How realistic are hiring mins?
 

Hi all,

I just spent some time on the main site looking at hiring mins for various regionals. Here's what I found:

Mesaba 600TT, 50ME, 100 instrument (75 last 90 days)
Colgan 600TT/100ME
ASA 500TT/50ME
Comair 600TT/100ME
ExJet 600TT/100ME
Mesa 500TT, 100ME

Of course, I'm trying to avoid ones like GoJet, Gulfstream etc. I'd like to know how realistic these mins are. Say you don't know anybody at these airlines, would it really be worth sending out resumes with 600TT/100ME? Do these airlines actually hire a lot of people with 600 hours, or do the vast majority of FO's have over 1000hr, with maybe one or two people per year getting in with the minimums? I know it can't ever hurt to just send out a resume, but should I wait until I get closer to 1000hrs to start sending them out?

You know, you should apply to all of the ones that you want to work in and see what happens.. If you'd ask last summer i'd say only SkyWest has hard minima.. With merger talks, recession, age 65 things are changing..
It may take you longer to apply to these than posting the question on this board, but the best answer you will get will be from HR departments.
Good luck..

At Mesaba the "logbook/how much total time" question was the very last one asked during the interview. They wanted to know my knowledge level based on their standards, not the level they believe a low time guy would have. I was accepted to pilot training with about 850-900 hours and 50.1 multi exactly. It really does not matter if you have 600 or 1000, as long as you study, prepare, and look like you are trainable (not sure if that is a word, sorry) you will do fine. GOOD LUCK!

colgan is begging to interview me and i have already had an interview at eagle with way below minimums...... the best advice i can give is give every airline you are interested in a shot....you never know what will happen...if you are turned down, big deal.......go for it man!!!

Most of the listed regionals just throw a number out there to keep the media from writing crazy stories. I have seen a lot of people being hired with well below those minimums. With exception to SKW, Rep,and XJT you should be good to go as long as you are close to the minimums in the mutli column. Check out aviationinterviews.com and see the times those guys and gals are being hired at. I think you would be surprised with their times. Granded things seem to be slowing down at some airlines and rocket firing at others; but it never hurts to send your resume in for review. Summer will be around the corner before we know it and things will pick up. I have a buddy that was hired at Mesaba with 520/50, another with ASA with 370/30 (with CRJ Jet course), ExpressJet 610/110 (stiff on mins and haven't hired since last march I believe -starting to interview for spring classes), and Eagle with crazy low times (commercial temp cert. still had wet ink). If you can handle good QOL with a long upgrade, Eagle would love to have ya - with ANY TIMES. If your SIM ride is not up to par they will pay for a 3 week Jet course at Flight Safety or RAA. As I mentioned, if you do not have the mins for SKW, Republic, or XJT don't even bother. You will get some calls if you apply to the companies mentioned, I promise!! Good luck with all and save your money caz you will need to for the first few years living off FO pay. Remember just say no to drugs and blow jets.

Comair has taken a lot of people with around 50 multi, myself included...... and I was about 20 hours short of 600 as well....

RAH isn't necessarily dead set on their 800/100 either from what I've seen...Just remember, it's free to apply!

Colgan will hire around 300-400, I can not speak for the rest although I would bet money that you can get on well below mins at any of them providing that you can impress (not crash the sim, enter a hold correctly and fly an ILS) the interviewers.

As mentioned I think the only ones that were pretty firm for a while were Horizon, Skywest and Eagle that I remember hearing of.

RAH has been known recently to conditionally offer a class based on getting to a certain flight time prior.

Eagle is advertising 500/100 and accepting apps with 400/50, yet the newest jungle jet jockey in BOS was hired with 206TT, so rumor has it. Scary if you ask me...

He's probably more proficient than the 1000 hour in single engine cessnas CFI.

In my class at ASA, the class average is around 600 TT with 50-100 ME being about average.

There are a few folks in that same class with less than 350 hrs and barely any multi-engine experience.

Apply, see what happens.

Good luck!

Do you have wet ink on your commerical multi, and a pulse?

If so there is a clown suit waiting for you at Pinnacle.

Last I heard about that cluster was that the guys with 250 hours where getting better offers prior to class and and never showing up.

Colgan has a buy a job program via Flight Safety that will put you in a Q400.
They also give you a map to the food stamp office in Indoc.

Or, be a CFI and make at least 150% more than a regional FO - irony - me thinks so.
:D



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If you have airplanes, pilots will work for free..........

Unless he did all his ratings IN THE JET, then no, a 206TT pilot is not more proficient at anything as compared to a 1000 hour pilot. Of course we're all assuming that the 1000 hour pilot is proficient to begin with...

It's cute when you're wrong.

I agree, most of the regionals are hiring below mins. They do this partly to attract more applicants, because if they did indeed raise starting pay, more people would show up for ground school.

Just be prepared to live off close to nothing for the first year..........

Lowest time I've heard of was 201 TT/33 ME @ Piedmont.

That IS pretty low.........

What he said. I've had a Fedex profile for a long time now. I'm not even remotely close to dreaming of having the mins, but who cares. I just update it every few months. *shrug*

Just a point of correction, XJT has hired 500-600 pilots since last march...

As i've understood it the only place really holding "firm" on something close to 1000 hrs, is skywest. Everyone else will pretty much interview you at their posted mins or possibly a little less. Last Summer guys were getting swept up at 500 hrs everywhere, this winter, it's been slower, and come this summer it might pick up again, but that'll depend an awful lot on what happens in the economy and industry during the upcoming months. Doesn't hurt to apply though....

Minimums are set at 600/100, but internal candidates and interns can apply with 500/100.

My error, don't ask me why I put March. Thanks for the correction

How does one attain the status of "internal candidate"?

Former dispatchers, rampers, flight attendants, or any other employee of the company qualifies as an internal candidate.

You're right, but I was referring to the number of pilots hired, not the hours at which they were hired. :)