What are "competitive" Mins at the Regionals currently?
 

I have researched the mins. but what are the competitive times for regionals that are still hiring, SKY, Republic, Mesa, Mesaba, Eagle, etc.? I know there are a lot of guys moving laterally from regional to regional with turbine time that would make my hours look minimal.

I am sitting around 1300 TT and 110 ME with all my certificates to MEI

What is the usual wait time to hear from a company once you have submitted your resume?

Thanks

I will only say this much WITHOUT answering your question....

Don't look for somewhere that only offers quick upgrade. QOL is huge. I am at a regional that has some major labor issues right now but DOES have a quick upgrade. While the TJPIC is important having to wait an extra 6 months to upgrade but having a good QOL and a FAIR wage is worth it for the 2-3 years you plan to at the airline. Also- commuting is horrible. Only my words and I will sit back and stop squaking 7500.


Look for a quality company. I looked for upgrade and a home base and I wish I had moved to somewhere cool (DEN/SLC come to mind) that had a better contract. 16-18 days off is nice though....

I wouldn't get caught up with turboJET PIC time as opposed to turboPROP PIC time. In the end... it's all still turbine PIC and that's what counts. If I had a crystal ball as to which airline would be the best bet long term, I'd be rich and not a pilot.

Pick an airline that appears at face value to give you the best quality of life for you and your family... ie bases. insurance, employee from day 1? Then pick based on who has the best mx, training and benefits. Don't pick an airline based on its fleet. In the end... an airplane is an airplane and the SJS will wear off. And by all means do not only focus on pay RATES alone.

In general... competitive minimums will go up, when there is less demand. While some airlines are still hiring, they may not be hiring the numbers they once were. If that's the case the company can be more selective. This is the case as well, if classes are filled into the future.


BEst of luck.

Thanks for the input guys.

I can see what you are saying about QL over quick upgrade. BUT, at this point with not much of the west coast regionals hiring, my only option is to probably move where they are hiring (midwest and east coast). I am not happy about that, but I will make the sacrifice if it allows me to move up later on. I am not tied down by anything, but have my roots and friends in CA. And I could care less what I fly as long as I can build Turbine time.

It is either that, or hang out and CFI until the west coast companies begin to hire again. Who knows how long that will be. And I don't know how many more stalls and practice approaches I can handle day after day.

competitive mins if you know someone...

1. Applicants with a pulse are more likely to be hired than those without.

Since you are flexible, try your luck with an East operation for a bit - when those out West open the doors again, decide then - you can always throw yourself overboard...just know that at SkyWest, for example, your best bet at the West coast quick is on the Bro!

Comm/IFR/ATPw

People keep saying this, but I wonder how realistic this is. It seems that the average class at any given "low-time regional" is 500+.

Well maybe that depends on the company. At mine, if you have a pulse (and I quote groov) you are hired. No kidding. They will even force you through the training program and give you multiple chances to succeed, no matter how badly you bombed it.

Needless to say, I was surprised at the pass rate of my class. Those crj crash courses aren't worth it, in my opinion, in case you are looking into it.

My understanding of it, Eagle and Republic have been fairly consistently well spoken of throughout this forum. Take that into consideration when choosing which airline you "mass mail" to. I would be afraid to be offered an interview at most. Just my $.02

I have seen a few comments about people who have "roots" in a certain area, namely the west coast. I moved from my roots in Seattle to Denver and really could not have made a better decision. I think there is a lot to be said about giving up at least one of your days off just getting to and from work. Bidding is easier, you make new friends and with jumpseat privs you can visit "home" whenever you like. Unless you have serious roots (ie. Wife with a good job and kids) and not merely grew up there, move to your domicile. I think you will find the rest of the country is not as bad as you think. And if it is you can move back.

JMHO

Actually... the east coast is much worse than I once thought it would be, but then again i moved to the dirty military town of Norfolk. Steer clear of the east coast. I would live in base anywhere in the midwest. Yes you can move back like I did, but it is pricey to relocate multiple times. I Don't plan on being a career commuter (currently STL-ORF), but for now it's not too bad.

Most regional competitive mins are 600-800 total and 50-100 multi. These figures might be a bit higher now that hiring has slowed down.

I've been considering flying freight to build more multi and then applying to a regional that has a domicile where I'd actually want to live.

Hey man i made the move and its not so bad...i get back out west once or twice a month for 3 or 4 days at a time... I couldnt do more stalls and approaches either. But its another step for u it sounds like too, and chances are with SKW u would be in ORD or MKE anyways... good experience out east in the end. Get in while u can also dont wait around for the east to slow down the hiring

I could not agree more! Find a decent company to work for and then pack up your stuff and move to the domicile you are assigned to. Junior domicile in the junior aircraft is often good advice as well, but if one of the more senior domiciles appeals to you more, then move there as soon as you can hold it. Living in the domicile (no commute) will make even reserve assignment tolerable at most places.... except Mesa..where life will suck no matter what you do!

Back to mins... I don't know what the actual mins are but I just got hired at Comair two days ago, with an april 21 class date. I have 625/215 no cfi, or degree.

Your point being?...........

What's your furlough plan? I suggest you start taking live or online classes somewhere after you complete IOE.

That while those times aren't "high" by anyone's consideration, hopefully, the average pilot will earn his/her commercial multi before reaching 500 hrs of flight time...To the OP, i'd say your times are more than competitve right now, pick your regionals of choice, and put resume's out there, but i'd avoid doing a "mass mailing" as you have the flight time to be "picky"....don't let that go to your head though.

Thanks for being so supportive. I had a pretty good job in construction management before so I could go back to that.

Next time you are about to say something that could be construed negatively, just hit the delete button and move on.

With your times you could get on with any of those carriers. Republic is a good company, with relatively quick upgrades, but no clue where you would be based. I fly for AE and they let newhires pick their base in the interview, so you could tell them wherever you want to go. Upgrades are very long here, but it is a well-run airline considering its a regional, good QOL, average pay. Submit your app on airlineapps for AE and you should hear in a week or two tops.

I'm looking for a decent regional carrier to work that works best for working from Saint Louis. I believe TSA is the obvious choice, but does anyone know of other regionals that would be a safe bet to get a STL base. Medical benefits are important, money not so much. Not looking to stay too long.

~2300 ME/TPIC

With your flight time have you thought about fractionals? Netjets and Citationshares would allow you to work out of STL and are great paying companies with good medical (Netjets medical is paid by company). As far as regionals go, I think TSA is the only one with a STL base.

I think he was trying to help you out. He is offering the best advice anyone in this industry can get. Get a 4 year college degree. I think a better question is what are your future plans in aviation without a 4 year college degree.

Do you plan on working for Comair for the rest of your life??

No I don't and I actually have almost enough credits for and AA. I do plan on getting my degree to futher advance my career. No I don't plan on working there for that long.

I am just tired of so many people coming off so condescending.

Chautauqua (republic) has a 140 base there. Just when you go to the interview tell them that you want to be on the 145 so that you can live in the stl base. once you get out of training if you dont get it right away youll get it in a month or two.