LAfrequentflyer

D,

reread CoA post - he hit it on the head...Go for the PIC time...

-LA

love2fly

Spatial where do you live? I know a company that will take guys like you flying lear 25,35 and 55's corporate and a little frieght. The pay isn't bad either and you will pretty much just be on call. Either way its an easy way to build some jet time and then hop over to flex jet which I hear starts at like 40 or 50k a year. Or go for the regionals and stick it out for a couple of years. I can relate to you b/c I am in very similar shoes....looking towards the future can be risky but in 2 or 3 years when your a capt making 4-5 grand a month, it wont be that bad. Good luck with whatever you choose.

WANNABE

Superpilot92 - Just curious. What is your approx monthly flight time during first year?

SpatialD

Uh-huh - but not for long. I strongly advise you against barking up that tree, but I'll be glad to talk to you about it if you want to pursue it anyway.

Funny you guys should resurrect this thread today because I just went down to Houston this morning, and came home this evening with a job at XJT. I'd like to hear about your monthly flight time too, superpilot92. Heck, I might just send you a PM with a million questions after I recover from the grueling interview process today (grueling because of the long wait, no food, etc. - the interview itself was no worse than any checkride I've ever had.

I finally decided that - for me anyway - XJT is the way to go (and they were agreeable to that as well, fortunately). I'm not aware of any other regionals I'd really care to work for, but right now at least XJT seems to be moving in the right direction on just about every point. Most of all, it's a step closer to the kind of flying I'd really like to be doing (fractional, good corp. flight dept., or similar). Actually, this is the first job I've ever had that I can even see myself possibly retiring from - so even if I never go anywhere else, that means a lot to me.

Since I am really just getting started, I came to the conclusion that I don't want to lay some halfassed foundation to build my career upon. I want the airline training, standardization, QOL, benefits, safety - and, in the case of XJT, respect from my employer. Really the only thing this job doesn't have that kicks butt is a livable income in the first year. But that does change quickly, and it keeps getting better the further you go. I'm not minimizing the need to pay the bills (belive me, I'm not), but there's a big picture to look at. As someone said above, where will I be in five years with this new job? What if I stayed in the freight biz for five more years? Besides, I don't want to be in the freight biz for five more years.

Another factor that's unique to XJT is that I'm not too worried about getting furloughed. Not saying it can't happen, but I'd be shocked if it did any time soon. I expect good things with them and if it changes in a few years, I can move on and take the 121 jet experience with me. And if I've just gotta have some PIC time at that point, I ought to be able to get it somewhere. Yes, I'm a little starry-eyed right now. And yes, it's a crapshoot and anything can change almost overnight. But I'd rather worry about all that over a latte in front of that glass panel than while I'm unloading chickens in a t-storm on the ground in Guadalajara after I've been up all night with no food. That's just me though - I'm not here to judge.

Sleep deprivation and celebratory wine are catching up with me. I need to go lay down now.

LAfrequentflyer

Congratulations...If you ever fly to KLFT try Pimon Thai - my old roommate from the AF owns/runs it...He spent years in Thailand learning to cook at a culinary school there...Excellent...

I've always been treated very well by Continental and XJet...I f i ever go into professional aviation as a pilot- they are on my list of places to work...

I wonder if they hire IT types?

-LA

love2fly

thats rad, congrats

Chris

I'm waay late, but CONGRATS! I'll be on an XJT flight going from IAH-MKE on wednesday. Will be my first flight on XJT (as pax of course).

Hope training is going well!

Chris

SpatialD

Thanks to all. I'm going a little stir crazy waiting for training to begin mid February. The last Jan class filled up while I was waiting for them to call my name in the interview room. I'm still excited about the job, but I just don't want to wait so long to get started!

HuronPlt

Hey SD, Congrats! Where can I find info on XJTs requirements? I found the website but no luck on what they are looking for (assuming that they still are!). That sort of thing is exactly my bag! Just hoping I got what they want!
Thanks,
HP

SpatialD

I don't know of any stated mins, but check out http://www.aviationinterviews.com to get an idea of what kinds of time the people they've been hiring have. My understanding is also that hiring will slow down a bit this year, so they might get a little more selective, but who knows?