They also have a 15 month training contract........

 

I got turned down by them 12 years ago. That was one of the best things that happened to my flying career. If you can qualify for them, you can qualify for bigger outfits where your career expectations if you get stuck there will be light years ahead of Great Mistakes.

 

I did well enough in the interview to get the job 5 years ago and it was the best thing to happen to my career

 

From the looks of things "Great Mistakes" is back around the Great Lakes.

I remember being in awe of the "big" plane that came roaring on the the ramp in Manistee, MI, picked up some guy and blasted off to ORD.

Never worked there but from guys that did it lived up the "Great Mistakes" name. But I'm sure it has been good for some people. To each his own.

Probably be the quickest PIC turbine time out there in this present airline environment, or at least close to the quickest. Depends on what you want, like most things in life.

 

I must say that after 5 days of flying 5-9 leg days I am about ready to quit, however it only takes a goodnights sleep and a day off before I'm ready to go back and fly the Beech again. I held a line my first month out of training as an FO, upgraded in 7 months and held a CA line after two weeks of reserve. I am not going to say that our QOL is great (although I have not been junior manned in months since we have been staffed again) and yes FO pay sucks however, I'm making $28.70/hr 13 months from DOH and logging PIC turbine time. This pilot group is awesome! There is no doubt that this job demands that you are on top of your game and leaves little room for error. Not uncommon to do a bunch of non-precision own nav approaches hand flown in the mountains all day long and I enjoy shooting 1800-RVR approaches in a snowstorm in a /a equipped Beech (DEN approach calls 1/4 vis CAT II equip or Lakes). This explains the wash rate in the sim, you have to have a scan! Seems basic but GPS moving maps and G1000's are doing for pilots what X-box is doing for high school students. I am not trying to stand on a soap box but there should be no mistery for a pilot coming to Lakes that you are going to have to put up with low pay, some crummy overnights (I like MHK though "Kansas"), have to do a bunch of hand flying and fly instruments with the bare minimum equipment to bare minimums for 5-11 legs a day (yes thats scheduled), and fly with one of the most fun pilot groups that I know of! I think the Lakers who have recently gone to DL, NW, US, Alaska, Alliegent and others would say that they found being a Beech driver was pretty respected.

P.S. Yes I bought and RJ type b4 I came to lakes (cause I diden't know any better) and just have to say I'm sorry if descent planning from 10k with a FMS snowflake, eyebrow, and speedbrakes on a visual app is tough. Some of us have to do mental math for crossing restrictions but can do 248kts to the marker and still be configured and slowed by 500ft. Your right we have it easy!

 

We do mental math also, at least I do an old habit I guess. As far as the last point, you've got 9 foot speed brakes on each side not as hard as it sounds.

 

It's undeniable that flying a prop gets you the quickest upgrade and gives you some credibility in that you have good flying experience especially with no autopilot and GPS. However from what I saw the CAs at my previous airline weren't having any luck with the better majors/legacies out there citing not enough experience on jet/advanced airplanes. The only guys that made it to top tier airlines like CAL had a few thousand of pic and were instructors. I guess in the last few years there has been a rise in regional jet CAs applying though it has been tougher market for prop guys.

 

Jeremy, are you Moonship?

 

2 for 2! Who r u?

 

Always interesting that the guys that call it Great Mistakes never worked here.