outcast27pa

I am also looking at Puerto Rico as a helo pilot. Can anyone provide work conditions and tax issue information? Thanks.

Shifty101

I actually LOL on this...how is relying a Cessna 172 to fly to work everyday realistic. I get it, you're thinking living the big life in the islands but common man, lets get back to reality. You are required to work 8 hour days, with an additional 2 hours available (LEAP) 5 days a week. Not to throw spears, but I also question your decision making if you are really thinking of flying a single piston engine over the ocean for 2 hours a day...every day...

That said, focus on the west side of the island. It is not a glorious location, which is why it remains a new hire location, and also remains the top location for AIA's to transfer out of. Put it this way, I have been with the agency 6 years, I am in a top location, and I have a start date with the airlines.

Best of luck!

RCpilot2018

What is a "Top Location?"

DustoffVT

Pretty much by definition, it’s anywhere but PR, Laredo, NASO, Alpine or McAwesome.

Also can be defined as any branch/unit likely to lose slots in coming years.

BAJ135

Well that’s subjective but I think I would also add Del Rio, El Paso, Tucson, and Buffalo to DustoffVT’s list.

Top Location can also be summed up as any location that would require the same amount of luck to get to as picking the winning powerball numbers. Good luck you’ll need it.

Jim4sparks

I started the Fast Start Program at the end of January and got a formal offer after completing everything including working through a hearing loss issue, at the end of March. I was told the normal process takes about 8-9 months but with the Fast Start Program they try to get you through within 90 days. You have to stay engaged in the process and my recruiter asked me to call him at least once a week. That is probably the best advice. They are working with many applicants and you need to stay on top of your own application. The online system still shows I'm waiting on several things, but I am reporting for duty on April 29th and start FLETC on May 6th.

Shifty101

You needed "luck" when HQ was still "realigning the northern border" from 2010 to 2016 and forcing guys to take "prime locations" else where, causing the "flow" from the stated above locations.

Anymore, you can pretty much go anywhere, as every Director is facing shortages due to attrition rates (retirements), but mostly high turnover rates due to pilots leaving AMO for the Airlines or other private sector jobs.

If any of you are interested in the difference between attrition and turn over, and you should be, check out the link below.

https://business.dailypay.com/blog/e...r-vs-attrition

BAJ135

I could be wrong but I find that statement to be highly unlikely. Perhaps it’s easier now to move than it has been in the past but good luck getting to a highly sought after location. Easy to be accepted at a new location, not so easy being released by your current location since you already said everyplace is understaffed. No director will release you without a backfill. The crap locations have always gotten priority when it comes to staffing and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.

I’ve also heard a rumor that PCS moves are off the table and the best you can hope for is a VRP move. I bailed for a major airline about a year ago so maybe someone still sailing on the titanic can confirm that.

Shifty101

Well I can assure you, what you have heard is rumor and most of what you are claiming is not accurate, more speculation. This is just bad information that you claiming.

PCS moves from the SWR are currently off the table, but you can transfer within. There were several AIA lateral announcements in 2018, one announcement had 24 of the 35 air locations and that other had like 28. The new announcements, which was just out, had full paid moves for GS11-13 with no minimum time (3 years). They did this because no one was putting in to transfer to the El Paso's, Tucson, Alpine, San Angelo's etc. Long story short, every director is short on pilots. I know of 3 pilots in the last 1 month to resign from 1 branch to go to regionals or cargo, for the long-term goal of getting on with a legacy carrier.

Also PR is getting priority in their PCS. This means they can trump anyone in the SWR for locations. Did you also hear they opened up P3 branches in Corpus and JAX to try and luehr in pilots with heavy fixed wing time? Well they did.

BAJ135

Please I assure you that everything I say is accurate. You sound just like a recruiter. Are you? I lived through this nonsense for 11 years as did many of the others who post on here to put out accurate information for new hires. Not some made up nonsense to sucker them in. Tell them the truth and let them make up their own minds.

Moves from the SWR are currently off the table? As it has been for a decade. Hired into some horrible location on the southwest border only to be told you can move yourself to some other horrible location on the southwest border but no where else. Meanwhile people who have never been to the southwest border can move two or three times because they aren’t limited/punished by such a nonsense rule.

As far as listing locations on an announcement...means absolutely nothing when you are hired into the southwest region and you are restricted from leaving. One of the many flaws in this agencies thinking that caused the mass exodus to the airlines.

Without having seen the announcement I’ll bet you that eliminating the 3 year minimum time before being eligible to transfer was limited to just the locations you mentioned. Which will do nothing to fill them because no one wants to live there. Realistically you are looking at twice that time frame to transfer. Something you don’t want new hires to know.

PR has PCS moves because the agency was sued and lost. You can quit the agency and they have to pay your move back to the states. They can’t leave you stranded in PR which had previously been done. Thank you to the person who took the time to set the agency straight by filing the lawsuit. Listing PCS moves in the announcement also means nothing for anyone but PR. They are very limited depending on funding and must be approved if they are even still available. Which I doubt because my sources are pretty reliable.

No clue what you are talking about with the P3s. They are legacy customs branches that have been around longer than AMO or OAM or whatever it is the agency calls itself now a days.

Now let’s get back to focusing on the important things. It’s about time for a new name change so we can get new creds, badges, and uniforms!