Honestly, stay where you are for now. You will be just fine with any experience you are getting by being an instructor. Challenge yourself even more by taking it to the next level with your students. Be the best instructor you can be, spend extra time with the slower students, challenge the good ones, whatever it takes to get a good reputation. There is no such thing as an unrewarding flying job, you just need to find what it is. You will be glad you have a stable job come this fall.

 

Agreed stay where you are - I had a job at skywest set, and gave up my instructing job and now i'm unemployed due to the airlines not hiring + guys getting furloughed flooding the pilot pool. I'm taking a non flying job until I get a call again.

 

Here this might help: Great Lakes Unofficial Forum


Good Luck...







OO.

 

Lakes is good if you're a low time guy looking for something else vs instructing. As far as experience, yes the 1900 is considered an airliner and it is a pressurized turbine airplane but it's not the same as the other airliners out there prop or jet. If you're a higher time guy hold out for something better like Skywest or 135 freight.

 

as my last CA said... "wish I had gone to dental school"

 

Yeah hold out for a job flying an RJ where the upgrade is at least 2 years away IF things start to turn around. I dont want to turn this into a thread about prop verse jet but I went from Lakes to a very advanced jet and havent run the thing into a mountain yet. Do not let prop verse jet be a deciding factor in going to great lakes. Nobodys required to make a stop at skywest to learn how to fly a jet before going to a major or fractional or corporate gig. Just make dure you can live off Ramen noodles and Natural Light for a few years.

 

The Beech is a tough airplane. It may not have FMS or an autopilot (our Brasilia's don't have FMS, but a basic autopilot), but so what. It's not like you're not going to be using those for the rest of your career when you get to where you want to go.

If you think GLA is what you want, that's fine. Personally, the pay is a motivator to upgrade as soon as you can. That's why we came here in the first place, not be a career FO. You have an opportunity to fly an EMB 120, either as an FO or CA. Many look down on the Turboprop, however; turbine is turbine. If you like to fly, give it a shot. There's going to be a lot of pilots on the street here soon, get the hot cakes while they are hot. It's not gonna last for long.

Instrument training is a good start if you want to come over. But a proficient scan is required to pass sim. Start now.

 

Just got a call from Kasey at GLA, wants to set up an interview for the 18th!!Any advice on what to study, or prepare for. This is my first interview so I know I can't be completely prepared but I want to at least have an idea of what to expect. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Here's some interview gouge: Aviation Interviews.com

Just register for the free part, no need to pay anything...


...also know you NDB/ADF cold! You'll be handflying a lot of those and Lakes likes to sim that as well.










OO.

 

True, but...

You will be a Captain within a year.

You will only have to suffer on pay for the first year till you upgrade.

You will gain some great skills.

Good people. You will make lots of contacts.

Lakes is the most stable flying job out there.


I worked at lakes. It was the best decision I ever made in my aviation career thus far. 1000 turbine PIC and two types in less than three years and then I moved on to fly an airbus. I will be getting furloughed soon, but I will always have that turbine PIC in my back pocket.