DC-3 with low timers
11-30-2012, 04:25 PM
#81
Snakes & Nape
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: B-767 Captain
Posts: 775
Maybe He's Seen the Light
Flying radial engines is fun and all but really does not help the career progression to the airlines all that much. You might as well be getting SIC in a piper sencia.(?) True it is better than instructing but people get stuck there thinking that PIC in a DC-6 is going to get you on with SWA and it will not.
The airlines want part 121 jet pic. I would not waste your time here.
The airlines want part 121 jet pic. I would not waste your time here.
Perhaps he just loves aviation and really doesn't want to get into the airline "rut". Believe it or not, there are some good flying jobs that are not with the majors. Granted this isn't the late 80's and 90's when one could knock down $300K+ in the left seat of a wide body with a major but those days are gone forever.
Given the state of the industry and the decline in wages, benefits and retirement options, perhaps he just wants to find a seat doing what he loves to do; fly airplanes.
You probably don't believe it but there are a few of those folks still around.
G'Luck in your quest for the Holy Grail.
11-30-2012, 04:37 PM
#82
Snakes & Nape
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: B-767 Captain
Posts: 775
Way Out of Touch
Here is my point. Flying is the bush is "neat". DC6 time is kind of "cool". However there is not even a place to record those experiences in most airline pilot applications.
The HR lady does not care about your fun connection to aviations past. The computer who scans the application does not care how cool a DC6 is. It all just goes into the total time column as if it were touch and goes in a 172. There is not a place to record such vivid and broad experiences because the airlines don't care about it.
All they want to see is part 121 jet PIC. Anything that detracts from that path is seen as a negative no matter how cool or fun.
Skyhigh
The HR lady does not care about your fun connection to aviations past. The computer who scans the application does not care how cool a DC6 is. It all just goes into the total time column as if it were touch and goes in a 172. There is not a place to record such vivid and broad experiences because the airlines don't care about it.
All they want to see is part 121 jet PIC. Anything that detracts from that path is seen as a negative no matter how cool or fun.
Skyhigh
Having served on pilot selection boards for a number of years, you are correct in that we had applications with thousands of hours of turbojet and a lot of military experience. When the applicants came through the actual interview process, I always found that those who had been flying the bush, flying old radials and some of the other varied jobs in aviation made for quality applicants and were great resources in the cockpit if they were hired.
It's not all about how many hours of PIC time one has in an RJ but more about "would I like to fly a four days trip with this applicant in the right seat" and how the applicant fits in with the pilot group. Believe me, there were a LOT of applicants that walked on water as far as having all the squares checked with flight time that never got to the second stage of the interview process because they weren't well rounded and the type of people we wanted to be locked up in the cockpit with on a five day international trip.
Incidentally, we did have a pilot applicant with around 2,500 hours of turbine time along with military fighter experience, that flew twin Beech's and DC-3's in a night freight operation throughout the Midwest for over 3 years. Do you want to guess who everyone on the interview board wanted to talk to? He was hired and became a domicile Chief Pilot. One of the best hires because of a varied background and so many "real" flying experiences.
G'Day Mate
Last edited by Phantom Flyer; 11-30-2012 at 04:52 PM.
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