Great Lakes Airlines?
 

Just wondering if anyone has any information on Great Lakes Airlines? Looking to hear about QOL, Payrates, upgrade times, training department, training schedule...Basically any kind of general information would be beneficial. Thanks fellas!

SEARCH was too short to post so I'm going to say SEARCH again.

Airwillie, I'm confused by your response to my post, maybe im just being my normal, slow self, but could you clarify?

Translation: do a search of these threads for "Great Lakes" and "GLA" and you'll find the answers to all the above questions. Some current/recent Lakers might also add some current/updated info, but most of the stuff you want to know has been covered in other threads and is pretty easy to find. Good luck.

hmm not too much about great lakes after searching .. anything new happening there? still hiring?

http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/a...eat_lakes.html

$16/hr first year pay...not paid during training

Thats enough to keep me doing slow flight and ground ref.

Quick upgrade, lots of flying and more stable than most places are right now. 16 dollars changes to 27 as soon as you have 1500 hours if you can hack the upgrade. People are fun to work with but you must know how to drink a considerable amount of alchohol and be a good stick.

I am currently flight instructing as well right now which isn't a bad job. But I am finding it hard to believe that mastering slow flight,steep turns, stalls, and ground ref. is gonna help me progress to the next level. The only thing that I find beneficial is teaching instrument students. Great Lakes pay is really low and I would be making less money but I am looking more towards being challenged, flying a bigger, faster, more advanced aircraft. Building turbine time getting an upgrade and then building PIC turbine time. Its a tough decision to make, I have something relatively stable right now but I want to advance my career in market where the hiring at other regionals is nil, hence my problem. I am sure I am not the only one in this position so any advice is greatly appreciated.

get out why you still can!!!

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.

Best Source
 

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.

Be yourself, don't forget to smile, and if you don't know something... don't BS them. Just tell them you don't know the answer. aviationinterviews.com is a great gouge.

Not sure if they still do a sim ride but if they do, get some time in a frasca before you go (unless you are pretty instrument proficient).

How much total time / ME time do you have ChillBillPilot?

I currently have around 460TT and 140ME. I was a student at ATP and now instructing private pilots here. I definitely plan on jumping in the Frasca and getting my scan down real well. The only thing that I am deficient on is ndb approaches but I will be working on those before the interview. I appreciate all of your help fellas, any pointers on what an interview is like would be greatly appreciated.

My question is with all other airlines not hiring, what kind of movement is there in Great Lakes? hence the short upgrade?

They have picked up a bunch of EAS routes. Hence they are growing. Not much attrition now though.

Great Lakes Airlines Route Map

Are they still hiring street captains?

I applied, but declined the interview due to the lack of pay.

$16 an hour and $27 for a captain... I just don't see what is so Great about Great Lakes. This is as close as paying for training as it gets.

There isnt much great about Great Lakes....but when nowhere is hiring that doesnt seem to matter anymore to many. I dont blame them.

Hey ChillBill how long ago did you send in all of your info?? I am interested in Great Lakes as well and I am just trying to get all the info I can.

One way to look at the pay is that 27 dollars an hour for 19 seats is a lot better that 57 dollars an hour for 70 seats. Pay sucks everywhere! S.O.S

Not sure. If they are, it would probably be posted on their website at Great Lakes Airlines

I was offered an RJ job at the same time as I was offered Great Lakes and I declined the RJ job because of lack of quick upgrade. Also, Lakes has a niche in the market that does not include flying mainline routes;) To each his own.

Hats off to you, and good luck!

As they said in Indiana Jones: you have chosen wisely.

Lakes isn't for everyone and maybe that's a GOOD thing.

I've noticed that you rarely run into a former Laker who regrets going there.

I couldn't disagree with you more, except that there is no such thing as an unrewarding flying job. A really good instructor, though better prepared for training, is in no better shape than any other instructor as far as getting your career started. As much experience you may have as an instructor you will still be in the same spot as everyone else in your newhire class. If you decide down the road that Lakes isn't for you (few actually do) and others are hiring, I guarantee that you will get the nod before any other flight instructor. Granted by that time you'll have a type and some TPIC.

The gettin is good right now but the window is closing. Ask yourself would you rather instruct for the next 12-18 months or build 121 experience. I encourage anyone on the fence to at least interview and go from there.

But..... Colgan pays 40/hr. for first year Beeach Captains, not too bad for a 19 seater. Hey, I guess we set the 1900 benchmark, maybe great lakes will catch up.

Also check out www.willflyforfood.cc Good place for gouges.

Wow, That is pretty good! And no, Lakes wont be catching up to that anytime soon!

Did the same thing as you.

GLA is not for all by any means, at this point in your career if money is an issue...good luck. If you have a family to support or this is a second career and you have other obligations the pay at GLA or Mesaba or any Regional will suck. GLA generally has a quick upgrade and you will be making as much or more as a FO flying an RJ. You will be logging quality 121 PIC and in the end you will find it helps you move on.

There are very few GLA Alum that regret passing through, and you need to go in with that attitude. GLA is a stopover not a destination for 99.9% of the pilots. If you can hack the low pay and the sink or swim training then you will be rewarded with a great bunch of people to work with and hopefully a ticket to a better paying job.

I have been out of GLA for almost 11 years but I still have contacts there and I do not think much has changed. Make what you will of it, but I can tell you that as someone who has been involved in training and hiring at a few levels, Lakers are well respected talented pilots by the time they leave ! IMHO:)

Cfii2007,did you not know about the pay until after you applied ? You may want to use places like APC for research to avoid wasting your time on apps for places you really do not want to work at.