Not going to happen. MKE was dropped before we were even supposed to pick up Vegas and Billings.

It's been said before, but if you're at all concerned about your QOL for the next 3 years or so, Lakes is not the place to be. I came to Lakes feeling very gung-ho, but working your ass off for peanuts can get ugly fast, no matter what you're doing. The description John Pennekamp gave of the training department is as valid now as it was eight years ago. Washouts rates are high, and the training department isn't out to do you any favors. Still, I guess it's a lot better than making a captain fly into Telluride with an untrainable 300 hour wunderkind in the right seat. With us doing the PHX and STL flying out of DEN and with new "hubs" on the horizon, scheduling has reached new levels of creativity this winter. Even most of the senior pilots I know haven't seen things this bad. The sense of "togetherness" doesn't seem as strong as it has been in the past - attrition is lightning-fast and everyone is pretty much desperate to get the hell out of Dodge. Colinflyin, once you're holding a line at Lakes, I doubt you'll have much time for a side job. Oh, and 01WJ is right, all of the pilots are on 135 flight time rules whether they're on the Beech or the dark side.

The big positives are the DEN base (if that's what you're after), getting flight time fast, and the fact that I can tally the number of seriously unpleasant people flying the line on one hand. If it wasn't for the amazing collection of borderline psychotics we have working here, this place would be unlivable. Make sure you do some real research before you make the move. If anyone's seriously interested, feel free to PM me for a more detailed impression of ZK.

 

I've been considering making the move to Great Lakes to get some PIC time quickly. I just need my 1000 PIC for American or Delta.

 

Well KiloAlpha, you wouldn't be the first to successfully make that move. Where are you coming from?

 

I took a job at GoJets without doing much research.. now I'm tired of walking around STL and ORD looking at the ground

 

LoL yeah that's awesome

 

You could go to TSA, get into the EMB145 right off that bat, and the DEN STL commute isn't bad at all. Then if you really want to go to SkyWest it will be cake. Great Lakes is a good place to go to. You'll get respect for hand flying the 1900 in the soup.

 

What kind of times do guys have when getting hired at Lakes?

I'd definately prefer to live in base, and DEN is a good choice.

 

Isn't that funny how it works? Every guy on here will buy you a beer for flying the 1900 with no A/P in the soup, yet they'll poke and jab at a guy that does the same thing in an RJ...

 

Las Vegas???????????

 

Flying a 1900 from Denver to Farmington isn't exactly a threat to mainline scope clauses, and we got our industry-bottom contract the honest way: Incompetent negotiators and pilot apathy. Besides, the other guys can afford their own beer with those fat RJ paychecks they get.

KiloAlpha, Lakes could be a place for you to do your penance. As desperate as we are for captains, a guy with ATP mins and prior 121 experience will get upgrade class at his discretion. Passing upgrade is a whole other story. The only real preparation you get for upgrade is what you pick up on the line and the gouge you collect from people already going through. Besides, going from GoJets to Lakes has got to do some kind of irreparable damage to your soul (though I'd still call it a step up).

cfii2007, people are getting hired here with little more than a comm/multi. Washout rates are high, so it's up to you to be as prepared as possible. A couple hours of pattern work in a 172 may not do the trick. In answer to your other question, Lakes was awarded EAS contracts connecting Visalia (CA), Merced (CA), and Ely (NV) to Las Vegas, picking up where Mesa/Air Midwest wants to leave. The current rumor is that the flying will be done by Brasilia crews starting in February. On the other hand, it took the guys in Cheyenne more than six months to get their **** together in STL, so the time table is really anyone's guess. In all likelihood, Vegas (like STL) won't be a base but a five-day trip, bringing the plane out on day one and going back to Denver on day five.