Is the North East considered Desirable?
06-04-2006, 11:21 AM
#1
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Is the North East considered Desirable?
Hey everyone,
I am new to this forum and have been using it to research where i want to go when i return from deployment as far as which direction in the aviation industry.
Real brief background..
i have around 150 or so hours give or take, ASEL Instrument, when i return to the states i will start and finish my AMEL and take a small chunk out of my commercial while building hours (i try to fly around 20 hrs per month on my dollar) all this will be while serving the remaning half year of my contract in SoCal with the Marines.
Step two is to go to Ari-Ben where they are VA approved and seem to be one of the better non money stealing, 300 hr right seat promising, 8000 dollar unnecesary type rating giving, 15000 dollars just to work for them in a king air flying school, to finish my CSEL and CMEL with all appropriate instructor ratings hopefully within two months of full time flying (all of my writtens will be completed prior to attending)
Step three is to instruct there for around a year and try to get myself to..a possibly wishful thinking 1200is TT and hopefully around 700Me, of course those are approximate hopeful estimates.
My wife is an RN with her masters so will make enough to support us for the few years of extremely moderate if not painful income and in the few years of Marines and deployments we have managed to have zero debt and around 50k in the bank as of now (putting my finances out there only to support the not needing 50k in keybank loans which falls into the working for 20k per year with 14k in loan repayments per year)
My wife was very generous in not minding the Marine Corps lifestyle and is also very generous in having no problem living in florida for a year or so to get the necessary ratings and hours to pursue something bigger in the industry, however she is a homebody at heart and really would like to move back to New England preferably southern New Hampshire where we are from.
Finally getting to my point..I have been reading alot lately and it seems that Freight really seems to fit the profile of the flying that i would like to do in the future, i am not looking to be rich, although it wouldnt hurt either, but at least make a modest income hopefully getting to the 60k range in 5-7 years of the job to at least come close to matching her income, and it seems like freight has a chance of doing that. There are some freight ops that have bases in New England that i have seen that i coud live near and not have to commute to, however i understand that starting out you go where they want and need you and then bid on bases, based on seniority, so i ask, In your oppinions is New England area a desired base? Would you think it would take me years to get there or even have a chance of bidding to be there over the other senior pilots, or would it possibly be where no one wants to be because of the cold and weather and they might voluntarily put me there?
I am very willing to commute for a few years (maybe 3-5) but i would like to have the best chance to allow my wife and i to live in New England and spend some time together, is this possible? I know how the industry works a little and i understand that there is a great chance that i could end up living in New Hampshire but working out of who knows where and commuting to who knows where for possibly 4 days at a time (although i think that mostly applies to regionals...ok maybe i do not know a ton about the 135 ops)
In time i would like to maybe get into Corporate or something but that is further down the road, the regionals are an option, however with them from what i understand i will absolutely be away from home roughly 4 days a week and based anywhere but New England for who knows how many years. My wife and i can be a apart, we have been doing it for very long periods of time for the last four years, we just would not prefer to do it forever. She does understand how the industry works and the sacrifices we will have to make and she is willing to try it, and in actuality insist that we try it because she knows it is my passion.
I am open to any and all oppinions, even the negative ones because i know there will be many of them i am sure. I just feel that i am in a good position to do this now, and it is pretty much now or never.
Sorry this post was extremely long, when i envisioned it, i only saw a paragraph, but it ended up as a short story.
thank you,
Shawn
I am new to this forum and have been using it to research where i want to go when i return from deployment as far as which direction in the aviation industry.
Real brief background..
i have around 150 or so hours give or take, ASEL Instrument, when i return to the states i will start and finish my AMEL and take a small chunk out of my commercial while building hours (i try to fly around 20 hrs per month on my dollar) all this will be while serving the remaning half year of my contract in SoCal with the Marines.
Step two is to go to Ari-Ben where they are VA approved and seem to be one of the better non money stealing, 300 hr right seat promising, 8000 dollar unnecesary type rating giving, 15000 dollars just to work for them in a king air flying school, to finish my CSEL and CMEL with all appropriate instructor ratings hopefully within two months of full time flying (all of my writtens will be completed prior to attending)
Step three is to instruct there for around a year and try to get myself to..a possibly wishful thinking 1200is TT and hopefully around 700Me, of course those are approximate hopeful estimates.
My wife is an RN with her masters so will make enough to support us for the few years of extremely moderate if not painful income and in the few years of Marines and deployments we have managed to have zero debt and around 50k in the bank as of now (putting my finances out there only to support the not needing 50k in keybank loans which falls into the working for 20k per year with 14k in loan repayments per year)
My wife was very generous in not minding the Marine Corps lifestyle and is also very generous in having no problem living in florida for a year or so to get the necessary ratings and hours to pursue something bigger in the industry, however she is a homebody at heart and really would like to move back to New England preferably southern New Hampshire where we are from.
Finally getting to my point..I have been reading alot lately and it seems that Freight really seems to fit the profile of the flying that i would like to do in the future, i am not looking to be rich, although it wouldnt hurt either, but at least make a modest income hopefully getting to the 60k range in 5-7 years of the job to at least come close to matching her income, and it seems like freight has a chance of doing that. There are some freight ops that have bases in New England that i have seen that i coud live near and not have to commute to, however i understand that starting out you go where they want and need you and then bid on bases, based on seniority, so i ask, In your oppinions is New England area a desired base? Would you think it would take me years to get there or even have a chance of bidding to be there over the other senior pilots, or would it possibly be where no one wants to be because of the cold and weather and they might voluntarily put me there?
I am very willing to commute for a few years (maybe 3-5) but i would like to have the best chance to allow my wife and i to live in New England and spend some time together, is this possible? I know how the industry works a little and i understand that there is a great chance that i could end up living in New Hampshire but working out of who knows where and commuting to who knows where for possibly 4 days at a time (although i think that mostly applies to regionals...ok maybe i do not know a ton about the 135 ops)
In time i would like to maybe get into Corporate or something but that is further down the road, the regionals are an option, however with them from what i understand i will absolutely be away from home roughly 4 days a week and based anywhere but New England for who knows how many years. My wife and i can be a apart, we have been doing it for very long periods of time for the last four years, we just would not prefer to do it forever. She does understand how the industry works and the sacrifices we will have to make and she is willing to try it, and in actuality insist that we try it because she knows it is my passion.
I am open to any and all oppinions, even the negative ones because i know there will be many of them i am sure. I just feel that i am in a good position to do this now, and it is pretty much now or never.
Sorry this post was extremely long, when i envisioned it, i only saw a paragraph, but it ended up as a short story.
thank you,
Shawn
06-04-2006, 12:02 PM
#3
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Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: CR7 Capt
Posts: 1,621
Well, I would start by picking a company that has its bases in New England. EX: Wiggins Airways does freight out of MHT. They fly Caravans and a Beech 99.... Unfortunatley not too many airlines or freight companies have their bases in New England. However there are quite a few Corporate companies. Maine aviation, Alpha Flying, Linear air too name a few. Base seniority is kind of strange. I know a few that work for Eagle who tell me people either love New England or hate it. BOS goes from being senior to very junior and back and forth. It also does not help that it is very expensive around here. It can be cold and rainy in June (like today) We can have several feet of snow in the winter and 90 degree days in the summer. Myself I wouldn't trade a day in NE for months in Paradise. I love it here.
06-05-2006, 04:10 AM
#4
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Joined APC: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,971
ERJ thanks alot for the info, New England is where i have lived all of my life, i love it there and wouldnt want to be anywhere else. And this coming from someone who has been living in San Diego for the last four years. I think i will look into those companies that fly out of MHT or BOS at some point. If you dont mind: Where do you work? Do you live in New England and commute to a regional or other? Just curious. Wiggins may be something that would interest me because my goal in life isnt necessarily to be in a triple 7, maybe just a large twin turbo prop making a decent living, spending decent time with my family and enjoying life, not that flying the heavy metal doesnt appeal to me, it just wont define me and be my personal measure of success.
I appreciate your help!
P.S. If all else fails i can just get a job with my communications background and fly on the side recreationaly, my father owns a plane and is getting hangar space in Hampton Airfield and my wifes parents live in an aviation community with a private 5000' grass strip in the lakes region..not my first choice though..pursue dream first...settle later
I appreciate your help!
P.S. If all else fails i can just get a job with my communications background and fly on the side recreationaly, my father owns a plane and is getting hangar space in Hampton Airfield and my wifes parents live in an aviation community with a private 5000' grass strip in the lakes region..not my first choice though..pursue dream first...settle later
06-05-2006, 04:57 AM
#5
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Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: CR7 Capt
Posts: 1,621
Hey,
I am CFI in BVY. I really look for a job local around here when I am done flight instructing. Something corporate maybe. A lot people go to Alpha flying in MHT. They fly Pilatus's. www.planesense.org People seems to make a good living there. There are a few folks on here that work for Alpha, they could give you a better insight. Your parents must have a place in Windsock village in Ossipee. I have been there. My grandafther has a house in Ossipee on the lake so I go by it evertime I go up there.
I am CFI in BVY. I really look for a job local around here when I am done flight instructing. Something corporate maybe. A lot people go to Alpha flying in MHT. They fly Pilatus's. www.planesense.org People seems to make a good living there. There are a few folks on here that work for Alpha, they could give you a better insight. Your parents must have a place in Windsock village in Ossipee. I have been there. My grandafther has a house in Ossipee on the lake so I go by it evertime I go up there.
06-05-2006, 05:11 AM
#6
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Joined APC: Jun 2006
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Thanks ERJ,
That is some good info and something i will look into...i have around a year to go, i will start instructing next spring in Florida to reach the magic numbers and then start applying for some work.
Any other oppinions out there....any Alpha pilots out there with input?
That is some good info and something i will look into...i have around a year to go, i will start instructing next spring in Florida to reach the magic numbers and then start applying for some work.
Any other oppinions out there....any Alpha pilots out there with input?
06-05-2006, 05:45 AM
#7
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Joined APC: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,425
I grew up in Nashua. Unloaded the UPS and wiggins birds @ MHT while in high school. If I liked the NE I'd move back and try to get on with wiggins - it's an excellent company. Pay is "OK", $33k or so to start. Personally, I had enough of the cold weather crap 
. I prefer FL above NH any day, and both have no income tax.
. I prefer FL above NH any day, and both have no income tax.
06-05-2006, 06:27 AM
#8
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Joined APC: Jun 2006
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I just looked at Wiggins' site, it looks like something that would interest me, the only downfall if you could call it that, is that their times seem fairly high considering other outfits out there, meaning 2000tt and 1000pic as a bare minimum to be considered, it is something i would shoot for to be able to live near by. Also the Pilatus job looks nice too, seems "airline like though" they require a little less time but thats apples to oranges because their 1000tt is for an FO position in a SE airplane as opposed to the Captain of the 208 and the 99 and you need a degree to be considered, pretty stringent for a SE FO position, albeit a very nice SE airplane. Anyone know what their pay scale is, the word through the grapevine is captains can top out at around 80k? That is an honest living for a interesting job.
Last edited by usmc-sgt; 06-05-2006 at 06:34 AM.
06-05-2006, 04:55 PM
#10
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Joined APC: May 2006
Position: 737 CA
Posts: 2,576
My first airline job was in PVD for Continental Express flying ATR's. Now I'm EWR based Continental 757. If you want a lot of time to build in general aviation / instructing then the best/busy places are CA, TX, and FL. Tons of flying and experience to get. If you want to be a professional pilot, the NY area is the best and very busy. Most of the airplanes in the USA fly the NE and the East Coast. Just look at one of those websites that show all the IFR air traffic in the air at once in the US. You'll see what I mean. You can commute to the BOS and NYC area easy from New England.
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