DTW Options
04-13-2015, 05:33 PM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Posts: 163
I am DTW based and live in DTW. I'd say go Endeavor. PM me if you have specific questions and I'll be happy to chat.
Regarding upgrade time: one thing to keep in mind, more and more majors and basically all of the LCC's except Southwest are hiring with no turbine PIC time so you may not have to wait for an upgrade at a regional to get an interview at a (lets just call them) real airline. Spirit has a DTW base that goes quite junior and a quick upgrade. You could put in a couple years at Endeavor, go to Spirit and be a Bus captain by 2020 with a couple lucky breaks. Majors love to scalp pilots from their LCC competition so you could go from there to DAL, United, whatever.
If you are young and single, I would strongly consider an expat gig. Emirates, Quatar, Korean, there's others but it's not my cup of tea so I'm not that up on it. Suffice it to say you'll make enough in 10 years to retire.
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about Endeavor.
Good luck!
Regarding upgrade time: one thing to keep in mind, more and more majors and basically all of the LCC's except Southwest are hiring with no turbine PIC time so you may not have to wait for an upgrade at a regional to get an interview at a (lets just call them) real airline. Spirit has a DTW base that goes quite junior and a quick upgrade. You could put in a couple years at Endeavor, go to Spirit and be a Bus captain by 2020 with a couple lucky breaks. Majors love to scalp pilots from their LCC competition so you could go from there to DAL, United, whatever.
If you are young and single, I would strongly consider an expat gig. Emirates, Quatar, Korean, there's others but it's not my cup of tea so I'm not that up on it. Suffice it to say you'll make enough in 10 years to retire.
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about Endeavor.
Good luck!
04-13-2015, 05:59 PM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2012
Position: left seat CRJ (again!)
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by WMUFlyboy1
Hey guys,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm nearing the point of transitioning towards a regional. I am currently a flight instructor and live in the Detroit region.
I know that QOL is one of the top points for deciding which regional to go to. Being in Detroit, surprisingly the options are limited for non-commuting though.
From what I understand, with Compass closing their DTW domicile the choice is now Endeavor or ExpressJet...
My hope is to end up at a place I will be happy as I put in my time towards a regional, but I don't want to be stuck at a regional for 10+ years...
The pros and cons of going to Endeavor have been argued ad-nauseam with the retention bonus vs. upgrade time. My gut tells me the upgrade time is too much for me to accomplish my career goals. But, being Detroit based means I can save several thousand a year for the first few years by living at home.
Everything I have heard about ExpressJet tells me to avoid it like the plague.
So, is it really worth going to one of these carriers to avoid commuting, or would commuting be a better option...
Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm nearing the point of transitioning towards a regional. I am currently a flight instructor and live in the Detroit region.
I know that QOL is one of the top points for deciding which regional to go to. Being in Detroit, surprisingly the options are limited for non-commuting though.
From what I understand, with Compass closing their DTW domicile the choice is now Endeavor or ExpressJet...
My hope is to end up at a place I will be happy as I put in my time towards a regional, but I don't want to be stuck at a regional for 10+ years...
The pros and cons of going to Endeavor have been argued ad-nauseam with the retention bonus vs. upgrade time. My gut tells me the upgrade time is too much for me to accomplish my career goals. But, being Detroit based means I can save several thousand a year for the first few years by living at home.
Everything I have heard about ExpressJet tells me to avoid it like the plague.
So, is it really worth going to one of these carriers to avoid commuting, or would commuting be a better option...
I lived north of DTW in the late 80s/early 90s. If you're south of DTW, the DAY crew base is drivable in 2-3 hours. The reserve call out time is two hours.
I was DTW-based my last two years with Comair. The drive time from my driveway to the DTW employee parking lot was 3:45 with no stops. I live south of DAY, half way toward CVG.
There are rumors of a ORD base at PSA. TSA also has a ORD base and is hiring. Commuting to a base you can also drive to is a good option if you feel you must commute.
04-13-2015, 06:11 PM
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Originally Posted by BATOL
I am DTW based and live in DTW. I'd say go Endeavor. PM me if you have specific questions and I'll be happy to chat.
Regarding upgrade time: one thing to keep in mind, more and more majors and basically all of the LCC's except Southwest are hiring with no turbine PIC time so you may not have to wait for an upgrade at a regional to get an interview at a (lets just call them) real airline. Spirit has a DTW base that goes quite junior and a quick upgrade. You could put in a couple years at Endeavor, go to Spirit and be a Bus captain by 2020 with a couple lucky breaks. Majors love to scalp pilots from their LCC competition so you could go from there to DAL, United, whatever.
If you are young and single, I would strongly consider an expat gig. Emirates, Quatar, Korean, there's others but it's not my cup of tea so I'm not that up on it. Suffice it to say you'll make enough in 10 years to retire.
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about Endeavor.
Good luck!
Regarding upgrade time: one thing to keep in mind, more and more majors and basically all of the LCC's except Southwest are hiring with no turbine PIC time so you may not have to wait for an upgrade at a regional to get an interview at a (lets just call them) real airline. Spirit has a DTW base that goes quite junior and a quick upgrade. You could put in a couple years at Endeavor, go to Spirit and be a Bus captain by 2020 with a couple lucky breaks. Majors love to scalp pilots from their LCC competition so you could go from there to DAL, United, whatever.
If you are young and single, I would strongly consider an expat gig. Emirates, Quatar, Korean, there's others but it's not my cup of tea so I'm not that up on it. Suffice it to say you'll make enough in 10 years to retire.
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about Endeavor.
Good luck!
ill assume that since hes posting in the regional threads, he has 1500TT or less
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