Ever heard 701K Plan, or even better 600 ITT for "safety". Trust me I know all about making money. I could make minimum guarantee at home, I hope that most of come to work to make money.

Actually, I will most likely make more as a Saab FO this year than if I were on the 900. Same pay but more hours=more money at the end of the month :D

ha thats awesome...surprized I haven't heard that one yet!

My fav. is when I pick up open time and then 30 in 7 out of it. I would do it at least once a month.

How do you pull this off when scheduling hasn't been assigning open time until the very last minute? I recently put in for some open time a week in advance and it just sat there in the open time box until there was less than 48 hours to go. When I called scheduling they said my request was noted but they didn't have to/weren't going to deal with it until around 48 hours prior. ***. Has it always been this way? I overblocked 3 days out and missed it.

[quote=Andrew_VT;329837] Has it always been this way?

No, When I put in a trip trade I always call to make sure scheduling got the fax. Then I just hound them, I call everyday (at night when there less busy) and ask them to look at for me because I need to line up a baby sitter ahead of time and that does the trick most of the time.

One point I would like to make in all this is that it seems that so many people always seem to go out of their way to "talk up" the Saab with the same...almost arrogance that they think guys on the jet have. I never talk badly about the Saab or anyone flying it. I also never hear other jet drivers talking bad about it either. I do constantly hear how flying the Saab is so much better, etc. If you got hired into the Saab and you love it, theres nothing wrong with that. I got hired into the 900 and I like it. I don't have any particular desire (if the choice was all mine as far as timely upgrade) to fly the Saab. It is an older, slower aircraft with a higher workload...I think we can all agree on that. Moreover, I would like to upgrade on the airplane I got hired into which is an bovious advantage to Saab drivers. But that doesn't mean that I am any better, or worse than the men and women who fly it. I have no ego about flying the jet and I knew the day I found out that I was going to ground school for it that it had nothing to do with my hours, experience, personality or lack of any of the above. I respect my colleagues at my comapny and other companies no matter what equipment they fly. But Im not going to walk on eggshells because I like flying a brand new airplane. I couldn't be happier with my first 121 gig, flying the newest piece of equipment and holding high seniority in my seat and domicile right out of training. The point Im making is that the way you Saab drivers have lots of affection for your bird is the same as I have for mine...and theres no ego in that, just mutual respect!

Good post. I would say 99% of the guys out there don't care what they fly as long as they have a job.

I have not run into much of the "Jet vs Prop"" online or in the crew rooms... Last week however, I was jumpseating to work, I had to sit in the jumpseat of the -900. When they asked me what I flew I told the the SAAB out of DTW, to which the Capt said "I'm sorry" both the Capt and FO busted out laughing... That was a little weird and uncalled for, kinda made the intorduction and the first few minutes a little awkard, but I didn't let it get to me. As long as too much of that crap isnt going on then I think there is mutual respect out there between the two groups.

Maybe they were just saying that cause the capt might not have liked being on the Saab out of dtw. Could have been a base issue, not an aircraft issue. But who knows. Maybe just an off the wall comment and neither of them thought you would be offended by it.

I can tell you that most of the -900 captains are the most senior guys in the company. They also used to fly the Avro. When Mesaba went into Chapter 11, they got rid of the Avros and these guys were forced back down to the Saab which in addition to a significant pay cut, they were all very fond of the Avro...some even seem to prefer it to the 900, but thats neither here nor there. The point is, it was a tough pill to swallow so for that reason, most of them don't have much love for the Saab and I can understand. I doubt very highly that they thought less of you personally though.

After flying there for 7.5 years I can honestly say it was like mulit-pilot groups within the company. During that time there were many difficult pills to swallow. I was in a group that both upgraded and downgraded and upgraded again. However there were others that did that X2. Now thats one bitter pill-to swallow, damn near cyanide! One thing I did notice is that XJ was a multi-faced company in the sense of differences. MSP/DTW/MEM crews, Avro crews/Saab crews. It was most surely different flying--some for the better, and some worse. The SF had better sked hands down with utilization, but the Avro was more comfy. Its all what you make of it and more over get out of it (experience for when you upgrade). I found its not the flying that was the hard part, it was what all you have to deal with (pax, agents, WX, dispatch, CS and such) and be able to communicate with them all and your crew. It was good to have started as an FO because I was able to see the different captains handle situations and learned from that. There is (or was) a little of us vs. them. There always will be, and it goes on at each airline. I had UPS DC8 crews make fun of the 757 guys right in front of them. (they poked fun at being "loafer wearers"). But one item I will never forget from XJ is the culture of SAFETY. To the new hires, be open minded and get out of each flying experience of what you put into it. Learn what works, what doesnt, and how most situations can be best handled. Remember its not just the flying that preceds one's repuation, but how you carry yourself as a Mesaba pilot. You never know how quickly that upgrade number will come.

Any sign of hiring slowing down there? I would be looking to apply at the end of summer. Does it look like hiring will still be occuring? Any help from the inside would be appreciated.

Great post! It's great to gain some perspective from someone who's been around the block! Thanks!

Hiring is projected to continue for the rest of the year. The numbers aren't going to be as high, but hiring will continue.

I wasn't really offended, it was just a comment that seemed out of place since we would be sharing the cockpit for the next 2 hours.. They turned out to be good guys, but my first impression was that this could be a long ride.

Most of them never saw the pay cut. They sat in the saab or crj at the same pay until the last person requaled for the new position. Then they all went to the 900 and 200.

No problem. Im still friends with an LCA out of DTW and keep up now and then with my alma mater. Dont hesitate to PM me if you have questions. Mesaba's culture will remain the same and I still see alot of guys are still there when I was. Cant give you operational on aircraft unless its the SF340, and even then I know they have changed profiles since I left in late 06. But expectations and how to study, etc I would be more than hapy to share any insight that I can.

tflyer70, yer going to need to post more in order for people to PM you for info

well, I guess post'em and I'll reply to em.

Don't take comments like that too personally. A lot of senior pilots have been through a lot and they can be a little cynical and likes to make fun of new guys just to break the monotony. Sounds like the CA was poking fun at you to entertain himself. Chances are the CA probably flew the Saab in the past so he knows all about the positives and the negatives of flying the Saab. Every aircraft has good and bad points. The other day, I was on a jumpseat on a NWA flight, and the NWA CA said "you poor slob" when I told him I fly for XJ. I just laughed it off and thought no more of it. You have to grow a thick skin, if you want to stay in this game.

That is not true. I am flying mostly with senior CAs who told me their pay was cut to Saab CA pay when they were forced to fly Saabs. They got their CRJ9 CA pay only after completing their CRJ9 IOE.

They didnt get their pay cut until the last person displaced requaled. That happened around June. So for those that didnt go right to the 900 did in fact take a pay cut for a few months, however they were also still getting AVRO wages to fly the Saab up until June. They dont have it as hard as you think.

Good post. You must have thick skin in this industry. I had a CAL captain refuse to shake my hand, and another CAL captain accuse me of being a "spy" because I was in street clothes. Different strokes for different folks i guess.

I think the key word in that sentence was 'most'.

Ha Ha, that's really funny because exact same thing happened to me when I jumpseated on DAL flight. The CA was suspicious that I might be a company "spy." Most of them are very courteous and professional though.

There is a difference flying the saab vs flying the jet. However, it has nothing to do with the airplane itself. It has to do with the way the company operates each aircraft differently. I flew the saab and it is a very fun plane to fly, however the company doesn't spend nearly as much money on the saab as they do the jet. It makes a difference, trust me...it is a ton less stressful flying the jet and to me that makes a huge difference.

On a side note, most of the captains saying "that sucks" are joking about the fact the saab doesn't have an APU. They are not knocking your flying skills.