Lets have a round of applause to every pilot employed by Great Lakes Air! Seriously, in this part of the country, IFR is almost certain during the winter months. They have to hand fly their equipment! No auto pilots, how many of us can say that? Flying around the midwest, especially near the Rockies is not an easy challenge even during VMC. For these guys/gals who spends most of their time flying IMC near mountains down to minimums... well, that's a thrill ride like we all felt back when we took our first training flight. Great job Great Lakes!!! My hat's off to ya

 

So....

Lots of Multi turbine time, quick upgrade, lots of PIC time, and majors in 4 years! Whats so bad about that. It seems like most who are at the regionals are only there to transition to the majors. Why not do it sooner?

Sure you won't make much but from those at Lakes now it sounds like you will be working over 100 a month at 16hr thats as much at any regional flying guarantee.

It also sounds like the majors like those from lakes because of the difficult flying they do.

Thanks for the posts everyone!

 

Not quite so peachy. 85 hours average is still around 16k per year, before taxes! If you're on track to actually fly 100 per month for 12 months, you're more than likely going to hate your life. It's one of the examples of if it was easy everyone would do it. Most come in with your mentality but the temptation of the shiny dual FMS equipped CRJ/170s that fly very high and fast is too great for most who lateral when they do meet the mins. Those guys that actually stick around have definitely paid their dues because the flying is definitely harder with all the BS of a cheap operation that comes with it.

 

I will take my military time over your arrogance and my dad's. You crack me up....

 

FWIW, I've flown both and RJ and the Mighty Beech. The only thing I liked about the RJ was the FA and the APU. Flying wise - block to block - the 1900 was much more rewarding and interesting

 

you're one to talk. you've got so much shiny jet syndrome that you're working at gojet.

also, what you're saying about lateral moves makes no sense.

1) when you got hired at TSA with 200 hrs, lakes still had higher mins. why would anyone go to lakes to gain time to fly an RJ when there are RJ jobs out there that require less time....ahemgojetcough.

2) the whole reason anyone would go to lakes is for the PIC. why would someone go there to get terrible pay just to jump ship before the quick upgrade? some people actually care about experience and becoming a better pilot. these guys actually flight instruct, fly cargo, and/or go to lakes. they don't do these things to get the first jet job they can

FWIW, I have always had a desire to go fly those 19's in the soup...I'm just drowning in student loans so I can't make it happen...but maybe I will when you and your boys take our 50 seat flying.

 

You know, I actually read through this whole thread and must say it's a little disappointing. If you're in aviation to make a ton of money, you're in the wrong industry anymore. I'm a 370TT Commercial Pilot living in Denver and would LOVE to be flying at Lakes. Growing up, I ALWAYS wanted to be an airline pilot. My grandfather started out on DC-3s at Lake Central and ended up at USAir when he retired in the 80s. I worshipped that man, and I wanted to be just like him. Just to be able to say that I flew passengers around because it was my passion and what I wanted to do in life, certainly not because I wanted to make millions of dollars. Any chance I get these days I'm in the CRJ or A320 simulator in my office building learning something new (and it is very educational), but I'd kill to be out there actually flying one of those 1900s.

I'd rather be poor and love going to my job day in and day out than rich and stuck in a job I hated...

Zachary

 

You have a great attitude and I understand where youre coming from, BUT we all eventually have to feed our family and we must struggle to get the industry back to where it once was with regard to pay. Pay IS important on many different levels. And never sell yourself short. Unfortunatley the pay at the little regionals like lakes will never be honorable but it makes up for it in other ways (quick PIC Turbine). I chose to opt out of the airlines and get paid what I thought I deserved flying corporate even though the airlines where always my dream. That's my little way of rebelling but we should all find some way of making this an honorable profession for future generations.

 

No offense, really, but we all have our priorities. For some of you, that priority seems to be family and being able to provide for them, for others, like myself, it's ensuring that I have a stable life that I enjoy before I start a family. In today's environment, a starting pilot would have a very difficult time supporting his family, financially or physically being there. I'm certainly not trying to take sides, and again no offense, but perhaps some of you out there should decide what your priorities are before leaping into aviation as a career. In a perfect world we'd be able to have everything we ever wanted without having to sacrifice...sometimes we can, but most of the time we can't and we must compromise. I'll be the first to admit that I'm slightly behind in my life-plan, but I'm working hard to try to get where I want to be in life so I can then have all of those things that I've ever wanted.

I can afford to say that I'd love to be flying at Lakes right now because I don't have a family to support, it's just me that I have to worry about. I don't have to worry about putting food on the table for my family and I don't have to worry about putting my relationship with someone else second below my job. Am I lonely, hell yes I am, but like I said, sometimes we must make sacrifices for things we really want. Everyone must find that balance, and who are the people on this forum to tell anyone else what that is? For some people, flying for Lakes would be the perfect start, great flying and a chance to really learn what flying is all about. For others, being a CFI for how ever many years until they get on with a "regional" is the way to go; they're home every night and for the most part it is stable. For me, it's slowly plugging along until I can figure out how to get into either one of those scenarios.

Being an airline pilot just ain't what it used to be, and honestly, I don't see that changing in the real near future. If you don't have the passion to be in this industry, chances are that you are going to be miserable until you're flying that 777 across the ocean to some exotic destination. I urge you to really think about why you got into flying in the first place because after reading several of the posts in this thread, several of you seem very jaded.

Zachary

 

"some of you seem very jaded"

Not me! My beautiful Sugar Moma wife helped me through Lakes!