So I have about 320TT and 9 ME on my resume and was told by HR that i need to get around 750TT to be competitive. I think it's safe to say that GLA is flooded with all the 121 guys now.

 

Good for them! Get out there and build hours(CFI, banner tow, pipeline, etc). It will make you a better pilot and put hair on your chest.

 

Try getting internal recommendations... They help... Plus, you need 20 hours ME min. in the 300 hour range.

 

Or maybe try getting some actual time and experience...

 

Sheesh, I had to have 1200 total and 100 ME just to fly a King Air 200 back in 2004. Things have changed when 9 ME is thought to be enough to walk into an airline. Have you flown anything outside of your ME training? Go out, have some fun and get some experience in the system. I wouldn't have thought of doing anything but instructing at that point in my career.

 

Uhh... ya. I'm actually surprised they didn't laugh at you when you spoke with them... Get about 800TT/100ME and try again. Once jet regionals start hiring again, you will probably need more like 1,000TT/200ME until all these furloughed guys find their place again. Shoot, when times were good (last year), you still needed about 600-800TT/50-100ME just to get interviewed at Comair, ASA, CHQ, SKW, Eagle, etc. and even then that was still very low time.

 

These kids just don't get it do they. 320tt? I got more time than that on the crapper of a dash-8. And thats not easy to get.

Go get some experience so when you do go fly for a regional the capt isn't have to do your job and his.

 

I wouldnt recomend anyone walk into an airline interview with 9ME, not even Lakes, thats crazy. On the positive side; it's better to be turned down now rather than have a 121 ground school failure on your record.

On the contrary, many of those guys/galls who are geting furloghed are affraid to come to Lakes, think its bad juju. Most are not comming here. The ones that are comming here are the ones that have been here before and know what kind of place Lakes is. Those people returning are comming back as Captains. They are not takking the FO's slots that are very much open.

My advise, get some more Mult time, get your MEI. You have to have 15hrs PIC ME to qualify for the MEI ticket anyway. Rent a bucket twin and fly, while working with an instructor towards the MEI. Thats what I did!

Cheers

 

9 ME hours? Sheesh times have changed. I needed 200 ME minimum just to apply to the regionals way back when. Hang in there, before you know it I'll have left this industry and you can have my slot.

 

Well, i'm not gonna knock ya, or beat you up on your multi time. You said it yourself, the 121 guys are taking the jobs that were once being filled by even the low time pilots. As the market gets saturated the minimums will come up until the number of applicants decreases significantly. It all happened rather quickly, but things went from newly licensed pilots getting jobs out of college, to 10,000 hr pilots being put on the street, things are more competitive everywhere. More competitive to the guy with 300 hrs, and more competitive for the guy with 737,757,767 on his resume' .

Don't beat yourself up over it. A few years ago i sent my resume over to lakes. Didn't even get a phone call, instead was graced with a letter saying "please apply when you have more experience". No biggie, i wasn't expecting an offer anyway, and just continued instructing. By that fall, i'd found myself into a regional job, sitting right seat, and thinking "wow, don't know if i was really ready for this." By the time i got passed that, they had me thinking the same thing from the left seat.

Your time will come.