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

Hi Rickair777,

Can you explain what you mean by "work rules" for us newbies? I've heard this term thrown around but I have no idea what it entails.

Thank you.

Work rules determine how the pay scale gets applied, and how much time off you have. My examples are for the regional level...

Guarantee: The minimum number of flight yours you will get paid every month (or bid period), regardless of how much you fly. Reserve pilots often live on this (which is what I'm doing right now). Varies between 65-80 hours/month. My goal is to either fly as little as possible or as much as possible, but not in between. If I fly 20 hours but get paid for 75, that's not bad! Once you go over the guarantee, you get paid for actual flight time. I don't like to fly 73 and get paid 75 if I could have flown 20 hours and STILL got paid 75. But if I can fly 95 hours, that's a nice chunk of change (20 hours) that I get ABOVE the guarantee.

Min days off are usually 8-12 per month, reserve pilots sometimes have less.

Duty Rig: Pays you a minimum flight pay per hour of duty. 1 for 3 or 1 for 4 is typical. This is important if your company schedules long breaks in your flying day, or if you have a lot of WX or congestion delays at your base. If you don't have a duty rig, that's bad, because not only do you not get paid, but the company has no incentive to not waste your time. You don't want to have a 13 hour day with two :35 minutes legs and only get paid 1:10 for 13 hours of duty...Note: The guarantee still protects you for your monthly min.

Trip Rig: Min pay for the entire time you're away from base. Typically some value less than the duty rig, if you even have one. If you fly to some exotic destination, and have a 30 hour layover you would get paid something while sitting there. I don't think many regionals have this.

Per Diem: Cost of living allowance paid for each hour you are on duty or away from base. If you sit ready reserve for 8 hours at the airport, you get 8 hours per diem. If you go on a 4 day trip, you get paid 4x24 = 56 hours per diem (depending what time you actually depart and return. $1-$2/hour is typical rate. Buying airport food will eat up your per diem.

Block Pay: Do get paid flight time for block-to-block (gate-to-gate) or just for SCHEDULED flying time? BIG difference. Congestion, WX, de-icing can leave you on the ground for HOURS only to fly a :28 minute leg. You want to get paid actual block-to-block.

Commuter Clause: If you plan to commute to work, you need to know if your contract has any provisions that allow you to miss work if get stuck trying to commute through no fault of your own. Some companies don't like commuters. Eagle used to not even allow new hires to jumpseat or non-rev! If your company allows no-questions-asked "personal days", you could use these if you get stuck commuting.

Training pay: Most regionals will either pay you during training OR provide a hotel. It's about a wash either way. If you get nothing during training, I'd suggest you don't take that job.

So, the big things to look for in employer work rules are guarantee and duty rig. Some airlines don't use a calendar month as a bid period, so make sure you convert to compare. Mesa'a 70 hour guarantee doesn't compare well with the typical industry average of 75...until you realize that mesa is on a 28 day bid period...convert that to monthly and mesa gets 76 hours/month.

I think duty rig is the most critical, it encourages the company to minimize your sit time while on duty, so your duty days are shorter (or at least you get PAID to sit on your @ss all afternoon in the COS airport). Also what people don't realize is that if the company can leave you on duty, but only fly you a few hours, you could go six days without hitting 30 hours. Then you only get minimum days off. If the company has incentive to fly you @ss off when you're on duty, you'll hit your weekly 30 limit in just a few days and then get more days off.

If you have an interview or job offer, try to get educated by a pilot who works there about what their rules are and how they are applied.
Mesa has 8 days off (ten for line holders) no duty rig, no trip rig, and pays on average, not actual block times. You get the picture...

Whats gonna happen with SW when they merge ASA? Seniority wise? Union vs non- union?

"but if I were to get hired by SKW"

MikeB525, I saw at another thread you were hot for RAA. Skywest doesn't hire low time guys from program schools like ExpressJet and ASA does. I've talked to a pilot interviewer there and they don't look highly on multi timebuilding programs, either. You might want to think about getting your CFI tickets and building some quality time if you want to work at Skywest. Plus, make friends with someone on their list.

I've got a friend at ASA. She thinks that Skywest will phase out ASA's low-time pilot hiring programs. Possible exception might be the DCA, since Delta apparently requires its regional partners to accept some DCA product.

"Skywest will phase out ASA's low-time pilot hiring programs"

That would be a big hit to FSA's direct track program.

"Possible exception might be the DCA"

I'm not fan of DCA cause of their marketing practices. But I think guys come out of there with 1100 total and a couple hundred multi, on average, since they have to instruct for a period of time before they are considered "graduated" from the program.

Wait.....the CRJ-200 and the CRJ-700 are bid as separate aircraft? Are they not common type ratings?? Seems odd the have two aircraft of the same series in your fleet and bid them as seperate aircraft. They have identical flight decks and probably the same systems (just different speeds, weights, etc.). Can you clarify??

They are the same type. My company (which shall remain anonymous to protect the guilty) operates 200's and 700's interchangeably as far as pilots are concerned. The systems are almost identical, HOWEVER aerodynamic design of the wings and landing is another story...way different. The 200 lands like an F-16, the 700 lands like a real airliner. You have to watch yourself if you've been flying one exclusively, then switch to the other. SkyWest choses to keep the pilots segregated, upgrade from the 200 is brief groundschool and a checkout in the airplane (maybe a sim session or two also?). They still get 90% of the benefit of the common type rating.

Some 75/76 operators keep them separate, others co-mingle (united IIRC).

turbine time
 

When they start to hire agian, will it be for the CRJ or the EMB? Also, with turbine time, would you be more likely to get the CRJ? Thanks.....

Last year they seemed to hire pretty much only CRJ drivers into the CRJ. This is because there's a glut of Indy Air guys who are rated on the aircraft, plus a bunch of Mesa types who want out (mesa lost 100+ to SKW last summer). Everybody else pretty much went to the Brasilia. If you have some quality glass turbojet time, they might give you the RJ, I would think...

So if a SKW CRJ line holder has gone through checkouts for both aircraft, do you mean that they may do -200 one month, then a -700 line the next? Or is it ALWAYS one or the other? In any case, since you've flown both what do you like better? Could you say anything more specific about the landing characteristics? I've never flown an F-16 so I couldn't compare :)

As I understand, once you get into the 700, you do the upgrade training (my buddy just did this) and then you bid on lines that are only 700 flying. It's treated like a totally different airplane for bidding.

The 200 is flown nose-down like a lawn dart all the way to runway impact, with only a minute flare. I often get three-point landings. The 700 (and 900) are flown level all the way down, then you flare, plant the mains, and hold the nose off for a while. You really have to see the 200 in the sim, it's hard to describe.

CRJ200 or CRJ700????
 

Man, I've learned more about these two a/c and about procedures, work rules and what to ask and what not say by reading what rickair7777 has to say than anyone else. You are really informed. Whichever route I take, I hope to get an instructor like you and when hired, a Captain to fly with.

I have one other question: Is Mesa the only regional operating the entire CRJ fleet, i.e. (200/700/900)? You mentioned on another thread that you didn't think CA would go with the 900? It seems as though the upgrade would be seamless. Also, why are these a/c bidded differently, if the flightdecks are so similiar?

I think SKW bids them differently simply as a safety thing. Or it might be done to allow senior people to bid into a higher paying aircraft bid and stay there. Since the ratio of 200/700s in the fleet doesn't really fluctuate, you can assign your pilots to those types in the same ratio. Mesa likes the flexibility of switching their pilots around. The downside for senior guys is they can't reliably bid all 900 or 700 flying, they always get stuck with some 200, so they can't max out their $$. Most companies pay FO's the same, so this is not something that I would factor in to a career decision, there are bigger issues to consider.


Mesa is the only one with the entire fleet of CRJs. I think they hold all the delivery positions with the factory, but have voluntarily released some. I know Lufthansa is starting 900 operations, but I don't know of any US airline that is adding 900s. There have been rumors as always...

What do you mean by "CA"?

CRJ200 or CRJ700????
 

CA--Comair Airlines.

Oh, yeah. They are downsizing in Ch.11, so I doubt they have immediate plans to buy new aircraft. Also I believe Mesa still owns the delivery positions on 900 production for the forseable future. They might be willing to let a european airline have some positions, but I doubt they would be so eager to let their US competitors get their hands on those aircraft. There is a big demand for 70+ seaters right now.

From what I here at Skywest is that the CR2 and CR7 are all in the same bid package, your seniority dictates what you fly. If you are on reserve you may fly both in the same day. The pay is the same at Skywest also. At ASA the pay is different and it is a totally different catagory. By catagory I mean you are either an AT7 (ATR-72) pilot, a CR2 (CRJ-200) pilot, or a CR7 (CRJ-700) pilot. The CR2 is comfy but the CR7 is comfy and fast. Our fleet breaks down like this:

The ATR is the "caddy". Its slow and big!

The CR2 is a Porsche Boxter. It looks fast but it really isn't!

The CR7 is a Porsche Carrara(sp?) 4. It looks fast and it is fast. No problem doing .82 at FL370!

But as Rick said they fly totally differently. The systems are not even that alike, IMO. CR7 has FADEC, CR2 doesn't. Different APU and limitations. Simplified electrical system on the CR7. CR7 has a much easier FIREX panel. The list goes on and on. From what I hear, Bombardier was really close on the number of differences for it to be a common type. A crew in Germany almost balled one up because they had been flying the CR2 for so long and got swapped in to a CR7 for one leg. The landings are completely different.

Sorry for the longwindedness, hope this helped.

My buddy at SKW just went through 200 to 700 upgrade training. As I understand it, he's now flying only the 700. That was his incentive to do the training. I'll email him and ask.

rickair, you're a great help once again. One last final verdict: how would you rate the CRJ-200 (add the -700 if you like) on a scale of 1 to 10 on each of the following:

-Overall Performance
-Handling/manouverability
-cockpit displays and systems
-ergonomics/comfort
-"fun to fly" factor

General question I've been wondering. I flew on a CRJ once and it seemed no louder than any other jetliner. So why do I always see RJ pilots wearing the big David Clarke noise reduction headsets? I hear it's a requirement, but why??

Thanks guys

Well..let's just set it right.

The 200 and 700 are on the same bid sheet and pilots swap between the two all the time. I'll get called for a 200 trip then reflowed into a 700 trip a few hours later. Line holders have exclusive 200 or 700 lines for the month but are free to bid equipment prefrence each month.

Aspen will be flown in the 700 by SkyWest.

And as far as hiring accelerated program guys...I think the pilots who do 1/2 of the interview (HR does the other half) can see thru most of that b.s. and hire accordingly. No one wants a snot nosed kid who has everything handed to them with an ego to match on a 4 day trip. Not everyone in those programs is like that tho... so I think those qualified guys have no issue getting hired.

Justamushroom, you fly for SkyWest?

As for the ego, you're definently right about seeing through the BS and hiring the best. I got a friend whose flying with UND, formerly with Mesa PD (he defected because, like everyone else, he learned that Mesa truly sucks). He says the programs are pretty intense and run you through the ringer on everyflight. It seems they really force you to perform, so I'm not sure about the "handed to them" mentality. At least not from what I've observed. You may have been able to fly with some graduates, so you probably know better than I do. Even if I were to go and pick up a CRJ type to add some attraction and prepare me, it wouldn't be until after spending at least a year or so doing traditional instructing.

Also many people go through those schools to become instructors, not to go direct to airline jobs. Several of the instructors at my friendly neighborhood flight school got most of their stuff (IFR, Comm, CFI, etc) from ATP. They also recommended that I got there to do multiengine when the time comes, as opposed to trying to learn twin flying on the school's expensive and gigantic Baron.

Do yourself a favor and skip the CRJ type rating. Save yourself A LOT of money. Your better off studying the Jepps and AIM in and out.

I do fly for SKYW and can tell you from experience that they (hiring) care about instrument skills and knowledge as well as stick and rudder skills way more than equipment. A guy who can describe the prop on a Dutchess in and out will get hired over a right seat Citation guy who cant describe the engines EVERY TIME!

Yes, you'll probably never do the "turn time twist talk etc" of C172 instrument flying but it is important to everyone you fly with that you know that stuff. You WILL be a$$-n-elbows and the right seat is not on the job training. When you go to training in SLC no one will teach you instruments...your expected to have a basic skill set and I think most who wash out knew some book stuff to get thru the interview but did not have the instrument skill SET.

And finally..I didn't mean to imply the above mentioned schools were bad. It's just very frustrating to see and fly with people who did not bust their hides to get this job because it shows in everything they do. Poor radio technique, preflight prep, look and act sloppy and are willing to work for peanuts because they don't understand or appreciate their "worth". It drags them and us down.

Yes, I'm working on the instrument rating right now and am doing well. My instructor said I've picked it up very quickly and I can do IFR basics pretty much by second nature now. Approaches, holds, etc require attention but I can hold an ILS and find an intersection without much stress. Studying for the written is some of the most boring reading I've ever done. I practice all the time on flight sim too. Sometimes flying is all I can think about:)

Mushroom, speaking or Jepp charts, you know where I could find some to study? Naturally, I use the much cheaper NACA books. I have the Jepp IFR/Comm manual and I think it have explanations for the Jepps, but do you know of anymore resources?? Thanks!

As a Captain I've flown with probably at least 100 different FOs over the last several years and only two of them bought hours via Gulfstream or a similiar program. Both of these guys were older/career changers. I would not recommend buying time like that if SkyWest is a goal cause it doesn't seem to open the door here. Additionally, they absolutely will not budge on any of the minimums.

Buying a CRJ type rating would be a serious waste of money. Even if you had Bill Gates money I'd still tell you not to do it.

As far as Jepps go, start using them now. Thats all we use, and during the interview you'll be asked multiple questions concerning all the different charts. I probably spent a good 10 minutes on the Jepps alone during my interview.

This is an excellant time in your career to get the basics down really good. Don't take any shortcuts, and try to learn as much as you can. We actually had a guy several years ago get fired during EMB upgrade training because he didn't know how to turn the lights on at an uncontrolled airport.

Overall: 4 (poor climb hot, high, or heavy) (700 = 8)
HOWEVER: When you get to fly the 200 empty or nearly so, it's a freakin rocket...
Handling: 7 (10 = military tactical) (700 =7)
Displays/Systems: 8 (700 =9)
Ergo: 4 (Getting in and out of the seat's a *****, the lumbar sucks, but actually really good other than that) (700 = 7)
Fun: 7 (10 = military tactical) (700 = 8)

I use a TELEX 750 ($$$). Some folks keep their David Clarks so they don't have to spend the money I guess. Some older 200's had big fat windshield wipers which made a lot of slipstream noise, but you still don't need to cover your ears in my opinion.

:eek: Start using them NOW. Read the info package at the beginning..about 50 times (ignore the international stuff). Jepps are complicated enough that you need to live them, probably not something you can cram for an airline interview.

How expensive is it to subsribe to Jepp anyway? I hear it's like thousands per year for a nation-wide set. Can you get them by individual states?

You can subscibe, or buy a regional pack for approx $30. The regional pack gets thrown away and you buy a new one every 60 days. I think the regional subsciption is $300+ per year and you get bi-monthy updates in the mail that you have to insert into your binder (just like the airlines).

More $$$ than NOS, but it's something you need for the airlines. I don't know of any airlines that use NOS, though I heard some turbo-prop commuter does. Or maybe it was a 135 op.

He's right. I've personally interviewed pilots who had their CRJ type ratings without a single hour in the actual airplane and they're clueless on the systems. Most say something to the effect "well, I got it over a year ago and don't remember much anymore..."

Know the systems of the airplane you're currently flying. If a procedure has you flip a switch, feather a prop, do something a certain way, know why you're doing it- not just because the checklist says so. Know Jepps, FARs, and IFR procedures.