Skywest?
 

How is Skywest schedule? Is it 13 28day bid period, or 12 bids a year? Are most pilots pretty happy there?( i.e. managment, schedule,equipment,ect)
Thanks for your time.

Dittidano

12 bids a year.
Yes, most people are happy. Most people also want more...more money, more time off, more perx, but generally everyone I fly with is happy and so are the CSR, rampers, Mx and from what I can tell managment.

Do they give you a choice of aircraft type and base before or after being hired?

OK, we're all bombarding these line-holders w/ questions...So I am going to have to add to the pile! DEN and ORD are still new-hire bases, correct? If so, which is the favored base to live around - ie. things to do, women (quality)...you know what I am getting at. One more thing: Is SkyWest still planning to start back up with new-hire classes/hiring after the first quarter? Just curious. Thanks in advance to those who respond.

D

"I Guess I'd Rather Be In Colorado" - John Denver
 

Denver is for sure. I grew up in California and that has got to be the best place to live in the U.S. With that said, I went to college in Colorado, so I have lived there for the past 5 years, and it is a great place to live. Boulder is my favorite because it sits right at the base of the flatirons, and you have great views of the rockies from just 3,000ft AGL in an airplane. Tons of stuff to do, and the girls are almost as plentiful and nice as in California. Like John Denver once said, "It's not just the high altitude that takes your breath away." Boulder is about a 45 minute commute to Denver.

Broomfield, Westminister, Denver, Littleton, and Centennial are all nice places to live, and shorter commutes. (Remember DIA is east of Denver by a solid 15 miles). Finally, the winters are MUCH nicer than in Chicago. I was in Chicago once in February, and I was hating life. It was FREEZING!!! Denver really does not get that cold. The high temp even in Dec/Jan is 45 degrees. Snows about two, sometimes three times a month for only four months. Will snow one day, then you will wear shorts the next day! If you want some more info on DEN, let me know. But that is my recommendation.

Usually, they say welcome aboard and we would like you to join the XXX mo. RJ class or EMB class. It's not really a choice ,but there are those who could probably state their case and I'd bet training would honor it. Second, ORD is the most jr. and DEN is become more and more difficult to get into. As SLC and other EMB bases re-adjust it seems the sr. folk are picking DEN so most jr guys don't really have a shot anymore, especially Capt. COS number 2???

Latest word from training is "summer" hiring. June guess.

Would June be the month of when they start training new hires?

Well, last I checked, Playboy is available at any store that sells magazines and vaseline is readily available ya big playa.

Just a couple questions: How do you guys like being non-union?

I love the CRJ, but if I were to get hired by SKW and assigned to the Brasilia, how long would I have to wait before I could switch to the CRJ?

Can anyone say if the SkyWest CRJ-700 Aspen rumor has any truth in them, and give any details?

Looking at the pay charts on APC, it looks like SkyWest is slightly above average compared to other CRJ operators (compared rates to Pinnacle, PSA, Comair, and ASA). Second year CRJ F/O rates look very nice. So far I've seen alot of people on the forums saying negative things about Mesa, Pinnacle, etc., but I haven't heard anything genuinely bad against SkyWest. It looks like a great company and they are absolutely number one on my wish list.

I flew on a SKW CRJ2 once and it was a pleasant experience. Crew was from COS.

On a more general note, can any CRJ drivers out there tell me what they think about the plane? I've found an online studyguide website and have looked through it all, plus I got a full color cockpit poster on my wall and can find my way around all the displays and switches fairly well. It looks like a fun plane.

A buddy at SKW told me last week they are going to do the Aspen thing. I doubt the CRJ200 could meet the single engine specs, so the 700 makes sense

SKW should be number one on your wishlist if you like the western US (or Horizon if you live up there). Their payscale combined with their WORK RULES makes for pretty good compensation. Pay scale alone doesn't tell the whole story...you have to find out when EXACTLY does that pay scale apply. At Mesa, it almost never applies unless you are operating an aircraft, and then it often applies only partially.

I enjoy the ergonomics and handling of the CRJ. The 700 has plenty of performance, but the 200 (especially after the engines are worn out) is a dog when full, high, or hot. An engine failure on takeoff in a loaded 200 in a high-density alt situation could be a serious problem. I truly believe that the engines on those don't make the power they are supposed to after they are "broken in". They also have serious problems climbing to higher altitudes, you can barely get into the high 20s/low 30s at 500fpm on some days. ATC loves em...not. The airplane is rated to FL410 but most operators have restricted them to 370 (following the Pinnacle crash) and I wouldn't even go that high full. Also operational experience shows that the 200 is prone to high-altitude stalls if not flown very carefully at higher altitudes. Some of these stalls were due to operating the autopilot in "newspaper mode" while climbing out. A high altitude stall in a swept wing jet is not like a cessna 172...you'll instantly become a ballistic re-entry vehicle and lose like 4000-10000 feet, and probably separation with somebody (look out below!). If you work at SKW you can eventually upgrade into the 700 and never have to fly the 200.

I've never flown an ERJ, but I haven't heard anything bad about them either.

Save this link and if you get into the CRJ read up on it...

http://www.alpa.org/DesktopModules/A...1316&Tabid=256