Application questions
 

Hello!

I am a new regional pilot (about 100 hours of Part 121, in a non-united wholly owned regional). The application requirements on the United website specify ATP minimums with 1000 turbine time preferred. I have a few question application wise:

1. What is a good time to send in an application? is sooner better than later?
2. Will a speeding ticket from 2010 and 2014 (no DUI, no suspensions) make a difference in the application? I plan to mention those of course.
3. I have recommendation letters from regional pilots and AA pilots, is it a huge benefit to have letters from United pilots as well? Or just a nice to have?

Thank you for your kind input!

1. I don’t know about this one. I want to say “apply when the bare minimums are met and update often” but there may be merit to waiting until closer to meeting preferred mins. Not sure how/when apps are scored in the new system.

2. Probably not an issue, but definitely report both and try not to get another one. 2010-2014-2023 looks like pattern, 2010-2014 looks like you learned. Be ready to articulate that.

3. Yes, internal LORs help. The golden ticket is a friend at United sponsoring you for a meet and greet with a CPO—if that goes well then you get an internal from a CP which is one of the most helpful things you can have. If you have friends at United they’ll be familiar with the internal messages we get explaining how to sponsor a meet & greet.

Apply now and go meet them at a job fair and keep updating your application.

^^^this^^^. Even though you’re a year or more out from mins it seems to help your score to have an established application that is being updated.

Re: speeding tickets. Just report them. I have a few with the last one being 2017. Wasn’t asked about them in interview.

Apply to Delta.

I am filling out the application right now and after doing my flight times I am showing about 200 extra than I actually have.
Does United not want you to count as PIC the hours that you received dual instruction? I have lots of instruction from back in the day working on my instrument rating in a 172 after I passed my PPL, but my instructors (one of whom is at United now) always insisted I log everything as PIC when we did lessons. I can't figure out where else it could be coming from?
thank you

Err on the conservative side. Do not count dual received PIC. Don’t count PIC if you really were SIC but manipulating the controls on empty legs like at a charter or fractional. PIC is when YOU sign for the aircraft.

You will sleep better at night knowing you did not count questionable PIC time.