Any Mesa pilots out there?
 

Hi, I'm really interested in applying for an FO position at Mesa. Anyone out there willing to give me some insight about the QOL and the operation from an insider's point of view? I'm not on this board that often... but my email is [email protected]

I'd really appreciate any help I can get, and am really excited about potentially working for these guys. Thanks!!!!! :)

This should be interesting, may I ask why mesa in particular?

If you do a search on here about Mesa, you will find some info on QOL topics. If you qualify for Mesa than apply at Skywest, Horizon, Air Wisconsin, and ExpressJet as well. They are all hiring. Good luck.

Mesa
 

I agree with the last guy, many of us can tell you what it is like but I would start at the top of the food chain. Remember that all they can do is say no right? I would give those guys at least 1 month maybe 2 then shoot the stuff to Mesa if you can't hold out any longer. Other than this advise I can tell you I have only slept in my own bed 8 days since February thanks to those in scheduling. Yes, my perdiem is great but the wife really doens't care for that little extra money. Also there is the 14 hour reserve days and the 16 hour duty days that start to wear thin. Add a few days off out of base for various reasons and its easy to see why you don't get much time off. I'm starting to depress myself so I will leave it at that. :)

XtremeF150

xtremef150 why doesn't anybody have the balls to do something about Mesa?

Well I haven't een here long enough to really make any changes. However when it comes time to start fighting for the new contract I will be there to back it even if there is only a dozen of us. Every revolution starts small right? I don't think this guy is looking for info on that situation though. To the thread author try elsewhere first if your smart.

XtremeF150

Not sure if I can take this inquiry for real. Your id is CL65driver (not that it means anything in particular but it does lead me to believe that you may actually be flying this plane) and you put your personnal email address on a very public message board.

flamebait?

Hi... no flamebait here. I'm a graduate of one of those "get your type rating and get hired" deals. Well, lets just say that I'm back to instructing, and still haven't put that CL65 type rating to good use yet. And it's been almost a year.

I was interested in Mesa, because one of my friends was hired there and says he likes it a lot. So I thought I'd give it a a whirl. Plus, they'd hire me with 800/100 with the type. I really want to hold out for that magical 1000 hours total time and go to an airline with a better reputation like Skywest, CHQ or ExpressJet.

I know putting my email up on this board probably wasn't a good idea. But since I don't get on here all that often, I figured it was worth the risk for some good advice.

.... just lookin for some good advice from the people who have been there and done that. :)

Another SJS victim.

yeah... tell me about it :(

I hear people like to shove foreign objects up their a$$es rather than work at MESA. Good luck.

Holy $hit..... can't be THAT bad, can it? :confused:

Its been awhile since My Mesa Days!
 

I would drop in a Resume at everyone else first. If you have no call backs within 2-3 weeks, try your luck at Mesa. I did my time there and made the best of it. That was 10 years ago. My buddy is still there after 15 years and seems to be doing fine and is in the top 5% of the pilot group. Whats funny is that we make the same amount of income. He is checkairman in the EMB145/CRJ. and has a OK schedule. I on the other hand, I drive my Airbus and take major paycuts after 10yrs. Mesa has changed since I've been there but try your luck at some of the other ones first. Caution, do not expect much of a raise though. Good luck in your search.

Thanks for the info, ATPflyer. It seems as if everyone's opinion here is to avoid Mesa unless they're a last resort. I guess I'll just do the instructional thing for a few hundred more hours and then try Skywest or something. I really wish I would have found this board before I went to one of those "Buy a job" programs. There really is no way to land one of these jobs unless you really work hard for it, and earning a type rating (although it's a lot of fun) is not the right way to do it. Ah.... $25k that I could have put down on a house :(

Eh, I'd rather earn other pilots' respect than buy it anyway. :o

Dude,

While Mesa definitely isn't the best place to work it is better than instructing. Put your app in and see if you get hired. If you do great! Then you have a seniority number at an airline while attempting to go to another one if you wish. You may decide to stay and upgrade since the wait is relatively short these days. Just my .02

Ok here is one more thing to consider. If you do in fact interview and get hired, you can turn down the first class if you want, but they often retract their offer if you turn down the 2nd. Ok now assume you take the job finish class then decide you don't like it you will have a 12 month contract to fulfill. Before everyone goes crazy with the "These contracts aren't binding" talk remember that even if you get away with it your future interviewers will always be wondering if you will pull the same stunt with them. That is leaving them high and dry after they pay for your training. People do still take others word as a viable contract :).
To make this shorter, if you decide to go to Mesa then plan on sticking it out for at least the 12 months (Its your penance for that decision):D

XtremeF150

If you NEED to fly a shiny Jet
 

I don't know how accurate one job jump will effect your resume. Personally, I now miss my GA job.

What I did was go to Piedmont, got my 121 training, spend all of about 45 days on the line after IOE, and got hired by one of my top three (ExpressJet). I must say, I had a tough time getting an airline interview before I went to Piedmont. Once I passed my 121 training, I got three calls from other airlines.

My point is this. If you really want ot fly shiny jets, go to Mesa and only plan on staying the 12 months. Do your research, and figure out your top three or five regionals and get your apps to them AS SOON AS YOU PASS IOE. Save your money in case one of them hires you, and you can pay off your contract. Believe me, the other regionals know which airlines out there people use as stepping stones. Mesa is definitely one of them! As long as you make it clear that whom ever you are jumping to from mesa knows that you want to make a career with them, you shouldn't have any issues.

I know several guys at Express Jet that have done the same thing at other various airlines. I'm sure Mesa would not approve of my post, but you know where they can put it.

I agree with F150 and Slice, If no call backs from any other place, put your stuff in at Mesa. Should you get hired, do your 12 months and find another regional to jump ship for. Its better to fly 121 now and get some time under you rather then instructing. Your time at Mesa is still worth more and looks good on your resume then your CFI work. Its a starting point, not a career! Good luck

save your pennies
 

not like you make much money as a CFI, but save you pennies, apply with Mesa, and get your resume to your top three as soon as you finish your 121 training. If one of your top three hire you, quit Mesa, pay the training contract, and get out. ITS ALL ABOUT SENIORITY WITH THE AIRLINE YOUR REALLY WANT TO BE WITH! There's a reason that companies put that 1 year commitment on. Its usually the companies where lots of people leave within the first year. If you see the one year commitment, chances are you're not the first person to plan on leaving, and you won't be the last. In my ground school at Express Jet a year ago, there were two ex-Mesa guys in that class.

Here's a prime example of why companies put the one year commitment on. I came from Piedmont where I as on the line for about two months. My sim partner was from Eagle, where he was on line there for three months. One of the two guys from Mesa was only on the line 6 months before coming to Express Jet (who doesn't have a training contract... though the bump from 22 to 32 dollars an hour from first to second year pay IS your pay for training...) Out of the 15 people in my ground school at Express Jet, everyone of us is still at XJT. 16 months after my ground school started at Piedmont, there are only 3 people out of 12 left there. The companies where you will want to stay are the ones that won't make you pay to leave. (if that makes any sense) aka If there's a training contract, it means that people were jumping ship faster in the first year there than rats did off the Titanic.

So, here's my advice. Figure out your top three airlines you want to work for. Get your app in to those NOW! If you don't hear anything in two weeks, apply to Mesa (who also charges you to apply mind you). Once you complete your 121 training, get your apps bak out to your top three, and if they offer you an interview or a job, TAKE IT and get the seniority where you really want to be!

No matter what airline you go to, Mesa is the four letter word of our industry. (Of course, Go Jets is working hard to become the dirty word) But that is subject for a whole new thread!

hehe... yeah, I've heard that Mesa stands for My Employer Sucks A$$ :D I sent all my stuff in to XJT about 2 months ago, and still haven't heard back (just a lowly 700TT/130Multi/CRJ type though).