionals left at 1000/100 are Skywest, Republic, and Horizon. Gee... I wonder why?? Maybe because they are the best regionals out there (with XJT). Eagle is at 800/100. Lakes is at 750/50 (how are they still this high??) Otherwise, everyone is 600/100 and BELOW. Very interesting times.

What happens when mins hit commercial/multi for most regionals? Hiring bonuses seem to be a short term answer. Is there becoming a CFI shortage? How are part 135's doing? Banner tow, traffic watch, skydivers... Does anyone have some real life experiences or numbers that show they are experiencing shortages?

My old flight school can barely hold on to CFI's for 6 months. They're leaving for regionals on a monthly basis. The funny thing is, a CFI there makes more than an FO at any regional.

The numbers are in the first post of this thread.

When I was hired 3 years ago it was 1500 total time. I don't remember the M/E requirement. Most of the people in my class had had previous 121 experience. That fact that they are setting mins this low means that they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel now for applicants.

The real shortage isn't here yet. But it's coming and this is evidence of that shortage.

Republic is hiring folks straight out of Purdue with 500 hours and a CFI and hired Delta Connection pilots with 800 hours when minimums for everybody else were a hard 1500/300. Horizon has hired low-time UND grads for YEARS. Skywest is hiring pilots with 800/850 hours from ATP and has hired friends of mine under 1000tt that have been 121 current. To claim that these airlines are somehow still holding the qualifications bar high is foolishly naive at best and downright wrong at worst.

How is the pilot shortage affecting things outside of the regionals? I was offered a 135 captain position on a light jet recently and I am just short of 2000tt...

I spoke to a guy at the career fair in Orlando who confirmed this, Im no where near 125 multi though. He says they are hiring for attrition only. My guess is that they weren't getting a lot of high-time guys and gals applying despite their good contract because most know that there is no growth and upgrade takes a while.

Ok, so for you AWAC guys out there, what is the best way to get their attention aside from flying to ATL and giving Kit Darby $150? I submitted my resume online about 3 weeks ago with 1670tt/430me and haven't heard anything.

Submit your resume via online, email, fax, snail mail, etc. Update it every 2-3 weeks. If you know anybody that works here, have them forward your info to Employee Relations.

As much as it pains me to say it...Air, Inc. might be the easiest route, especially since they are doing interviews on the spot there.

I know a girl that just got hired here with 450 total, 60 multi... no reccomendations. Was hired in Orlando at one of these fairs. Looks like we're getting desperate just like everyone else.

Boiler---I hope you took the light jet CA job :)

My wife makes decent coin, her job isn't transferable and neither of us are interested in starting a family right now. That and the fact she said she would be so miserable she would divorce me caused me to (very reluctantly) decline it. That said, it was extremely difficult to pass up a free type, PIC time, a move back into the midwest and fair (but not great) compensation. Did I mention no more PHL or LGA?

Surprisingly enough, I love my wife more than my career...I hope that pays off in the long term better than the job change would have:D ;)

I agree with boilerup on this one. To say this is downright wrong. I guess now that AWAC lowered there mins, they are with all the other bottom feeders now? Wrong and ignorant to say. Sorry, just kinda pulled my chain alittle on this one. Im not saying AWAC is the best, i think there are better, but its a damn good company.

I'm in the same boat man.... 2100tt, and I passed up a King Air 200 job. Nice to have a better half that makes good $$$

I know the flight school I'm working for in Eastern PA is short on instructors. It's a busy place w/ a lot of Community College kids training there. They just lost a guy to Colgan and I'm not expecting to be around too much longer either. I'm not sure if this is a nationwide trend or just a local one, though.

I read a post somewhere that said there were more CFIs than students out there. My question is how many of those CFIs are actually employed as CFIs at flight schools (not just keeping current for their own sake or flying as a check airman at an airline)? Maybe some of the other guys and gals out there might have some more experience in other areas of the country.

In terms of AWAC's mins....I'm surprised they came down with everyone else. Does anyone think the trend will continue even with the better regionals out there like Republic?

I also have submitted my resume to AWAC several weeks ago and sent them a quick follow up email today to let them know i saw they lowered their mins. and Iam still very interested. They then shot me an email back saying they do have my resume and they will call me if they would like to conitne witht the hiring process. I am really still thinking that going to ATL to the job fair to meet themin person may be much better. I have 450TT 100 ME any thoughts on if this is a good idea>??

I called them today as well to follow up and was pleasantly suprised that they promptly returned my call to give me the same message. No other airline has bothered to return my followup call or call me for an interview despite supposedly being desperate pilots.

Go to ATL!!! They along with a lot of other regionals are doing interviews on the spot. Two perks... 1) No Sim during the interview.... 2) See what AWAC has to offer vs. SkyW, ASA, and all the others that will be there.

How long ago did you orignially apply??? Are you planning on going to ATL because I'm thinking that may be the best way to getan interview. Not sure though.......what else have you heard about them??? From what I gather it seems like a great company with good payand they are stable (for the moment).

Great , I most likely will go to ATL then. It costs $160 from what I saw online..is this correct? ANd form what I gather fromthe gouges AWAC seems more HR driven in the interview than Tech. driven??? Correct me if I am wrong.

Most of the CA's I have been flying with are noticing this trend..................They say the FO's with the lowest amount of time usually have the most arrogance to them.................funny I thought they would be the most humble of them all

Exactly... I have spoken with SEVERAL captains that have said the exact same thing... one of them was even an OE captain...

Well that makes sense. Most (not all) 300tt guys haven't been scared in the airplane yet. They still feel pretty invincible and act like they are hot ****. A couple hundred hours preventing students from killing you or praying your 135 check runner holds together in the ice will educate you on your own mortality. I know I did some pretty stupid things when I was first flying for cash.

Check hauling made me respect airplanes.... enough said. As for ATL---the $160 is what it is (******* Kit Darby). I don't agree with it... but at the same time, I'm sure they're not doing any kind of sim test in ATL (which if you go to our HQ in ATW you are pos. space to MKE, rent a car, drive to ATW, sim prep+hotel... its an expensive trip). The most technical question I got during my interview was "What kind of engine does the C-402 have on it? How much HP?" And I could've said... Its a Toro FX305-16, 300hp/side, and ran on peanut oil and I don't think anyone would've known the difference.

Its more of a get to know you deal. ATL would be sweet cause you can compare AWAC vs. Eagle vs. Skywest etc. I'd be all over it if I was looking just getting into 121.

LOL!!!! Too true. Talk to any CA and most will say that.

"Of course I know everything, says the young FO to his CA as he is filling out his logbook at 38,000 feet making sure he enters the .1 IMC he got during the climb out. I'll be sitting over on your side in a few short months. I'm so great!"

Throw up City!

Great thank you Captchris...how long have you been w/ AWAC? What are a couple positives / negatives and also, I live in Boston, was wondering how commuting would be if i got PHL or DCA base?

A guy in my AWAC class commutes to PHL from BOS and says its SUPER easy. Worst case is he goes to DCA and catches the hourly shuttle up there.

BOS to PHL or DCA would be an easy commute. MHT is also close by and also has frequent flights to PHL and DCA.

A guy in my class is a BOS-DCA commuter as well---no problems at all. Check www.passrider.com and look at the number of flights, airlines, etc.

I've been at AWAC coming up on a year.... positives---great pilot group, good contract, and for now a stable company. Negatives---for me.. it was a long sit on RSV, and no movement for a while. When I was hired we had 808 pilots, and now we have 698. We were beefed up pretty good there for a while...probably in anticipation of winning the Midwest flying. So we went several months with no upgrades, new hires, etc. while we trimmed some fat. Now--we're losing about 20-30 guys a month which works out to 2.9-4% of our entire pilot group every month. Hiring 14/mo. indefinately...so things are moving again. Do a search on here and you'll find plenty of talk about AWAC!

But he probably works his @ss off. I made over $50K as a senior MEI, but I couldn't wait to get out of that pressure cooker.

Bingo! ....

CFI's
 

I work at a flight school in Chicago and we are losing CFI's left and right. We had 7 on staff when I was hired this past October. We had one get hired by Eagle, one at Comair, and two at Mesa. Another just got hired two days ago at SKW. Because of the lack of instructors our school will be closing soon:( I think this is a continuing trend nation wide. During my search for another CFI job I looked at ATP in chicago, they said they are losing instructors there about once every 2-4 months from the time they start untill they go to the regionals.

As for AWAC, I grew up in ATW and worked line service there all through H.S. and summers home from college. I'd love to work for them but I dont know if it would be worth the commute to the east coast or if would even be possible. I know there are alot of senior AWAC guys that are still living here in the midwest...any insight into that type of commute?

I wouldn't try it. I've flown with too many CA's that still commute from ATW. Most go to PHL, some are starting to come to DCA, and it might be a 3 legger to ORF. I'm not saying its impossible, but I wouldn't do it. Think long and hard about QOL with that commute.

There were some posts a bit ago about pilots at AWAC not flying very much on reserve. Is it looking any differently now? How much are the reserve guys/gals flying in PHL and DCA? I know some people said here that the overstaffing problems have been basically solved, and I just wanted to see what it would be like for a reservist there in the current environment. When I start working at a regional, I'd rather be working 75 hours and getting paid for it than working 25 hours and getting paid for 75....at this point in my career I need time, and money the more money the better, but its still a side benefit in my eyes.

RSV pilots are starting to get used more. There is definitely some activity now after a year or so of stagnation.

As for the ATW commute, it ain't easy. I also grew up there and get back at least every couple of months. I like it there and could easily imagine living there if not for the commute. But the 50-seaters on the United routes are very often full and if you are on the jumpseat there is a ballast problem. Skyway out of ATW is on the often weight-restricted Dornier jet. Same problem with the SAAB 340 of Mesaba. I have been bumped off of both of these airplanes because of weight issues. Many simply drive to MKE and commute to PHL or CLT on us.

ORD-PHL or ORD-DCA are pretty easy commutes.

ATW-PHL or ATW-DCA are not easy, but doable and if things go well actually not bad via ORD. But it can be dicey.

Your saying that money is a side benefit.....what the he!! is wrong with you. That statement sums up why this career will always be in the sh!tter.

You disgust me.

FO

Hopefully some of you guys on reserve in philly will get my flying this month. Im out! A 2000 mile commute for two years is enough for me! Oh...and if you do get my flying this month...I really hope you enjoy LGA and BUF.

Congrats on making a move - where ya going?

I like LGA... so what if they don't have their stuff together all the time, and its wayyy overcrowded... we're getting paid. I don't mind sitting in like for 30 mins to takeoff. And the NY attitude... its fun to mess around with... not to mention, one of the best airports to fly in/out of as far as scenery!

Buffalo on the other hand..... nothing good to say :)

I agree with 4everFO---what a jacka$$ you are man. I bet you'd rather fly 90 people around for 50 seat pay too...because a bigger jet will look better in your logbook, right?

Last month I worked about 50 hrs and got paid for 93.... but that extra $$$ is just a side benefit I guess... I love flying so much.... I should give all 93 hrs back to the company (sarcasm)