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Which Regional to go To

HokiePilot

HokiePilot

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
So, I'm approaching the end of my time in the Navy. As a helo guy, I know that I am going to have to spend some time at a regional. It seems like any of them will hire decent candidates who meet all of the qualifications.

Do you guys have any advice on how to pick a regional? What should I be looking for?

I've searched Airline Pilot Central but have made no headway. There is too much info there and I can't figure out where to start.

I'm single and flexible on base location but would prefer in the North somewhere.
 
insanebikerboy said:
Have you explored the Envoy option? It's a direct path to American.
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That's exactly what I am asking. Many of the regional offer a guaranteed path to an interview or job at a major. How much of a factor is that when looking at a regional?
 
Envoy is offering to pay for your time building. The interview is a joke. You WILL get a job offer. This is seriously the best offer a helicopter guy could hope for.

I believe now that Envoy has gone public with their program others will follow, so you may want to hold out. You are not a player for flow, as you should be employable at a major at about year three at the regionals. Although, it's not a bad insurance plan if hiring slows or something crazy changes the industry.
 
The regional landscape changes every 6 months, but if you can afford the pay cut to go to one, go to one of AAs Wholly Owned regionals and use the flow as a backup until you get on with the career destination of your choice.
 
I'm looking at SkyWest mostly due to location (want to stay in the west). I don't think they offer as good of a deal as other regionals but I like the domiciles and the EMB 120.
 
Tiltedsky said:
I'm looking at SkyWest mostly due to location (want to stay in the west). I don't think they offer as good of a deal as other regionals but I like the domiciles and the EMB 120.
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I have heard that SkyWest specifically is already looking at a similar program to stay competitive. You may want to give it time. I'm guessing that the other regionals will lag Envoy for about 3-6months establishing their own programs. Patience may be to your favor if you have the time to give.
 
This gives you an idea of the locations: http://www.pilotdomiciles.com/pilot_domiciles-6-6-2016.png

The AA Wholly Owned Regionals (Envoy and PSA) are paying the most at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised to see others match as the competition grows for bodies. They also have Helo specific programs if you need to build FW or MEFW time to meet mins.

The "flow" agreements, from what I've read, are nice recruitment tools but timing wise will take too long. You're looking at (hopefully) 1-2 years to get the helo stink off of you and be eligible/competitive for "The Show". Flows are guys who've been there for 8+ years. I'd focus on pay and location before worrying about that.
 
SynixMan said:
The "flow" agreements, from what I've read, are nice recruitment tools but timing wise will take too long. You're looking at (hopefully) 1-2 years to get the helo stink off of you and be eligible/competitive for "The Show". Flows are guys who've been there for 8+ years. I'd focus on pay and location before worrying about that.
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I know military fixed wing pilots that have gotten out and went direct to the regionals and have been there 2+ years (same with ISR contractors)... unfortunately, in today's hiring environment 1-2 years of regional time may not be enough to make a predominately Helo time guy competitive for majors, especially if they end up sitting reserve for a year or two and hardly flying.

The only Helo dudes I know who got major interview invites right at fixed wing hiring mins were the dudes who got the 737type and picked up a southwest interview... and that still took them 3-5 years of full time fixed wing flying to get the 1000 fixed wing PIC and total time needed to make mins.

When shopping for a regional, pick one that you're going to be okay with spending a long period of time at before making it to the show in case the hiring environment doesn't pick up as forecast.
 
SynixMan said:
@zippy Concur. Hence my statement that pay should be a critical driver while you grind it out there.
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I agree... there seems to be this myth that everyone can get off active duty and spend 12-24 months flying on the outside and they'll be scooped by the major of their choice once they've done their penance.

It has happened that way for some people, however there are plenty who haven't had it work out like that and the question becomes how long after their last flight on active duty do they transition from "desirable military pilot" to brand x regional/135/91 guy who has some military in their background.

There's no clear cut answer- I was sitting at lunch the other day with a dude who retired as an O-5 from AD in a flying billet who can't get a call from the majors while the JO SELRES IP whose been flying outside for 2 years is lamenting that he doesn't want to leave his Job and go to the airlines right now (but his spouse is making him do so) and got interview invites from UAL, DAL and SWA and is trying to push them back a bit longer.

I don't think that 4-6 years is too long for a Helo guy to plan to be at a regional. The 8 year flow estimate at envoy will likely come down some as hiring opens up everywhere else.

From my prospective, it may be better to secure way into AA via the WO flow and apply to everyone you want to on the legacy/SWA/cargo list then go to a brand X contract regional that may lose its flying before you're competitive for who you want to work for (talk to the guys who went to AWAC in the last few years and had to leave and to start over at the bottom somewhere else to get forward career progression)or be locked out of a path to one of the "big 3" because 50-75% of AA new hire classes are flow through and most of the rest are transitioning fighter/heavy folks fresh off of active duty and your resume doesn't stand out from the 10K other regional pilots applying to them.
 
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@HokiePilot i don't have any meaningful advice. I am not all that knowledgeable on the regional programs and benefits. I wish you the best of luck. If you have any questions about the majors don't hesitate to drop me a line!

Cheers

John
 
Thanks everyone for the inputs. It confirms most of what I was thinking. Do any of the regionals have better work rules or worse time on reserve? Is pay or base locations the only way to compare them?
 
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