what would you do?
 

I am thinking about trying to get on with skywest. I have an ATP, 3500tt and a BE300 type rating. Currently I fly a King Air 350 and a baron. I am about to quit this job to be captain at a 135 charter company. I hear that the upgrade time is pretty short at skywest so I am thinking that might be a better way to go especially since I am still young (26) and single. By the time I am 30 I think I would rather be a skywest captain than staying here and flying king airs. Would I be making a mistake to try the airlines?

what do you want out of life? Does the 135 get you home every night? What's the pay like? perks? You could probably go 135 or corporate 91 in a nice citation making more then kick over to a major and not have to take the regional paycut. How much multi do you have? You're close to where my instructor was when he was hired by NetJets as an FO and he loves it there. If interested I can get you his email and you two can chat. He'll walk in a resume too. Great guy.

Netjets or Citationshares would be my first choice for a flying job but I haven't been successful in getting hired by either of them. I got a call from CS but thats as far as I got. They sent me an email the next day telling me to try again when I get 6,000 hours. I have about 2450 multi and 400 turbine PIC, how much time did your instructor have when he got hired?

He had one strike against him in that he wasn't a US citizen at the time. He's from zimbabwe originally. He had about 4k hrs. Maybe a touch more. I just remember breaking him of his 4k hour when he was working on his applicaiton.
Check your PM. I'm giong to send you his email. Don't be afraid to ask questions. He loves the place and always says he'll walk anyone's resume in.

Stay where you are!!!! You aren't presently getting screwed by the industry and it sounds like PIC time is just around the corner... don't fall for the supposed glamour and become ill with "Shiny Jet syndrome". A man isn't defined by the size of RJ he flys, so trust me in that you will be much better staying put than chasing a (currently) quick upgrade. I would trade you jobs in a heartbeat (assuming you work for a decent company... of course). Be careful and decide what is important in the long term.

Would you rather be a Skywest cpatain or a Southwest/FedEx/UPS pilot? you spend 4 years building turbine PIC then make the jump to the airlines, you'll be in a better place than if you make the jump now... the regionals are an abyss that some get lost in and never seen again. SKywest is a good place to be right now, but remember that at Skywest "the KoolAid runneth over." Everything can change literally overnight.

Listen to groovin', for his comments are just that. The regionals are no place to be now. So many are stuck there and can't get out. The pay and qol is miserable. I was lucky to get out early, thanks to a few friends and a "favorable" gender. Stay Put!!!! keep trying for net jets and be happy!!!!

I didn't mean to make it sound like I was miserable... nothing could be further from the truth. I love my job and my QOL is not bad at all, but many others are not as fortunate.
All companies at one point in time had a quick upgrade that was pursued by many and ultimately ended up dissapointing a lot of people. Get somewhere and stay put... this industry is entirely too cyclical to chase anything. Don't look back in 5 years and realize that you have 4 different uniforms in your closet and have a bunch of useless turbine SIC that is only worth enough to get you another year of first year FO pay.

The KoolAid recently turned sour here at AWAC, but there is no way I would bail and go to Skywest... You must use some wisdom in your decisions and plan for the long term.

Sure AWAC is a fine place to be now....however, what happens when mainline decides they have had enough of you? The bottom line(and the point i was TRYING to make), is that an express pilot mustn't think that ANY regional(except eagle) is a GOOD place to be. Be miserable and you WON'T get complacenent. If I see a guy(or gal) who is just "putting their time in" at a regional, I respect them. Those career captains who are complacent and happy......LOSERS!!!! "Oh I made 100k last year". Sure and it only took you 8 years to reach that level and you had to work your ass off. whatever. I really don't care..all of that express stuff is behind me. However, I am trying to do my civic duty to bring much needed awareness. :(

so you think it is better to stay here and keep logging pic in king airs instead of going to the airlines? i dont have the shiny jet syndrome, i was just under the impression that logging jet pic was the most important thing if you want to move up. I would like to work for southwest one day but so does everybody else, there's not much chance of that happening. Airtran would be nice because I could live at home in GA if I work there but they require 121 pic. So I guess my options are stay here flying the king airs until netjets hires me or try to get some 121 pic so I will have a chance at airtran or sw.

WOW... you just proved how arrogant you really are... Do you really think you deserve your seat? The dice fell for you... you were lucky, maybe even blessed, but i highly doubt deserving! I know plenty of Career regional captains that are very happy. Be careful what you say... you really just made an A$$ out of yourself.

I really want my career to land me a job flying a KingAir part time aorund the midwest so I can be at home every night with family... I know the $$$ won't be great, but does that make me a complacent loser? I think not. Just because you have penis envy and think to be respected in a "man's world" you have to fly for the majors, don't disrespect your fellow pilots. It's female pilots like you that think you have something to prove that do nothing but set other female pilots back. Just remember that people have different oppurtunities and very different priorities...

Take everything hotmammapilot says with a grain of salt, not everyone flying RJ's has terrible QOL, and hates their company. She's upset that RJ's are flying national routes, as am I, however she blames RJ pilots for it. I'm sure if you read enough of her posts she can probably link the plague outbreak in the middle ages to RJ pilots. However if regionals is the route you decide on, SkyWest is definetily for you, Junior Brasilia captain was hired this past summer, and with our growth, jet captain isn't going to be far behind. I believe it's going about 16-18 months at the moment. First year pay is really bad, but second year F/O is up there with the best of them. If you're looking for your Jet PIC so you can hop on with southwest, I think it's a great choice.

Like most people, when I decided to become a pilot, I had airline ambitions. However, I was totally ignorant of professional non-airline flying. I decided to forgo the airlines.
I am happy. I have went places, met people, did things that I would hot have had the opportunity to do otherwise. I am home with my wife most nights.
I have been fortunate and lucky. I would consider the fractionals, but I am content where I am at for now.
I do not regret my decision to fly 91 and 135. It does have it's pitfalls like anything else. I don't know your situation, but I think you are in a good position where you can log PIC turbine time--good now and in the future.
What you decide is up to you and your desires. Look at some of Flyer Josh's posts--he went from airline to Citation job.

Except eagle?????????? Did I miss something isn't ugrade time around 6 years there? Thanks for the laughs HotMama.

Go to NetJets you meet the min's.

If you want the quick PIC go to SKY or CHQ.

check out my pic of hmp

woh woh heel boy heel. When did I ever indicate that a king air pilot is a loser? That would be a sweet gig to be home every night. Typical of you to put words in my mouth. And. IMHO, career regional captains(by definition) are losers. From day one of flight lessons...was being a career RJ captain their goal? I doubt it. So, by definition, they are losers.

I think you have already made your choice....
 

You say by the time you are 30yrs, you would rather be a CA at skywest. That should sum it up for you. One of the most famous questions in an interview is "where do you see yourself five years from now?" If the airlines are what you want then please go for it and stand in line with the rest of us while management takes a turn to screw you.

Mark what the hell have you been riding.....
 

The term riding dirty takes a new meaning here CaptainMark!!!! Just hope that is not the wife.

Stuckupmommapilot, we're all glad you finally realize the reason you got hired!!!!! Good luck on a miserable life with everyone you fly with.:mad:

R U KIDDING ME!!!! Their goal was to fly for a living, to be able to provide for their families and enjoy life aloft. A career RJ pilot makes 80K-110K a year with a CHOICE schedule. I know that 80K-110K a year isn't what a UPS CA makes but it works for them. Seems to me that if they have chosen to stay where they are then they have reached their goal. Who are you to say otherwise?

LOSERS?!?!?! :confused:

B*I*T*C*H

actually, I get compliments from the CA's that I fly with;)

Miserable?????????? Your an ******** M****

HOTMOMMA PILOT its funny we are all loser becuase we are Regional Pilots, but whos the bigger loser? she spends all of here time on the regional forum!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY!

She admits she got hired for her tits and cameltoe!