if it smells like a duck....

All I can say is that I've been working at PW for a year and a half and it's not nearly at bad as everyone is making it out to be. I startd out as an SIC and now work as a captain. Everyone is paid a salary and it is ample to live on in Hawaii. I personally think the time built here is much more valuable than doing the whole CFI thing... it's an airline, and turbine time. I've had pleanty of friends here that have gone on to good charter jobs, and some to other airlines. Sure, it's not someplace that I want to work indefinately but the flight time I've build here is INCREDIBLE! A lot more fun than most flying jobs, and my pay as a captain is over $30,000 per year with bonusus every 6 mo. Sure sounds like a lot of people who know nothing about this company enjoy talking out their asses!

My question is, what job are you qualifying yourself for by working there?

A regional? Nearly all of the coveted jobs out there (cargo/majors) require multi-engine and/or turbine PIC. I know that SWA does not recognize caravan time as applicable PIC.

I worked there for two years and it was the most fun flying I have done. Later I went to an express jet interview with only sic 208 time and was shown the door. Made Captain at PW to justify my sic time. Left and went to fly cargo. The people that run that place have NO aloha.

Not to get flamed, but what if I just really wanted to get some Caravan time? I know a guy who has a Caravan to take back and forth to his cabin in northern Michigan, but I need 150 time in type to qualify for the insurance....(he pays his guy pretty well, and the current pilot is moving to Florida with his wife and kids)

I'm arguing against those who said people were better off being a CFI... than working at PW. Not arguing that my job is better than a regional!!! Most of my friends, like I mentioned before went to charter companies. I don't know hardly anyone from my university that went directly to a charter company without having either an instructing job or or some part 135 job. I'd rather take the 135 job and and live in Hawaii than a CFI job and have students try to kill me. I never said anything about people going to a major from PW. I started out here with 250 hours of total time and now I have 1500 total and over 1000 Turbine PIC. And I guarantee I did it alot faster than ANY CFI that I know.

Do you guys pay for cass?

1.) 30,000 a year is nothing in Hawaii.
2.) It's a Caravan.... Its a glorified 172. Turbine yes but when people say turbine PIC they mean multi turbine.
3.) If you love PW thats great but why are there so many that bash it current and ex employee's alike?
4.) If you have 2000hrs C208 time and 50 multi you're kinda shooting yourself in the foot.
5.) If the time you've built is so incredible and valuable why are you still there after over a year? :cool:
Sounds like someone else is talking out of their a$$

Well I HAVE worked there so I don't consider myself to "know nothing." Are they not making SICs do counter/ramp work 4 days out of the week anymore? You say everyone is paid a salary... have they increased the pay more than $8/hr for the SICs? Because at that rate, you make only $1200/month BEFORE taxes. I've actually lived there, so you can't convince me that $1200 is "ample to live in Hawaii." Even a can of Campbell's soup costs $4. I was looking for a second job, and saw an ad for McDonalds.. $10/hr. What does it say about the cost of living in HI when McDonalds guys are making $10/hr? Also what does it say about PW when they pay fully certificated pilots LESS than McDonalds workers? I know you make more when you upgrade to captain... but $30k a year is still very difficult to live with in HI. I understand the flying is very fun, how can you beat the scenery. But beautiful scenery doesn't pay the bills nor does it help you get a major airline job (even a regional might be tough). I went for it because I thought I should have some fun while I was young, but the company was just way too sh!tty for me to stay.

First of all unless you've lived out here, I don't think you can speak intellegently about the cost of living in HI. $30,000 isn't an amazing salary, but starting out it's pretty average. As for the amount of people that dislike PW, I don't know. I hear a lot of bad things about companies like Mesa, Trans States, but I have friends who work at both and they think it's ok. I got irritated when I started reading this forum and I can tell that no one knows hardly anything about this company, yet they feel the need to talk sh!t about it and the people who work here. And the reason I'm still here? Well, beside the fact that no one's hiring, right now is a terrible time to switch jobs. Anyone who has a flying job right now should consider themselves lucky. Look, I never said that PW is an outstanding place to work. What I did say is that it is not the horrible place everyone participating in this forum has made it out to be. I think the other thing that people fail to understand is that for most of us this job is in lieu of flight instructing, solely a job to build time. I'd rather do this than be a CFI. I know VERY FEW who were able to get on with a regional right out of school. Just about everyone had to instruct or find some other sort of time building job for a year or two.