Colgan and/or Key lime is a step in the right deirection. Hope you get to one of those places someday.... time is on your side, those companies could be hiring by the time you have the experience to move on

Good luck

 

Colgan is no more likely to furlough anyone then Key Lime, especially considering we are past the darkest days of the recession and we are about to almost double in size! I don't know if anyone has ever made it to the 5th year FO payscale at Colgan.

Fractionals like any other employer when in need will not care if you have Santa SIC time as long as you have the certificates, the time and sometimes a good rec!

 

You obviously haven't been in this industry long enough to know that things could change just like that, whether you work for a bottom feeder that's seemingly guaranteed flying or not. It's obviously about who you know, but Key Lime offers better opportunities even if you don't know anyone because they know what kind of pilot they're getting, especially non airline. And actually pt135 places do not want to touch airline guys unless you know someone.

 

That's not quite true; I know three former regional pilots who were hired at a 135 turboprop/jet operator in my area. I was offered a light jet PIC position with a 135 operator when I was a CRJ FO @ AWAC, although that was early 2007. Also, don't forget that NetJets, CitationShares, Flexjet, Flight Options and Avantair all hired pilots just a couple short years ago from regional airlines with exactly *zero* previous bizav experience - and some weren't even captains at their regional.

 

Minimwage's 5 yr FO scenario might be stretching it, but it's a possibility nonetheless. Nobody knows the future of our company. I don't know why you guys bring up this irrelevance like Colgan has almost never furloughed, or no FO has reached 5th year pay - just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. Just look at now. Up until spring '07 hires, I believe there was never in the entire history of Colgan such a thing as an FO who reached 4th year pay. How many of them are there now and will be? My point is if you had said two years ago (when 2 yr upgrade was max, even that was uncommon) that guys will be on 4th year pay at Colgan everyone would've scoffed at you.
Applicants posting here need/want to be aware of the possibilities and to suggest something won't happen because it never happened before is just plain unhelpful.

 

True! How about that short furlough after 9/11? Was that a voluntary furlough? I heard it was. I didn't mean to suggest that it was not possible to hit the 5 year mark as an FO. The poster I was responding to made it sound like that would be common. I have yet to meet an FO who has been at Colgan that long.

While anything is possible, I think a long stint as an FO at Colgan is less likely due to the planned growth and improving economy.

 

Another thing to consider. As a 135 freight dog, I've averaged about 600 hours per year, I'm sure at Colgan, you'll double that. I'll leave that to you to decide which is better, it's your career. For me it's more a matter of enjoying the road (not necessarily getting there faster), thus I fly cargo.

 

My statements are based on a close source at a big fractional. You are definitely an exception. And some regional guys come from previous pt135 time.

 

Sure there are some regional guys with previous 135 time - just like there are some 135 guys with regional time.

I can't count on both hands the number of guys I know hired from regional airlines to fractional operators in the 2006-2008 time frame...and Avantair's most recent newhire class reportedly had quite a few regional airline guys in it.

Obviously you and your friend's mileage may vary...<shrug>

 

Except that he wont. The FAA limits you to 1000 a year.