Question for the peanut gallery...I have recently been offered a job at Eagle and Express Jet. CRJ with Express, no idea with Eagle, but I'm assuming standard. Retiring Military guy, waiting like most for the robust mainline hiring, but wanted to have some recency. I've read through tons of the forum post(s) and have a very difficult time discerning the reality at both. Would like feedback on which regional would be a better choice, given that I have an opportunity to choose. Thanks!

 

Where do you live?

 

Wichita Falls, just north of DFW by about 1.5hrs. This has been a consideration. Express Jet folks stated I'd have a good shot at domiciling out of DFW, but nothing from the Eagle folks on this. However, I'd go through school in DFW (close to home) vs Atlanta with Express. Thoughts?

 

One thing to consider, that has not gotten much attention, is that if you go to a regional owned by mainline, will that discourage a mainline from interviewing you based on a double training event and the fact regionals are having a harder time filling classes? AMR will already be flowing guys from the top of Eagle's list to mainline, so do they really want to pluck guys off the bottom making it even harder to keep Eagle staffed?

There may be no merit to this idea, or it may be a curse if you want American. I think Pinnacle pilots are going to have that problem with respect to Delta. There will be tens of thousands of qualified pilots to choose from, so why make it harder and cost more by hiring guys from the other company they own.

There is really no history to back this up, but I think we are in uncharted territory in the U.S. industry with all the consolidations, regional airline expansion and lack of CFIs and pilots willing to take the poverty level regional jobs.

Good luck!!

 

For the record I didn't start this one!

To the OP: the previous poster is asking the right question: go where it's possible to have no commute, or a very little one if possible. With your military background it's possible that you won't be in the regionals long enough to deal with their long term realities.

Secondly, make sure you're in contact with anyone from your military career, even from way back when you were a 2Lt, that you might have even possibly liked at one time, and more importantly liked you. Whatever contacts you can generate have the potential to be golden.

Lastly, read this article and take the advice to heart.

Good luck.

 

In that case either would be fine. I wouldn't sweat the training location; its short enough in your overall career that it shouldn't override a more rational decision.

The question about who owns the regional is a valid one, but like the poster said there's not enough data out there to justify a decision based on that. The reality is that you'll apply to everyone you want to work for and then take the first class date.

Your next step is to find out the reserve rules for each carrier and figure out if you could sit reserve at home, i.e. a 2 hour vs 3 hour callout. If the latter you could sit at home until called then drive in. If the former you place yourself in a little more risk with regard to making your showtime.

 

Thanks Tallflyer, read that post about 2 dozen times. I took Albie's course and it was gold. I've gained over 3000 hrs, most PIC (F-16's), but the airline thing is entirely different and I recognize that early (trainable). I've applied at all the mainlines hiring, or thinking about hiring, but my recency of experience is hurting as I've been commanding a ground based unit on an Army Post that didn't allow me to fly "professionally." Therefore the regionals seemed like a logical way to get back into flying immediately. Thanks again for the input!

 

Any time. I have a dear friend who's a recently separated C-130 IP so I've been dealing with the same questions from her.

If you don't already have it a good resource for the civilian world is "Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot." It's also available as an iPad app.

 

Tall flyer...if it is the one from Lengel, I've read that front to back and you're right it is absolutely essential. I would say mandatory reading for military guys retiring as we are complete noobs on then ways of 121 flying and the entire Airline thing. I will say that my two interviews were distinctively different. Eagle was far more professional and relaxed, very polished, inviting with no doubt about the company's procedures and what they were looking for. Eagle seemed like an airline. The express jet team, seemed a little more like a somewhat organized burger king. Very no thrills, take your test, answer this question go get fingerprinted. While I'm sure this doesn't reflect the pilots flying the line at Express, after seeing both HR/Pilot hiring staffs, express has a little work to do in that department.

 

Interesting. I've only interviewed at Air Wisconsin thus far and thought they were very professional.

And yes, I'm referring to the book by Lengel. There are lots of other books by the FAA that can be downloaded as PDFs for free that would make good references as well.

On a different note as a noob to airline flying (and I am as well) you might consider Flying the Line, Vols 1&2 by Hopkins and Hard Landing by Petzinger. Both are histories of the profession from different perspectives, and the events they cover precede 9/11 but they're very good at covering the back stories of events that still affect us as pilots today.