tokana's Diaryland Diary

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Career Plans for C

Things are going to start happening very quickly – I spent some time today sorting out the whole process so that as it happens it won’t seem so overwhelming to me. I figured I’d share this knowledge so that everyone else can understand too.

C is a flight instructor for DCA. He started with them in August of 2004, at that time he signed a contract saying that he would work for them until he had completed a minimum of 800 hours of ‘Dual Given’ (instruction in flight). This typically takes instructors between 1 and 2 years to accomplish, as they work toward this goal they move through different groups. Each group consists of student pilots earning different types of ‘ratings’ (pilot licenses). Instructors move from one group to another based on how many hours they’ve earned. Typically instructors start in the Instrument Group, helping students earn their Instructor rating. When the instructor has enough hours they move to the Commercial Group, then Private and so on. The final group is Multi-Engine.

C is 19 hours shy of completing the Multi-Engine hour’s requirement which, at the rate he’s been going, he will easily have by the end of next week. On March 2nd the school he works for will officially ‘release’ him from his contract with them and he will begin their ‘Bridge’ Program where he will spend about two weeks in their simulator learning to fly commercial jets. While he is participating in Bridge he will also be sending out resumes to different airlines and hopefully interviewing.

His first pick is SkyWest. If all goes well he will interviewing with them by mid-late March. He has a list of choices if SkyWest falls through, but we aren’t really addressing that possibility seriously (wouldn’t want to jinx anything).

So I’ve done some research about SkyWest as a company and an employer.

From GE’s website: SkyWest Airlines has placed a firm order for 30 of the 70-seat Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets, powered by GEÂ’s CF34-8 engines. SkyWest also took options for an additional 80 CRJ700 jets.
The value of the firm engine order to GE Aircraft Engines is valued at more than $120 million.
Deliveries of the firm aircraft are scheduled to begin in early 2004 and continue through 2005.
SkyWest, based in St. George, Utah, has ordered the aircraft for its United Express operation on behalf of United Airlines. SkyWest is one of the original launch customers for the Bombardier CRJ with firm orders for 100 50-seat CRJs.

Found on airwise.com, info provided by Reuters: SkyWest, which operates as United Express, Delta Connection and Continental Connection, on Wednesday said fourth quarter profit rose 22 percent, helped by increased revenue, as the airline operator expanded its fleet.
Net income for SkyWest increased to USD$21.25 million from USD$17.46 million a year earlier.
Operating revenue increased 38 percent to USD$326.7 million as available seat miles rose 28 percent and the fleet grew to 210 aircraft from 185.

An approximation of the pay scale for SkyWest.

Everything below is from skywest.com

SkyWest Pilot Criteria:
1000 hours total time
100 hours multi engine
100 hours instrument (may include a maximum of 20 hours in simulator)
Minimum 21 years of age
Must have current first class medical and show proof of right to work in the US

SkyWest Interview:
1. Written Test: includes a 50 question test taken from ATP test standards along with a 20 question mechanical aptitude test.
2. Technical/human resource: consists of questions regarding systems, weather, Jeppesen charts, FAR’s as well as questions mandatory in nature including human resource related questions. This phase could last up to one and one half hours.
3. Simulator Observation: takes place in an ATC 810 simulator where the applicant will be expected to demonstrate appropriate skills. This phase could last up to one hour.
4. CRM Scenario: The applicant will be placed in a role-play CRM scenario, either alone or with another applicant and asked to work through a specific problem.
In any evet where the candidate does not successfully complete any of the previous phases satisfactorily they will be released at that time and may reapply in six months.

SkyWest Training:
Ground school will take place at SkyWest’s Salt Lake City Training Facility and will last for three weeks. This will be followed by a week of FTD (flight training device), one week of simulator training and then finally IOE (initial operating experience) will be setup and should be completed in approximately ten to fourteen days. During ground training the students will be housed at the Candlewood Suites. Double occupancy should be expected. Rooms are all equipped with a kitchenette. The hotel shuttles students to and from the training facility as well as convenient trips to the grocery store throughout the week.

SkyWest Pay:
Currently, there is no pay during your initial training at SkyWest. You can expect your pay to start with the beginning of IOE along with per diem. Starting pay is $19.02 per flight hour regardless of aircraft flown. Per diem is currently at $1.60 per hour.
Initially most new hires can expect to be placed on reserve, depending on the needs of the individual domiciles. In some cases, time spend on reserve can be substantial. Ready reserves are also used and most likely utilized at domiciles or hubs. Regular reserve policy has one and one half hour call out. Reserve pay is 75 hours per month.

SkyWest Domiciles:
Denver, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Fresno, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
Santa Barbara, CA
Tucson, AZ
Chicago, IL

Based on what C has been hearing from the two guys from DCA who have already gone to SkyWest, it is most likely that he will be assigned Salt Lake City as his domicile. I guess the next step is to research Salt Lake City…Since I don’t plan on moving out there until this fall at the earliest I have plenty of time to do that. C should know for sure which domicile he’ll be assigned to by the end of April, so I’ll wait until then to learn too much about any one place.

That is what will be happening with C over the next few months. Now do you see why I think it might become overwhelming? And if I consider it overwhelming, imagine what C is going through right now! Surprisingly there isn’t any tension between us, just a sense of anxiousness and anticipation.

Now you know.

3:16 p.m. - February 16, 2005
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