A lot of people go to the regionals from Cape Air. I've never really understood why.

 

Because most airlines require glass and fms/fmc experience. Since the Cessna 402 doesn't have that, a regional jet operation is one of the most efficient ways to do that and get that experience...albeit "painful".

Or was your comment purposefully obtuse?

 

Looks like I should just stick it out instructing until I get my 1500 and go to the regional. Only reason that I would go Cape Air is if I could go straight to a major from that, doesn't look like that's possible. Thanks for the info!

 

It's not impossible, and Cape will pay better than any regional. It's great experience, and looked upon favorably by regionals and majors alike. If you go to Cape, and get 500-1000 hours, you'll still have to go to a regional, but you may not be there as long with the Cape experience in your bag.

You will start over at every airline that you go to. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is, and there is no getting around it.

 

Gonna have to disagree with you on that one.

Regionals will hire ANYONE that meets the min flight time as long as you don't have a ton of failures.

They can't even fill all of their classes. In 2014, they don't have the option to be picky about "glass time" requirements. Now, they may say "preferred" but I "prefer" to have 6 pack abs and a bikini model next to me....wish in one hand and --- in the other. So no, it's not a requirement.

Plus, flying glass is a simple joke. Anyone who flies with steam gauge 6 pack can handle simple glass.

 

I went from Cape Air to regional. When I was instructing I got hired as an FO at Cape with about 700 hours. At the time no other regionals were hiring. I was also part of the Bridge program with JB, but at the time (and I think it's still true) you had to come from UND or Riddle. Cape Air was a great experience for me and I felt it was better getting my time there than continuing to instruct. However I do think that you would have to go to regional and wouldn't be able to go straight from Cape to major.

 

The comment was in reference to going to a major not a regional. Of course a regional would hire you with or without 402 time, or anytime for that matter if it was up to them.

He's saying that if you fly the 402 for a few years you could hopefully only spend a year or two at a regional before going to a major or national etc, while making more money and having a better schedule. Rather then spending 4-5 years at a regional to get into the 4-5k hours range.

Whether or not this is true I have no idea.

I was at cape for 3.5 years and went to a regional, for the same reason everyone else did. You have to have glass and turbine to move on in this career right now. No one is jumping from Cape directly to a major right now, it has happened quite a while in the past, and it could possibly happen in the future, but it sure as hell isn't happening now.

As for the Jetblue flow through. It is mostly for people who were in the bridge internship program from the start. Some people were able to flow through from the general pilot group but you have to meet the internship requirements, ie go to UND or Riddle. I would not recommend going to cape if your putting all your eggs in the flow through basket. And with all flows, when the company is hurting on pilots and they are not contractually obligated to flow you (both are true at Cape right now), there is a huge incentive to stall people on flowing, not saying there are doing it just saying it's something to consider.

If you live in a Cape base that you can actually hold (there's the catch as there are like 40 bases and most only have 4-8 pilots in them) and want to build some time before going to a regional for your ceremonial thrashing. Then go to Cape, otherwise just hit 1500 and go regional.

Just my 2.

 

Because it's a good company, because it's great experience, because you get put in CASS, because you make more than a flight instructor, because companies like JetBlue look at PIC time from Cape Air. Because it's not Mesa.

 

You don't need 1500 if you are military... err... a military trained pilot

 

Unfortuantely I'm not a military "pilot", I'm a military backseater, so I don't believe that applies to me.