Great Lakes Airlines?
08-07-2008 | 06:32 PM
#61
Banned
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 781
Likes: 0
Couldn't agree more with the former and current pilots here at ZK. I was apprehencive at first even to go to the interview because its Great Lakes... ooooh bad! When I interviewed I had two other interviews in the works one at PSA and one at Repeublic. I took the GLA job because they got back to me first. Best thing I ever did!! Look at those companies now.
I wanted to hold out for Skywest and be an FO on a JET, but reality is that you WILL be on reserve for 1-2 years and and FO for even longer.
I was hired in NOV 07 and am looking at upgrade within 2 months. I spent minimal time on reserve (4 months) and currently hold a good day line on the 120. 
Great place to be, and great pilots. They pay is do able, you have to be very careful with your money; and you only have to endure that payscale for a year or so (depending on Total Time). We are still growing like crazy, we need more planes and pilots. We have so much flying that we cant even do because of the afore mentioned plane and pilot shortage.
My Dad flys for a large cargo outfit and he has flown with many former "Lakers" and he has said that they are some of the sharpest pilots that he flys with.
Hey Joe, hows the little one?
I wanted to hold out for Skywest and be an FO on a JET, but reality is that you WILL be on reserve for 1-2 years and and FO for even longer.
I was hired in NOV 07 and am looking at upgrade within 2 months. I spent minimal time on reserve (4 months) and currently hold a good day line on the 120. Great place to be, and great pilots. They pay is do able, you have to be very careful with your money; and you only have to endure that payscale for a year or so (depending on Total Time). We are still growing like crazy, we need more planes and pilots. We have so much flying that we cant even do because of the afore mentioned plane and pilot shortage.
My Dad flys for a large cargo outfit and he has flown with many former "Lakers" and he has said that they are some of the sharpest pilots that he flys with.
Hey Joe, hows the little one?
Sounds like you've got it made having dad flying for a major carrier, other's aren't so lucky.
08-07-2008 | 06:39 PM
#62
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
From: E120 Driver
Sherwood- your friend must b on the E120. They seat locked them for 1-2 months, just enough time to get some more captains on the 120. They cant get enough CA's or FO's on the beech, those guys have some much flying to do it's crazy. Jus started some flyn in WI, word is that they r are starting MO flyn (ex Bigsky stuff), and now starting in CA and NV.
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
Trainnig is 6-8 weeks long, unpaid, hotel provided. Trainning contract is 15 months and $7500.
Benifits aren't that bad; on the medical side, fairly low copays and pretty good coverage for a regional. Kind of expencive though. Travel is good, we are CASS. Free passes on Frontier (as long as they are around) and reduced fares on many other airlines.
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
Trainnig is 6-8 weeks long, unpaid, hotel provided. Trainning contract is 15 months and $7500.
Benifits aren't that bad; on the medical side, fairly low copays and pretty good coverage for a regional. Kind of expencive though. Travel is good, we are CASS. Free passes on Frontier (as long as they are around) and reduced fares on many other airlines.
08-07-2008 | 06:53 PM
#63
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
From: E120 Driver
TPIC is TPIC it's going to open a whole lot more doors than thousands of jet SIC but if your ultimate goal is to fly for a legacy airline that has thousands of JET PIC applicants your chances will not be so good out of a 1900 operator, I had many many CAs that I flew with that couldn't find a decent place with the exception of one who was in training dept for a long time. It's a different market than it was when all you had were tprop regionals.
Sounds like you've got it made having dad flying for a major carrier, other's aren't so lucky.
Sounds like you've got it made having dad flying for a major carrier, other's aren't so lucky.
Maybe it's a problem with the CA that you speak of and not the lack of JPIC.
08-07-2008 | 06:55 PM
#64
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 639
Likes: 0
From: SAABster
Sherwood- your friend must b on the E120. They seat locked them for 1-2 months, just enough time to get some more captains on the 120. They cant get enough CA's or FO's on the beech, those guys have some much flying to do it's crazy. Jus started some flyn in WI, word is that they r are starting MO flyn (ex Bigsky stuff), and now starting in CA and NV.
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
Trainnig is 6-8 weeks long, unpaid, hotel provided. Trainning contract is 15 months and $7500.
Benifits aren't that bad; on the medical side, fairly low copays and pretty good coverage for a regional. Kind of expencive though. Travel is good, we are CASS. Free passes on Frontier (as long as they are around) and reduced fares on many other airlines.
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
Trainnig is 6-8 weeks long, unpaid, hotel provided. Trainning contract is 15 months and $7500.
Benifits aren't that bad; on the medical side, fairly low copays and pretty good coverage for a regional. Kind of expencive though. Travel is good, we are CASS. Free passes on Frontier (as long as they are around) and reduced fares on many other airlines.
I'd look around!!
08-07-2008 | 07:33 PM
#65
Line Holder
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: Hiring Pool
Sherwood- your friend must b on the E120. They seat locked them for 1-2 months, just enough time to get some more captains on the 120. They cant get enough CA's or FO's on the beech, those guys have some much flying to do it's crazy. Jus started some flyn in WI, word is that they r are starting MO flyn (ex Bigsky stuff), and now starting in CA and NV.
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
WE NEED PLANES AND PILOTS!!!!
The word I hear is that everyone wants Denver, and no one wants to be based in STL. Any truth to this? Are PHX and MKE bases also?
Thanks for all your info.
08-07-2008 | 08:17 PM
#66
Swearing at the FMA
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 902
Likes: 0
From: MD-88 FO
STL is junior, few want to be based there right now. The PHX base closed a year ago. MKE and ABQ are run as TDY lines at the moment.
08-07-2008 | 09:02 PM
#67
Swearing at the FMA
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 902
Likes: 0
From: MD-88 FO
Using your logic: Spend five more years at a "good" regional than you would at Lakes before hopping to an LCC/major due to the slow upgrade, and you lose 5 years of salary at that next "dream carrier."
Say that "dream job" is AirTran...
5 years X 128520= $642600. That's over 20 years of flight instructing at 30k/yr. Plus, 5 years extra seniority can be what keeps you in a job when things turn downward.
Our pay is terrible, I agree. Not trying to completely bust on you here, but I do get tired of the short-sighted "don't go to Lakes, you'll make $16/hour" argument. Lakes isn't for everyone. Heck, it isn't for most people. But that doesn't necessarily make it a stupid decision for someone else.
08-07-2008 | 10:35 PM
#68
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
From: E120 Driver
Kansas- We are healthy, young pilots. Of course, it's all relative when comparied to Starbucks, UPS or FedEx. Regular visits $30, Preventative care $30. Vision $60 Dental is 100% coverage for preventative care, 80% for basic (after $100 deductable). For most of us we are not going to be retiring from here, and it's no secret that medical insurence is expencive. Lakes is no exception, but it's better than our previous CFI'n jobs or whatever.
08-07-2008 | 10:43 PM
#70
Banned
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 781
Likes: 0
Good luck looking around buddy... no one else is hiring!!! That is the problem with most young pilots today; they are not willing to make sacrifices for a job. Kansas is right, nothing but a buch of short sighted talk with no walk. I thought the same thing when I was CFI'n (Great Lakes= Great Mistakes), truth is that this is the best move I could have made. Keep CFI'n and wait 2 years untill airlines start hiring again then get to an airline, or bite the bullet and get into an airline now, make some sacrifices now and reap the benifits latter. And I'm not getting furloghed, like those "more desirable" airlines!!!
Kansas- We are healthy, young pilots. Of course, it's all relative when comparied to Starbucks, UPS or FedEx. Regular visits $30, Preventative care $30. Vision $60 Dental is 100% coverage for preventative care, 80% for basic (after $100 deductable). For most of us we are not going to be retiring from here, and it's no secret that medical insurence is expencive. Lakes is no exception, but it's better than our previous CFI'n jobs or whatever.
Kansas- We are healthy, young pilots. Of course, it's all relative when comparied to Starbucks, UPS or FedEx. Regular visits $30, Preventative care $30. Vision $60 Dental is 100% coverage for preventative care, 80% for basic (after $100 deductable). For most of us we are not going to be retiring from here, and it's no secret that medical insurence is expencive. Lakes is no exception, but it's better than our previous CFI'n jobs or whatever.
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