The new airline thread

[HossHarris]

59 minutes ago, BashiChuni said:

alright for the brain trust...WWYD...stay at DAL (1st year) and commute (living in DFW)

or

go to AA and eventually live in base at DFW?

good problems to have!

Move to a delta base or commute. 

[brabus]

I know several AA dudes who live in DFW/based there...their QOL and pay is awesome. If you are hard set on living in DFW area forever, then I'd switch to AA. If you can be cool with living in a major DAL base, then I'd move and stick with DAL. I also know a few guys who were +1 year at airline X and switched to live in base (including leaving DAL for AA, and vice versa); they are all very happy with the switch. But remember, there are tons of opinions out there, only you know how important it is to live in location X...and I would choose living in base over commuting every day (I'm fucked on that, but you don't have to be!)

Edited November 1, 2021 by brabus

[TreeA10]

1 hour ago, FourFans130 said:

Any long-term cargo dudes want to chime in?  From what I can see, it sounds like cargo and pax are two completely different worlds right now.

edit: I'm just now starting at Brown.  I've read the APC side, but I have a different respect for the views expressed here.

Normally, I've flown pax at AA but in September I had 3 cargo flights DFW to LHR with 50 hour layovers. No passengers causing boarding issues, no leaving the cockpit door locked, and no taking 45 minutes going through security with flight attendants with 5 bags containing grocery items they bought in London/Paris/Madrid because we don't have butter/olive oil/yogurt in the U.S, apparently. For peace and serenity, cargo might have the upper hand. I was seriously enjoying those trips. 

If you like travel, non-rev flying can be hit and miss but I've taken the wife to France, Spain, Ireland, Chile, and Australia plus a huge number of places domestically that I've also taken my kids. So, I'd give passenger flying the edge in that regard. 

The grass always appears greener somewhere else. Don't worry about that and you'll be fine. 

[Chida]

Any long-term cargo dudes want to chime in?  From what I can see, it sounds like cargo and pax are two completely different worlds right now.
edit: I'm just now starting at Brown.  I've read the APC side, but I have a different respect for the views expressed here.

I have had a pretty good time so far. I have no ragrets. I am an alumnus of Kalitta and Atlas. Currently UPS FO bout to start yr 5. Moved to SDF after yr 1. Upgrade appears to be as soon as 2023, but I’m not holding my breath. I did long haul (747) 2015-2020. Currently doing A300. It’s a change of pace and I like it fine. Living in base is a good thing and SDF is ok (similar to LIT).

[xaarman]

Living in domicile trumps all commuting (at pax airlines.)

Life is especially good at DFW if you qualify for specific military plates (Air Medal…) and get permanent Princess Parking. 
 

AAs problem is a CEO hellbent on a minimum viable product and our CBAs Scheduling language combined with some seriously near sighted individuals on the company’s side of Crew Scheduling and Strategy. Eventually they will be fixed, but not gonna lie, it can be painful. In the mean time, I trade/drop most of my trips and rebuild with a lot of soft time (free money), which is quite nice. 
 

Still significantly better than Active Duty though, by miles. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by xaarman

[JS]

6 hours ago, BashiChuni said:

alright for the brain trust...WWYD...stay at DAL (1st year) and commute (living in DFW)

or

go to AA and eventually live in base at DFW?

good problems to have!

I'm heavily biased toward Delta for obvious reasons (and have had more than one AA guy tell me that they felt Delta was a better place to work).  But I would have to cast my vote for living in domicile vs working for a preferred company.  I hear that 1 year is the rule of thumb for the latest to hit the reset button and start over on a new seniority list.  But being there in domicile would be worth it, in my opinion. 

[Springer]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:19 PM, FLEA said:

He was actually reviewing resumes for free. I had him look at mine and he definitely had a more nuanced approach than the prep companies there doing the same. He said he used to be a Capt for Delta and United I think. 

Not sure about Delta but he and I were among the "570" that were hired by UAL in '85 to cross the picket line should (and did) the UAL pilots go on strike.  No one cross and UAL eventually hired the 570 and I believe he was one of them.  I went elsewhere, which in the long term was the correct decision for me.

Don't get me wrong, Kit and his previous partner, Louis Smith, are the good guys that were at the fore front in helping all of us be better prepared for the airline hiring process.

Louis Smith - Chairman and President of FAPA.aero | FAPA.aero | Meet the Team

What Huggy described in so few words, is what so many of us went through: furloughs, pay cuts, reduced or no pension (no defined contribution plans back then), mergers and BK's.  2008 seems to have been the turning point for the airlines.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Springer

[Lord Ratner]

On 11/1/2021 at 10:14 AM, BashiChuni said:

alright for the brain trust...WWYD...stay at DAL (1st year) and commute (living in DFW)

or

go to AA and eventually live in base at DFW?

good problems to have!

 

On 11/1/2021 at 11:14 AM, HossHarris said:

Move to a delta base or commute. 

Completely disagree. The first consideration: Where do you live? Work there.

 

I have friends at Delta (I'm AA) and I crush them on earnings and hours flown. But I work the system. What type of person are you?

 

If you are the I just fly my schedule type, then go Delta and move to a Delta base. If you are the I live in the loopholes type, then you want the airline with the most problems. That's AA 😂🤣.

 

Like someone above said, the particulars of the loopholes don't matter, you won't be able to appreciate them anyways. But by this point in your life (and especially after being in the military) you should know which type of person you are.

 

But in either case, if DFW is where you are staying, American and Southwest are your options (or cargo, if you can do that lifestyle). We have pilots from nearly every airline living in our Airpark in DFW. I don't know a single one that wouldn't transfer to American if they could take their seniority with them.

[SocialD]

 

I left AAL for DAL to be home based.  If you want to live in DFW, go AAL.  If you want to stay DAL, move to one of their bases.  Don't commute.  You're welcome.  

[FourFans]

...meanwhile the cargo guys are too busy either buying their 4th house or out on their boat to answer this question...

 

[SocialD]

4 hours ago, FourFans130 said:

...meanwhile the cargo guys are too busy either buying their 4th house or out on their boat to answer this question...

 

They're sleeping...check back tonight. 

[Internationalmesa]

Anyone know of Army helicopter pilots in the airlines? If so, how did that transition go?

[slc]

How bout a 93B to the airlines!!  Anything is possible!!

[Prozac]

30 minutes ago, Internationalmesa said:

Anyone know of Army helicopter pilots in the airlines? If so, how did that transition go?

Know of at least three at my company. Probably significantly more than that. All had some army C-12/fixed wing time. A couple did some time at the regionals. The other one spent time with Dynamic (civ ISR) and then ACMI before ending up at a career airline. 

[FLEA]

13 hours ago, Internationalmesa said:

Anyone know of Army helicopter pilots in the airlines? If so, how did that transition go?

Met several at RTAG, which was actually started as an event to advocate for Rotary to Airlines. 

 

 

 

[Bigred]

13 hours ago, Internationalmesa said:

Anyone know of Army helicopter pilots in the airlines? If so, how did that transition go?

I know a quite a few helo types in the regionals, only a couple in the majors. The dudes in the majors now spent a good bit of time flying regionals, and one was a contract ISR bubba after helos.

[Internationalmesa]

2 hours ago, Bigred said:

I know a quite a few helo types in the regionals, only a couple in the majors. The dudes in the majors now spent a good bit of time flying regionals, and one was a contract ISR bubba after helos.

How is the lifestyle of a senior regional pilot? Also, how long did the helo guys stay at the regional before bumping to the majors?

[pcola]

Met a guy at my Delta interview who was an Army WO with some C-12 time. He retired and spent about 5 years flying some rich guy’s private jet. He got a CJO.


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[FourFans]

16 minutes ago, Internationalmesa said:

How is the lifestyle of a senior regional pilot? Also, how long did the helo guys stay at the regional before bumping to the majors?

Can't speak to the lifestyle, but the general feeling I get is that it's less glamorous than you'd like...but it's only for a season. 

I interviewed at a regional along side another applicant who was career apache guy (no fixed with time).  We both guy the CJO.  He was told to expect about 2-4 years there based on needing to transition to the left seat (1-2 year) then get 500 (1 year)-1000 TPIC (2ish years) depending on where he was trying to get hired next.  He seems surprised it would be that quick.  It all depends on hiring movement...and right now it's moving quick.

For context, that was late 2019 pre-covid.  Not sure the environment now.  One lesson I did learn in all my interviews: publish the app and push submit as soon as the app is ready, and let the companies sort out who to hire.  You can't get hired if you don't publish the app.  Go for it!

Edited November 5, 2021 by FourFans130
words

[SocialD]

Remember that some of the carriers out there do not require Turbine PIC time to get hired.  There were two in my DAL class in 2014 who had zero TPIC (with no connection and not minorities).  With a background like that and the hiring situation today, I could see it being much shorter stay at the regionals than some expect.  Big thing would be getting the fixed-wing time requirement.  

[FLEA]

Technique I heard at RTAG:

A lot of them were using DoD Skills bridge to get employed at an FBO as a flight school instructor for 6 months. They were using this to pad some fixed wing time and hours. 

This may be harder with the new skills bridge rules but something to look into. 

[SurelySerious]

Technique I heard at RTAG:
A lot of them were using DoD Skills bridge to get employed at an FBO as a flight school instructor for 6 months. They were using this to pad some fixed wing time and hours. 
This may be harder with the new skills bridge rules but something to look into. 

Skillsbridge was too good, probably the best transition program the DoD has ever had. So, logically, they had to hamstring it. For retention.

[BFM this]

On 11/1/2021 at 10:14 AM, BashiChuni said:

alright for the brain trust...WWYD...stay at DAL (1st year) and commute (living in DFW)

or

go to AA and eventually live in base at DFW?

good problems to have!

DFW has been awarded on newhire’s first vacancy bid lately.  Barely out of indoc, that quick.  March just published a few weeks ago, and the DFW plug had been on property 5 weeks (Sep 8 hire, Oct 15 final award).  So that new hire should finish IOE around now, commute to LGA/MIA/LAX till their DFW effective date of Jan 1.

For that matter, based on the forecasts contained in the vacancy announcements, I can’t imagine that DFW won’t make a showing in the indoc drop shortly.

Edited November 5, 2021 by BFM this
color commentary

[ItnStln]

23 hours ago, slc said:

How bout a 93B to the airlines!!  Anything is possible!!

What's a 93B?

[slc]

93B=Aeroscout Observer OH6/OH58. Probably the best enlisted job in the Army once upon a time