I know that things change alot in this industry day to day, but please, somebody help me with a few things.

Preferrably I would like info about Colgan and Express jet. But any other company input is more than helpful (I am still short of the hours right now to be in the game).

What would be a typical monthly schedule to look forward to having?

How long before this pilot could look forward to transferring to another duty station, preferrably in Texas.

How many days off a month do you get?

Is there any merit based advancement? This does not include investing in a set of knee pads from my local hardware store! Or is everything based off of that number you pull off of the reel at the help counter.

If you are willing to work alot, not be a slave, but willing to be helpfull, does that help you any besides getting more hours?

That will help alot for now, thanks.

Hungry Vet, looking for a good job, has wife and four dogs!

Typical Schedule: 4 days on, 3-4 days off. 8-14 hours duty w/ 2-6 hours flight time and 1-6 legs each day. Hotel layovers anywhere from 7 - 20 hours. There are many, many possible variations, and you have a fair degree of control over it, except you will be on reserve in the junior bas as a new-hire for a while.

Domicile assignment: TOTALLY depends on where the company has a domiciles and what their relative company seniority is. Note: Just because a company flies into a given city does NOT mean they have a base there. We serve hundreds of cities but have bases in only four large cities throughout CONUS.

Days Off: 8-16, but realistic average is 10-12 for junior pilots.

Merit Based Advancement: Absolutely not! The only objective ways to measure airline pilot merit are 1) Did you pass your PC? and 2) Did you get violated by the FAA? Other than that it would just be a huge suck-fest, and you know who comes out on top...the back-stabbing brown-nosed, @ss-kissers! The seniority based system was created because it was "merit-based" in the old days, and it didn't work too well.

Willing to work hard: It may, but probably won't, buy you a little good-will with the crew schedulers. But this will probably not carry over to the chief pilot, and that is where you need goodwill if something bad happens. You can gain goodwill with the CP by never coming to his attention, especially on probabation. A CP's favorite FO is the one that he's never met, heard about, or spoken with. Note: At some understaffed companies, the other pilots will be ****ed off at you if you pick up a lot of extra flying, because this allows the company to remain understaffed which affects everyone's quality of life.


After a year on line you will understand the reseaon's for all of this.

Everything is based off senority. Days off depend on what you can bid. Advancement is for the next guy in line. This guy could be a bum, but will get it first. Helpfulness gets you nothing. You will get junior manned reguardless if they like you. Typical monthly schedule will give you 10 to 12 days off, depending on the airline. More senior, more days off available.

Colgan is a jumping off point. Express jet is some what the same, but still better. Good luck.

G-dog

The answers already provided apply to Colgan as well.

As far as Texas and the IAH base. Currently, today, and always subject to change, the company will tell you you won't see IAH for two years. That's not true. As of today we are short FO's at IAH and the company is TDY'ing a couple down there (one of ours just went). So I expect the next FO class will see a couple go down to IAH right out of class.

However, IAH is the only base at Colgan that operates like other airlines that have just a couple of large bases. IAH has reserve lines and stand-up lines. So a junior FO down there will get half the flight time for the first six months or so compared to a FO in the NE. Because of out-station basing in the NE, most NE FO's hold a line very quickly (within a month or so) and are logging 80 hours plus a month. FO's at IAH are lucky to log 40 hours a month at first. Many FO's at Colgan stay in the NE for the first six months or so and then when they can hold a line, will bid, get awarded, and go to IAH (if that's what they want).

Upgrade times are still running quick enough that if you come in with low time and get stuck logging only 40 or so hours a month for the first six months, you'll probably get passed over for upgrade the first time because you won't meet the insurance mins.

How does per diem$ @ IAH compare to other regional since you have overnites? I guess it would be a lot better then the NE with none.

It helps. But in your first months online, here's the math:

Colgan PD is $1.35 hour.

If you are holding a reserve line in IAH you might get 100 hours of PD time in the month. Colgan only pays PD for trips longer than 16 duty hours (max duty day). No PD for stand-up's. So holding a reserve or stand-up line might net you an additional $135 - $150 monthly of PD.

Stand-ups or Reserve lines will pay a min of 75 credit hours.

75 * $21/hour (first year SAAB pay) + $150 = $1725/month or $20,700 annualized.

NE pay credit after maybe your first month off IOE is between 80 and 90 hours a month (because you will hold a line), some months better, some maybe just at guarantee (I had only one month my first year under guarantee). So

85 * $21/hour + $0 PD = $1785/month or $21420 annualized.

During your first six months or so, the pay at IAH with a little per diem vs being in the NE without PD is pretty much a wash. Once you can hold a regular line at IAH, then with overnights the TAFB jumps to around 200 hours and the PD check approaches $250/month. Now the total pay jump is more meaningful. If you are going to choose Colgan, my advice to new FO's is "GET THE TIME FOR UPGRADE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE." That's one of the primary reasons to come here.

For what it's worth, my year in the NE as an FO paid me $22,500, but I also picked up open time when available. I flew 760 hours my first year.

thanks very informative

Watch out with per diem. You really shouldn't count that as your annual income. If you pack all of you lunches and never eat out during your trip, then go ahead and count it toward income.

If you budget a certain percentage to spend each trip you'll end up making money each time.

If I were to count all the days I lived as a sub-human as income I would be a millionaire by now. Per Diem isn't pay. It is compensation for digging food out of your suit case and raiding continental breakfasts as subsistence. Bums are a close comparison.

SkyHigh

Sometimes I just eat the mustard packets from the airport fast food joints. If I get lucky they have relish!