Lateral move from prop to Jet
 

I need a bit of a advice my fellow aviators. I am currently a First Officer on the Dash 8 and have been with my current regional for about 1 yr now. I have no jet time and all my time has been on a prop consisting of Beech 1900 and Dash 8. With the current and future of aviation in the US , of course nobody knows how it will change and end up. Is it beneficial for me to stick with my current regional and upgrade in a 1 yr and go on to a major or low cost carrier or i shall enhance my resume and join a jet regional and since all jet regionals are upgrading quick too now and get some jet time to improve my chances of being picked up by a major or low cost carrier. One of my buddies has all right seat prop time and he just got picked up by Frontier on the bus which has put me in a debate on whether to stick with my current regional or go to a jet regional and get jet glass time. With my current regional my QOL is very good as I am based at home and I dont commute at all. Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you.

Based on what you said, I'd strongly lean towards staying. Re-read your post and I think it will be obvious.

The only reason to go would be the perception of "jet" time being significantly more valueable than 121 turboprop time. That has never been the case before and probably never will be.

Stay put. I know plenty of guys/gals that have gone Turbo-prop to Major/LCC. Its still TPIC. If you want to get a leg up on a good job, network and go to job fairs. I wouldn't worry about getting glass RVSM time.

Frontier hires a bunch of Great Lakes pilots with no jet time.

If you are happy with where you are at, happy with the pay, QOL etc, then stick with it. Update your apps, keep your record clean, and keep on networking and getting letters of Recs.

Certain airlines have certain ways to get interviews, figure out where you want to go and focus on those airlines and the people you know there.

Also remember this is aviation and it can change quickly, so be okay with where you are at now if things turn sour before you make the next move.

I'd stay put. There are no guarantees of quick upgrades anywhere, so if you can upgrade at your current airline, plus have the added benefit of good QOL without commuting, you're better off where you are. TPIC is way more valuable than glass/jet SIC. Networking and job fairs are key. Other than that, enjoy what you have because before you know it, you'll be commuting for a major or LCC anyways! Good luck.

thank u guys
 

Thank u guys for the great input and I concur with all of u. Happy Holidays to you all and your families and fly safe....

It's a roll of the dice. At this point I'd go where flying would be more fun. One year is hardly a build up in seniority. Go fly some fun jets, buddy. They're awesome. :)

You could go to a jet regional and still upgrade in 1-3 years, if you pick the right one and with a little luck.

Or you could stay put, get 1500-2000 TPIC and then see what the current hiring environment is like.

Prop TPIC will probably get you called by lower-tier majors, but you may very well need some jet time for the big boys at least until the applicant pool thins out.

Historically TPIC has been king, but that seems to be changing lately...not sure how far the pendulum will swing.

If it were me, I'd probably go to a jet regional...that you gets you the jet time right away and the TPIC soon enough. But it's a tough call. You'd have to consider location, QOL, and the relative pay scales involved.

TPIC will still put you above many other apps, regardless of jet or prop. I wouldn't risk going to another company to fly a jet in hope of upgrading soon. If you feel like you can upgrade at your current airline soon, stay there. There's plenty of captains at my airline getting hired at top tier majors without jet time.

Most of the Bro CA's I've seen going to legacies are either check airmen or had jet time as an FO.

TPIC is TPIC, one of the guys in my 747 class right now hadn't ever flown anything bigger than a king air.