For one thing, I never said anything close to it being a "trend." But on the other hand I'm not going to sit here and let SIU preach that it "never happens."

And really, to say that if you're not going to fly for a major airline next, you must be in a "dead end job," I don't agree with either. I don't view my friends making good money flying corporate, air ambulance, or overseas as "failures."

Heres the deal people, I agree with many of you... I have many friends at am. flight and other 135 operations like so. There are some 121 operations that fly cargo, check into them. They have the best scheds, pay is awesome, upgrades are fast, and of course 1000 HRS of PIC TURBINE! These people go further faster than some moron at a regional airline. I can't stand how people have tunnel vision thinking the regionals are the way to go. So is you enjoy 10 year upgrades, work every wknd/holiday, and 18k a year a regional is PERFECT for you! I will be kicked back your ERJ going home on the weekend and holidays sipping a beer!

Some moron at a regional??? My guess is you are quite new. No I'm not at a regional.

A serious ? though what are the names of some of these awesome 121 operations so that others may apply?

I object... Upgrades for us are 3yrs, 1st yr pay is around 30,000 and will go up every year until 2014. Granted this is a new contract which has greatly improved our way of life. BTW, I've had pretty much every holiday off. Its the way you bid which determines that.

Are you ever going to answer freightdog's question, or should I? Somehow I get the impression that these guys failed from a regional. Hardly the same caliber as our friends who made it to a major.

Flying "raw data" in the wx single pilot, no gps, no AP is a little more complicated than interpreting a FD and managing an FMS. The FD and FMS would make things easier. An AMF pilot could adapt rather quickly.

That's a valid point. You can do this job, OR you can't. Learning to adapt/alter your skill set goes into that.

But it doesn't really matter what the guy's background was, nor where he's going. A training failure, specifically the type referenced above, is more of a personality deficiency/learning problem than anything else.

In other words, he can't learn to adapt his skill set, can't break out of his comfort zone and can't or doesn't want to learn a different way to do his job. He's too busy trying to wow people about his previous job, you know, "so there I was" type of crap to just shut the heck up, realize he may not know everything there is to know about flying. Wants to argue with his training partner/instructors about how "his way is better", or just flat out cooperate-graduate.

Again, doesn't matter where he's been, nor where he's going. All this crap about "(insert type here) are the best pilots and (insert type here) are inferior is such typical childish pilot crap.

Absolutely agree!!!!!! But something to keep in mind. Some of the 135 cargo operators can have schedules that although the pilot may win the race to the TPIC building seat, the rate at which that time is built can be paiiiiiiiiiiinfulllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy sllllllllllllllloooooooowwwwwwww if they're on a run, or the airplane does runs that don't fly that much in a duty period. Granted, being a reserve CA at a regional can be slow too, but many have workrules that can help a guy stuff the highly coveted/holy grail of 1000 TPIC in the book faster.

FYI to those interested and qualified. Ameriflight is considering going back to the old practice of hiring DIRECTLY into the Be99 due to operational needs. Current employees will have first shot at bids. After that mgmt. will most likely go to the street.

Yeah! hire 99 pilots off the street when they have plenty of pa31 pilots who would take the 99's. Havent seen a 99 bid come out in several months! They are also hiring Metro captains off the street for positions that NEVER went up for bid. This is yet another issue I have with this company.

If your a PA-31 pilot who wants a 99 just put in a standing bid and you will have the option over OTS guys. The metro problem is the lack of turbine time of the people bidding. Thats not Ameriflights problem, they need to meet minimums too.