looking for some opinions of these regionals
 

expressjet, PSA, colgan air, and american eagle. Interested in the basics, especially upgrade times.

thanks

If upgrade time is number one on your list then scratch off American Eagle!

I have heard from a former employee at Eagle that AE treats their pilots very badly, I would avoid them. I'd go with Mesa, they have the fastest upgrade times beacuse nobody want's to stay there!

I would also scratch PSA

Masa
 

Masa is a ***** opperation,stay away!

Colgan is a great operation with a fast upgrade time. I don't know much about Beech upgrade time, but the upgrade in the SAAB is really fast. (typically a year, or as they need you, provided you have or are close to having the minimum time requirements) The generic requirements are 2200TT, 800-1000 in type, and the ever-so-obvious ATP minimum requirements - which you most likely have with these TT requirements. Oh yeah...and the ATP written would help too! :p

AE is a good company, but the upgrade time is horrible. Granted, you would most likely be put in the ERJ right away, but you would have about 5 + years until you upgrade. If that floats your boat (sitting 'shotgun' for 5 + years), more power to ya bud. You would be flying new(er) equipment, get glass experience, all that jazz. I actually know someone who flys for them, based in LGA, who loves his job. He wants to walk my resume in for me when I meat the mins. but I am a little hesitent, just due to the upgrade time.

PSA, I don't have much to say on. They have an average payscale and they fly awesome equipment (CRJ-200/700's). Their crews are very nice/very professional. That's all I've got on them...:p

GOOD LUCK!

I'v got a bud @ Mesa and their work rules are very bad. He said upgrade to ERJ (most junior jet) is currently at 24 months.

Dont go to AE, I have alot of friends their and it is a company that is at war with its self (flowbacks vs. everyone else) and that is the way management their wants it.

PSA is a good company but no growth.

Best of luck!!

(Colgan Air) The Upgrade time in the Beechcraft I heard in some cases was less than a year, and most cases not much more than a year. My buddy Flys them all the time on standby Between ALB-LGA to go home on weekends, his Dad is a US Airways Captain. So he talks to the pilots all the time. You are also home almost every night if you work on the UA/US Express side of colgan.

Colgan sounds like a GREAT place to work....but what is more important, just PIC Turbine, flying in the soup. Or PIC Turbine JET flying with automation and high speed/altitude experience?? Maybe I have a slight case of SJS!!

Get your real estate license.

Mesa ERJ CA is currently about 16 months. Their contract is up next year, so if you're a gambling man (or girl), you might be able to get in now, upgrade fast, and then enjoy the fruits of a better contract in 2009 (if you don't hired at a major by then).

We've had close to 30 captains leave in the last eight months (about 25% of Colgan's captains) for large-jet airlines, including Southwest (3-4), Continental (5-6), Airtran(close to 10, maybe more), Spirit, Gemini, Ryan, NetJets, ABX, and others. I'm not aware of any captain who has left to go to a jet regional. Some were captains from '99 hire dates, but a lot were from '01 through '03. I'm not aware of an '04 captain that has left yet, but a number of them have their 1000 pic and are beginning to get close to being competitive. We have had several four and five year Eagle FO's come over to us because they were tired of waiting for upgrade. And several of the Chicago Express street captains (a great group of pilots!) have left to bigger jet equipment.

I think in this age of RJ's we tend to forget that just 10 or so years ago many civilian pilots came out of a turboprop for a major airline. I've been told by hiring managers and hiring captains (specifically at Airtran and SWA) turbine PIC time (and recommendations) is everything and whether that time is in an RJ or a SAAB makes no difference to them. That said, realize I fly a SAAB hoping it's true, and maybe I'm just hearing what I want to hear! :D

Who went to SWA from Culligan? PM me! I heard of interviews but I didn't know anyone went!

But from what I hear Culligan is good to upgrade at. The upgrade time in the SAAb will be at about 18 months...not too bad. Things have slowed....and the rate of successful pass rate on the ride has been about 25%. So the training department is most likely looking at changimg things....just what I have heard from a guy i know there.

I do have my real estate license. My last job was with a big firm, not what i wanted though. This is some great gouge. I am a little father out than you guys. I probably wont be hitting a regional for a year and a half. I still hve to go through training.

WEACLS ......... what about PIC Turbine Time in a Caravan?
Should i stay where i am to get the notorious 1000hrs Turbine, or get the hell out and start building Multi Turbine?
I guess what im trying to say is, do they care if its single or multi PIC turbine?
thanks

I fly the Saab at Colgan and enjoy it a lot. I've also been in the cockpit of jets. I'd say that PIC turbine in a jet would be better OVERALL simply because it would prepare you a little more with an FMS. That is it though. The automation in a jet makes it easier to fly, not tougher. I think you might be overemphasizing the high speed/altitude thing also. Slow to 250 below 10k, reset altimeter to 29.92 at 18k....thats really the big difference. You learn to get ahead of ANY airplane to make your life easier. You go from a 152 doing 60 on final to a Seneca doing 90-100, to a King Air doing...well you get the picture.

Stuff happens faster in the jet, primarily in the departure/approach environment ,and you don't get much seat-of-the-pants feel. Not just the FMS, but almost everything is menu-driven so that's a different mind-set too. Not everyone can do glass, so some companies want to see that before they hire you.

Boy, I don't know for sure. I haven't had that conversation with an hiring folks at a major. I know you would be picked up at a regional as long as you had 80 or so hours of multi in something. If I hazard to guess, with the exception of military single engine fighter turbine time, I think the major airlines really expect the PIC turbine requirment to be multi-engine.