Jumping Ship
 

Thinking about ditching Piedmont, probably for a decent paying flight instructor job or maybe Mesaba.

Before everyone tells me how lucky i am to be in the airlines and how i'm psychotic....

I was wondering if anyone has gone back to flight instructing or switched a regional lately. Piedmont is a decent place, but the QOL just isn't what i'm looking for right now.....

any positive info would be just wonderful, thanks guys and dolls.

I dont think you have to worry about that here...

Just my 2 cents-

It's all what you make of it. I'm trying to do the same, I have certain career interests/goals that I don't believe will happen if I stay where I am right now. It certainly isn't the worst situation in the world but I'm seeing another opportunity and I'm giving it a shot. If it's not working out for you at Piedmont then no harm in trying something else. As far as whether you want to go back to instructing or go to Mesaba, those are two pretty different paths so that part is up to you depending on what your long term goals are.

I know of several who left UND for Piedmont only to come back to UND after a year or two.

I'd be careful about leaving a 121 job for a lesser one(meaning non-passenger or cargo carrying on smaller equipment). It could and has raised questions in interviews...FYI, there is no great QOL at most commuter jobs out there these days.

Where do you think of going? Comair ain't doin' it for ya:p

Piedmont is just a stepping stone. I guess they even tell you that during the interview for what I've heard. Most UND guys that I know left Piedmont after a few months and then went to Republic.



I was thinking about jumping ship a while back, but I decided to stick it out where I am now, just because a) I don't want to go through training again and start at the bottom of the list, b) I can't afford to take another pay cut right now. As far as going back to instructing. I would probably look at some places like PanAm or similar schools that pay you a yearly salary. One of my friends works for PanAm Flight Academy flying a Warrior making $35k/yr + full benefits. Lot's of people are jumping ship to Republic and Mesaba right now, because of the quick upgrades, etc. Just remember, that can all change over night. Hell, Mesaba was furloughing people not too long ago.

QOL at ae is great for me now, but I too want to jump ship to a place with a left seat in the near future! The two places I want to apply to has currently put hiring on hold

One of the markers HR explores in a pilot interview is termed "industry motivation". What have you done to move onward and upward in the industry? What sacrifices have you made, what hardships have you endured?

Traditionally, the progression was CFI, Regional FO, Regional Capt., Majors. These days, you can easily find CFI jobs that pay more than a regional FO that allow for a much better quality of life. I would expect to be able to answer that question and talk about how you came to the decision in future interviews because it WILL come up. I wouldn't expect to leapfrog the regional lifestyle though, unless things change dramatically, you'll need to pay your dues to get to next rung on the ladder.

That said, the ability to triple your income and improve your quality of life shows excellent judgment!

[QUOTE=CRJDriver;335075]Where do you think of going? Comair ain't doin' it for ya:p


Hah yeeep basically, flying the couch all month wasn't what I had in mind as a pilot. I have an interview next week at RAH; if nothing else the upgrade time is shorter but if I'm able to get the base I want it appears there would be a vast improvement. If not, oh well I still have a job, I'll stick it out. And yes, I understand it could all change...

I haven't been here a year yet so I understand there are dues to pay etc etc, but if there's an opportunity to not sit around and play with myself month after month with only the occasional 3 or 4 day trip then I figure what the heck, give it a shot. I really don't have anything to lose having not moved much up the list at all the past several months.

Ok sorry for the hijack haha but it's sorta on topic...

Just pay your dues for now. Just like MD's, they have to go through a crappy residency for 7 years. I bet the hospitals love banking on their cheap labor for that period of time. But in the end they're the one's who have the last laugh. According to Careervoyages.com http://www.careervoyages.gov/transportation-air.cfm

Pilot jobs are in high demand over the next 8 years. The industry is going to need 33,000 more pilots, or a 17% increase. With the big shortage on the way, desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides if you don't want the job, I'll take. I'm used to living poor already, at least I'll live poor doing something I love to do.

I jumped from TSA to Shuttle America. I just took my oral today and so far I'm happy I made the jump.

A lot of people gave me crap about doing it. Most were about to upgrade, or did recently. Anybody that's been there for a while said they'd bail if they were in my shoes. There were a number of things I based my decision on and it took quite a while to decide. It was made even more difficult by the fact that I really enjoyed the flying and the job. There are some really good people out on the line at TSA including a ton of good friends. Basically it came down to a few factors:

1) Management. They don't look past tomorrow there. Everything is knee-jerk and very short-sighted.

2) Upgrades were only for attrition. Yes, the upgrade is currently down to one year. However there are now quite a few captains there without enough PIC to go anywhere. I have this crazy theory that upgrades are about to come to a fast stop there. Throw in a merger and a bankruptcy or two and it will stop real fast.

3) Growth. 70 seaters are the future. I don't like that I fly the jet I fly for the money I make. I have every intention of doing what I can to raise the bar when I get off probation and have a say. I didn't like flying the 50 seater for the same amount. However, you will never see anything larger than 50 seats at TSA because you all know where Hulas will send the bigger jets.

Because of these three primary reasons, I decided to move on before I was entrenched in the seniority list to somewhere that I wanted to stay for a while. I did lots of homework on RAH and came to the conclusion that it would be a place I would like to work for a while. I have no desire to make a career out of the regionals but I'm also not dillusional about the prospects of going up the ladder fast. There are tons of people that have much better qualifications than I do who aren't getting jobs at the majors.

Pilotpip - those were the exact same reasons I left Trans States as well. I'm glad you made that choice - you'll be far better off in the long-run!

To the OP, don't worry too much about leaving PDT - just speak the truth in your next interview and it'll be cake. Just be sure that if you do come back, it's for a very good gig - I'd warn you against leaving PDT to instruct and coming back to the Airlines at a place like TSA/Mesa, etc...

same here, except TSA didn't drop the mins to ATP until a week after i put in my i quit letter. i too ended up at S5.

to anyone thinking of jumping ship to a "better" regional, come on in, the koolaid's fine

We've been following this phenomenon of pilot hiring for the past several years and don't agree with your assumption of a 17% growth in required pilot labor. Based on age 65 stopping attrition at the top of the labor food chain, energy costs curbing route expansion, and proposed mergers creating labor redundancy - we don't anticipate growth for pilot jobs in the US any time soon.

There will be some hiring in niche markets, FedEx and Delta for example, but nothing on the order of 33,000 pilots. In fact, we feel that $100/barrel oil has the very real potential to cause network carriers to significantly pare pay for departure relationships with small narrowbody operators.

I hope you're right about the hiring, but it's completely at odds with what we expect. What are your sources? Pardon me for saying it, but it sounds like a flight academy brochure.

Best of luck to you in your decision. For myself, chasing an upgrade just doesn't seem like a smart move, as we've all said that changes quickly, and the reason i stuck out TSA was because my lateral move would have been even more lateral than some others who got back "home" as being from STL, i would have been trying for Chautauqua as opposed to Shuttle/Republic which for the same equipment, better management, but less pay, just didn't make a lot of sense.

And for what it's worth, most junior CA in the March upgrade class was a Sept. 06 new hire, putting upgrade at 18 months right now, not exactly a year anymore.

Navy, I'm not chasing the fast upgrade. My decision was strictly based on going to a company I would want to stay at for a while. I don't see the movement staying anywhere near what it is in the industry right now and TSA was never a place I really wanted to work. I got to deal with them enough while I was working at an FBO that used to be home for mx and management before they went to the old TWA building. I've lived in STL all my life. I'm single and not really attached to this city. Moving isn't out of the question and I'm actually looking forward to it.

Tried to get the 145, they offered me shuttle. I took it. I've never talked to anybody, on any certificate at RAH that doesn't like it here. The Koolaid must be strong :)

wasn't saying you were chasing the upgrade pip, theres no hard feelings here. :p How's the 170 treatin ya? i keep hearing that it's tons more automated than the 145, but haven't gotten to jumpseat on one to see, really just wanting to get the chance so i can enjoy a nice cozy, large cabin to relax in as opposed to the hunkered down approach you get in the RJ.

I just left a little over a year of seniority at AE (if you want to call it that; it was more like "juniority") to go to CP. In my case, the move made sense. The whole "should I stay or should I go" question is different for different people... and so is it's answer. You have to weigh your situation, your choices, the possible outcomes, and any opportunity cost. If you are able to and it drastically betters your life and/or drastically advances your career, do it.

I had one or two folks give me the old, "You shouldn't make a LATERAL move" thing. Lateral?!? How the hell is going to more pay+bigger airplanes+better schedules+better QOL+faster upgrade+better opportunity a "lateral" move?!?! Sounds like moving UP to me.....

Good luck in whatever you decide!

Did the parser just let me say "hell"? Kinda figured it'd drop that...

its everything the 145 should have been. and you can take off your headset at cruise!

I left my previous regional for mesaba. Love it here. Everybody who was upgrading in my class was really nice and they all had good things to say about mesaba. Sure there are things that they complain about, but I haven't seen one airline on here that people aren't 100% happy with. In fact some of the things that I heard Mesaba upgrades complain about, are the same things that I heard people complain about at my last airline. And both groups thought whatever they were unpset with was specific to just their companies. So I guess if you don't like piedmont, come on this direction.