KiloAlpha

Are there any airlines the implicitly / explicitly refuse or dislike hiring pilots without turbojet time?

Say for instance, one possessed 1500+ hours PIC in a Saab or Beech, could this person be hired by Continental, AirTran, Alaska, NetJets, UPS, FedEx, Evergreen, et cetera without have their resume walked in to the CP's office?

Anyone having gone through this process; I would greatly like to hear your story.

Thanks.

Tinpusher007

I think some do specifically require turbojet time, though I can't recall which ones off the top of my head. I know for CAL, you don't even need PIC turbine time though.

JetJock16

First you have to understand that Majors and Legacy’s require "Turbine PIC TIME." The workings of a Turbo-Prop are the same as a Turbo-Jet. The only real differences are that the fan is on the out side, the jet goes about 100 knots faster, and spool up times are different. I have a lot of time in the EMB-120 and it has a free turbine PW-118 engine. The spool up time (the time it takes a change in your power/thrust levers position to result in actual power or thrust changes in the engine) is much faster in the EMB than it is in the CRJ. A lot of that has to do with the design of the fuel system in the Emb as compared to the CRJ. Both have high and low compressors and turbines.
In my opinion, the Turbo-Prop is a much harder airplane to fly, there's just more to deal with. For example:
1) With a Turbo-Prop (EMB-120) you have to be careful of basic multi-engine principles when an engine fails. Just think about the yaw and roll that an Emb has when it's critical engine fails (it is a conventional twin) and you are producing 1800 lbs of thrust form 10.5 ft radius props. Once an engine fails you mash the proper rudder to the floor. There is not time to try in find the perfect rudder pressure. If you take you time you WILL be inverted. Even with both engines working, every time you touch the power levers you have to adjust the rudder. Jets don’t have to think about thrust moments until they loose an engine. And even then the moments are equal on both sides so there is not “Critical Engine.”
2) Prop Overspeeds. Take a look into the history of Turbo-Prop Prop Overspeeds. It will open you eyes. Imagine a 10.5 ft radius prop moving to a low pitch position that creates a situation that requires full scale deflections of both rudder and ailerons with the inability to hold both a descent rate less than -1500 fpm and directional control. After looking to cases involving prop overspeeds I know that you will gain a new respect for Turbo-Prop pilots.
3) Turbo-Prop pilots usually do twice as many T/Os and Landings, fly in the middle of the weather and don't always get the luxury of new systems.
4) Turbo-props also require more care because of there age. Other then the new Q400 and the Saab 2000, most Turbo-Props are over 2 decades old.
I'm not saying that jets aren't hard to fly, they are just more user friendly. The truth is that all aircraft are easy to fly, what’s hard of all the knowledge that is required to operate it efficiently. I had to ability to teach the CRJ before I made the change to the EMB. The glass cockpit can confuse you for a little while, but once you use it for a few hours you will fined it to be child’s play. The Emb is much more fun to fly.
I have a close friend that is a hiring Capt for Southwest. He has held the job for 2 years now, his advise is to get Commuter Class, 121, Turbine PIC Time. It doesn’t matter whether it's Turbo-Prop or Turbo-Jet. The bottom line is that they are both TURBINE A/C. Commuter Class aircraft must have a Lavratory (Bathroom) and a flight attendant as well as a few more details. A Beach 1900, King Air B200, or even a Turbine Navajo are not Commuter Class. These airplanes will only help you get to the Regionals. The EMB-120 and the Saab 340 are great examples of Commuter Class Turbo-Props and time in a 121 crew environment in these aircraft are GOLD!
Remember that TURBINE 121 time is important! Good luck and I hope that I clarified this for you.

Tinpusher007

This may be true of most, but not all...see my post above. I know of at least three different people who were hired at CAL with no PIC TURBINE time. They all had plenty of 121 right seat turbine time, but none in the left seat.

STILL GROUNDED

There are lot of pilots that go from Airmidwest (BE1900's) to their next company be it SW UPS CAL NJ ect... with out ever going to the dark side and flying an RJ.

hatetobreakit2u

jetblue requires 1000 hours in an airplane over MATOW of 20,000 or 25,000 lbs i think

while that doesnt "exclude" turboprops it certainly limits them like the 1900.
its really sad that turboprops are doing the hardest flying and getting less and less respect

rickair7777

Turbo-props are busier to fly, but things happen a lot faster in the jet. Some folks who do fine in props cannot manage to qualify in glass jets (usually older folks, as an experienced CFI I can say with certainty that younger people do have a learning advantage).

Plenty of turboprop guys get hired by majors. The majors do like to see the glass jet ticket punched because it gives them a warm-fuzzy that you can pass training on a bus, but 121 turbine PIC of any sort is far more important.

cloudkicker1981

The ONLY thing that matters in this industy is who you know and not what you know! There are guys at Fedex with only twin otter time and people at CAL with no turbine PIC. Now how did these people get there over people with 6000hrs jet and 3000pic jet, WHO YOU KNOW. So get out there and kiss some A$$!

WEACLRS

I don't know what to else say to this continuing topic...except Colgan is on pace to lose 1/3 of it's captains this year to majors - SWA, CAL, JetBlue, Airtran and on and on. I know of only one guy to date who went to a corporate job. None of us have jet time.

hatetobreakit2u

im presuming the jetblue guys were saab 340 captains correct, because of jetblue's weight restriction?