A "Jr. Man" is when a pilot is called on their day off and forced to come into work and fly a trip. The common theme these days is this....a reserve calls to be released on their last day but is instead extended into their day off to cover flying. Like it was said above, this should be a last resort or emergency type of a situation. Instead, management has decided that this is an acceptable solution to covering open flying.

Morale is BAD here!

Thanks for the explanation. Im coming into this game with a positive attitude I know that things are never perfect but I think in the long run it will be ok. I am one of those people that is very passionate about flying and I definitely dont do it for the money right now or because of the life style. I do this because I love flying and I know that in the end if I pay my dues as I have been doing it will all pay off. I think that Air Wisconsin is one of the better options considering other companies that are hiring at the moment. I am looking forward to learning a lot and meeting good people that enjoy flying as much as I do.

wow you sound just like me 5 years ago. let me tell you about how that works out for you...no matter how good your attitude is or especially how much you love flying, you will have your ass handed to you in so many different ways over and over. the small glimmers of hope you have along the way of the light at the end of the tunnel are so far overriden by the daily smacks across the chin you receive from mgt, gate agents, and family after you have to apologize for missing someone's event bc "that is just what happens over integration." if you want to do this for a living, thats great but you better have a lot more to support you that how much you like moving airplanes around...

ps. you wont move them that much bc they will be broke at this company. if you really are flying t/w stuff around, stick to that. that was the most fun i have ever had with airplanes.

To anyone who is, or has recently been through new hire training; is there any need for a laptop during training? Are there any CBTs to take back to the hotel room or anything that would require a computer?

Thanks!

No need to bring a laptop to class. Maybe bring it and leave it in your hotel room...

Do you enjoy Philadelphia airport? If you answered yes then this is the place for you! At Air Wisconsin you will get to spend many wonderful hours sitting and walking all throughout Philly International. It doesn't matter what base you are at, you WILL go through PHL numerous times and 90% of the time you will have a plane swap.

Champpilot is spot on, you will get beaten up numerous times by scheduling, management and broken planes that your not sure you can take much more without going all office space on them. If its going to snow even one day during your trip, then expect irregular ops for the next week with multiple schedule changes.

Want to drop a turn so you can go home? Denied lack of rsv coverage. Want to get released from a DH and go home? Sorry we are going to keep you on the DH for now, call back about 45 minutes before it leaves.

Air Wisconsin has an excellent pilot group, but the pilots are the only thing about this company that deserves the adjective excellent. It has been said before, unless you live in base at this company or plan to live in base, I would pursue other companies. It is not the Air Wisconsin that it was in the United days.

Listen to Champpilot

AirWisconsin had a great reputation ten years ago. I took a job there with the intent to retire with them. Then the race to be the cheapest began. Concessions with promises, loss of the 146, loss of United flying. Then they decided to compete to win which meant being more cost effective. Moved all the bases, ect... Over the years they have lost much of the QOL that made them attractive from a pilot perspective. They do have one of the better contracts, even if concessionary, in the business but you have to be willing to fight to have it complied with and not abused. Scheduling largely left me alone because I would make them wait on the phone while I got my contract to look up the legality of things, then I would quote page and paragraph number to them if they were in violation, If not in violation it would still irritate them that I had made them wait on me.

Go there to build time if needed but don't expect Sunshine, Rainbows, and Puppy Dogs. You will be junior manned to min days, have to watch maintenance issues (MEL's), have to watch your paycheck like a hawk, accept most lines are not commutable, and the quality of the hotels has really gone down the you know what.

In fact it was the quality of the hotels that broke me. After interviewing with a major I was conflicted about leaving after seven years. In 2008 there was a crack in hiring but fuel prices were rising and age 65 was an unknown so I figured I had a 50 percent chance of furlough from the major in the near future. To get to the point, on my last PC I went to the new hotel. It was a dump behind a strip mall, no walking to food. Room was on the first floor with a window that wouldn't lock, contract violation. No other rooms available. While working on a new hotel the owner majically found a room on the second floor. This room was a dump as well, I was wondering how things had gone so wrong with the industry that this is how professional pilots were now treated.

Ironically that evening I recieved a phone call from the major I interviewed with offering me the job. I took it with no hesitation as I found the decline in my current position had no long term future for me or my family.

I have been furlouged now since late 2008 and have no regrets about leaving except for the great pilots I left behind. Whenever I question my decision to leave I go to the AirWilly board and look at what is going on, it quickly reaffirms my decision. I would rather be in my current furlouged position than still working in the conditions of the regional industry.

Don't fly 121 because you love flying or are trying to pay your dues. You should fly 121 for a career that pays you like a professional for your skills and abilities. Until this is the expectation from pilots they will continue to get paid crappy wages at the regionals and treated like sheet. Pay your dues while building experience prior to flying 121 then expect a professional career when you are flying passengers. Until we all change our mindset the insanity will continue.

Keep in mind that you may spend a very long time at a regional, Sunshine, Rainbows, and Puppy Dogs only last so long.

Good luck with your career.

p.s. That light in the tunnel that Champpilot mentions really is a train so stay out of the way. I was run over several times by the darn thing.

Do you still have the "A NEW BEGINNING" coaster? I recently threw mine away after lot's of therapy. I'm feeling much better now.

I thought about mashing it to pieces and mailing it back to Toon Town but am to cheap to pay the postage.