Wish me luck

"Jetstreamer" (jetstreamer) 04/14/2016 at 02:20 • Filed to: PLANELOPNIK, shit pilots say, aviation

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A Jetstream 32 like the type I flew the last four years

None of you know me, I’m not a regular poster but I’ve been lurking for a few years. I always like to see the nice advice, tips and comments people give to random strangers here so I thought I’d get some myself.

I’m a pilot and for the last four years I’ve been flying a 19-seat twin turboprop. Unfortunately the company I was working for went to shit and I quit before it took me down with it. I’m in Europe and the job market for pilots here is quite toxic. Companies do not value the experience on sub-10.000kg aircraft, so my four years of manhandling a non-automated beast of a plane through hot summers and extreme winters above the Arctic Circle count for nothing.

Which was why I was surprised to get two offers within a week of quitting. One is for command (becoming a captain instead of copilot) on the same type of aircraft, the other is for a copilot job with a fairly fast track to command on a CRJ-700/900 jet (a family of regional jets for 70-90 passengers).

A CRJ-900NG, the same type I will hopefully be flying soon

An old mantra for pilots used to be “never say no to command” but since the captain job would be on a pretty useless type I am aiming for the jet job. And I’m going for a simulator check today. If that goes well I am pretty sure of getting the job based on signals from that company. And after flying a small turboprop without autopilot for years, I do not fear a simulator check.

Still, every little bit helps so wish me luck!

Xyl0c41n3 > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 02:24

1

Good luck!

scoob > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 02:26

5

Good luck! Sounds like quite the opportunity. I’d do the same if I were you, but what do I know.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 02:27

1

I hope it works out favorably for you!

Svend > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 02:42

1

Good luck fella.

Leon711 > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 04:34

1

YOU CAN DO IT!

Jetstreamer > scoob 04/14/2016 at 04:39

0

Thanks! Yep, it’s an opening into the world of jets where I might otherwise be stuck on propeller planes for who knows how long.

Jetstreamer > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 04/14/2016 at 04:39

0

Thanks, I’m optimistic but you can never be sure :)

Jetstreamer > Xyl0c41n3 04/14/2016 at 04:39

1

Thanks :)

Jetstreamer > Svend 04/14/2016 at 04:40

1

Thank you sir :)

Jetstreamer > Leon711 04/14/2016 at 04:42

1

Thanks!

kanadanmajava1 > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 05:31

1

Aren’t propellers fun? I would like to fly with propellers if it would be possible.

But any case, good luck!

KatzManDu > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 06:12

1

Excellent! Good luck! Stick the landing on the numbers!

Jetstreamer > kanadanmajava1 04/14/2016 at 06:26

0

It’s fun, but the career progression is in jets. Besides that, the youngest plane I flew was over 28 years old and they don’t have much of a future left with stricter regulations for airspaces and navigation requirements.

Jetstreamer > KatzManDu 04/14/2016 at 06:28

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Thanks, I will do my best :).

Svend > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 06:34

0

Don’t call me Sir, I work for a living. ;)

Lol.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 06:41

1

Good luck mate! We’re rootin’ for ya! :)

PartyPooper2012 > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 06:44

1

You are living my dream. not the unemployed part, but flying for a living. Yes. you may be manhandling a manual beast and flying through hot summers and cold winters, but man... I would give my left nut to fly for a living. I went to pilot school - little Cessna. Got like 5-7 hours in and I got bored of it because it’s so damn slow and expensive as all hell. I may get back to it hopefully.

My ultimate plan is to get instrument ratings under my belt... then get to a water plane. then get scuba diving certification and go fly to some ship wreck in Caribbean

KatzManDu > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 06:44

0

You can add RVSM gear, ADS-B and the 406Mhz ELT to a prop.

shop-teacher > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 07:19

1

Good luck! Sounds like the right move to me.

64Mali > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 07:28

1

It definitely sounds like the right move, some times lateral with an actual future is better than going up to stagnant. Good luck, remember land so the drunk guy doesn’t spill his GnT in coach.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 07:47

0

Best wishes to you. Finding the right job in this crazy biz can be a challenge, but it sounds like you’re on the right path. Don’t go expecting a whole lot of automation on the CR7/CR9; it may be better than what you’re used to, but it’s no 777. I don’t think the ones I’ve been on even have autothrottle, which seems kind of silly in this class of aircraft. At least it gives the PNF something to do.

I just found out that a friend of mine who recently upgraded to captain on the CR7 won an honor from FedEx. Her prize was a 757/767 type rating. She’ll have to take a month off in order to get it, as well as commuting to MEM for training, but I think it pretty much means a right-seat job at FedEx when it’s complete. After slaving away in the CR7/CR9 for years it’s nice to see the chance to move up to some heavy iron.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 08:07

1

Good luck, dude! Aspiring commercial pilot here. It’s a lot different in America I guess. I would have gone for the captain job.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 08:09

1

Good luck! I'll never forget when my buddy made the jump to self-loading cargo. He was sooooo happy!

Nick Has an Exocet > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 08:15

1

Best of luck.

From a guy getting on a turboprop from Dublin to Glasgow in about 1 hour.

derf > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 08:26

1

Very cool! Good luck - I hope you make the left seat soon.

My dad flew Jetstream 31s and ATR-42s back in the 80s, neat to see it pop up on oppo. :)

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 08:36

1

Good luck, any landing you can walk away from amirite? Actually I have no idea because I’m not a pilot... Good luck anyway!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 09:33

1

Best of luck, and here’s to a job with growth opportunity.

We just flew on a CRJ-700 a few weeks ago. Shortly after takeoff the plane ran through about 20 seconds of pretty intense turbulence. You could hear the simultaneous inhales from all the passengers except one. The Finnlet started giggling, and after about 5-10 seconds started cackling with glee. After the turbulence stopped he waited a couple seconds before saying “again!”

Chuckybas > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 09:35

1

Good luck! Used to work in admin for the pilot group at a large regional. I hope they treat you well. I hope it’s a positive experience.

Jetstreamer > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/14/2016 at 11:43

0

Thanks, appreciate it :).

Jetstreamer > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 11:46

1

Turns out that demanding from people to wish you luck works, haha. Just wanted to say thanks to you all in case I miss anyone.

I will update when I know more.

Jetstreamer > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 04/14/2016 at 11:53

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Well, basically the only thing automated in the Jetstream 31 and 32 is the engine start procedure (if it works). Models with a basic autopilot are relatively rare. So it will still be a huge step up.

Not that I hate the old stuff but I need to think about career progression as well. Had a blast flying the old ladies.

Jetstreamer > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 04/14/2016 at 11:55

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Hehe, I once elected to fly low over hilly terrain in strong winds because the resulting turbulence gave me something to do... Just once though, and it did shave two minutes of an eight minute flight. So I still had the passengers in mind too...

Jetstreamer > Flyboy is FAA certified insane 04/14/2016 at 11:58

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Yes, it seems the balance is quite different in the US. A huge focus on PIC time. It’s just that the type has little future left, and in these parts they mainly seem to care about jet experience above a certain weight.

Jetstreamer > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 04/14/2016 at 11:58

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Bottom line, yes :)

Jetstreamer > derf 04/14/2016 at 12:01

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Cool :). If he is active on Facebook, he might enjoy this group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2375318310/

Always good if you survive any period of time piloting a Jetstream ;).

Jetstreamer > PartyPooper2012 04/14/2016 at 12:03

1

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed flying that little turboprop. It is proper flying.

Yeah, go for it. If you can do it without having to take out loans and can find a way to make it work our financially, just go for it. There is not better place to be than a cockpit if you genuinely love flying.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 12:18

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What was the other aircraft if you don’t mind me asking?

In the U.S. those CRJ’s are always pipeline programs for the Majors like Delta. Not sure how yours is.

Jetstreamer > Flyboy is FAA certified insane 04/14/2016 at 12:56

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You mean the other job offer? Same 19-seat Jetstream, just left seat instead of right. Depending on the outcome of the sim check I might still end up doing that, haha.

The airline with the CRJ I’m going for is basically a national carrier that doesn’t have the need for larger aircraft or long-haul. Getting enough time on it will just open more doors later on as airlines in Europe mostly care about whether you have jet experience and preferably above xx.xxx kilograms of weight.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 13:07

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Oh, gotcha. In the U.S. you pretty much have to stick with one carrier once you’ve made it, switching just puts you back on the bottom of the totem pole with shitty routes and aircraft.

Good luck on the sim, I’ve only been in our school’s CRJ sim once. I had no idea what I was doing with all the buttons hahaha.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 14:24

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There are some systems on aircraft that should be automated, like engine starts, just like there are systems in cars that should be automated. Does anyone want to manually adjust their spark advance? No, I didn’t think so.

Not relying on automation, especially early in your career, can make a better pilot. Just look at some of the recent accidents, such as OZ214 and AF447. Lots of automation in those cockpits but too much reliance on that technology. These guys essentially put too much faith in the automation and basically forgot how to fly. At least in the case of AF447, they seemed more concerned about getting the automation going again rather than flying the airplane.

Technology in cars can be similar. I found myself becoming quite dependent on my GPS to tell me the speed limits as I drove along, putting too much faith in an electronic database and not using my own eyes. I had to re-learn that skill once my GPS was stolen, but for a time I felt kind of lost without this aid. I just wonder how many people are going to become too dependent on the safety systems in their car in the future. I can see people not bothering to brake hard because their car usually did it for them, or not bothering to look out the windows and in the mirror to check blind spots because, well, the computers would normally beep if there was an issue. This is our future...

I love my Mazda, but I want to find another car, a bit of a plaything. Unless I can find something that matches these criteria, it’ll probably be an E21 323i, just a better version of my old 320i. I want RWD, I6 engine, no power steering, manual transmission. Power brakes, like the aforementioned automated spark advance, doesn’t detract from the driving experience and are just a good safety thing to have. I just want to keep the driving experience as pure as I can reasonably make it.

Jetstreamer > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 04/14/2016 at 14:37

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Yeah, I am a fan of working your way up... From single engine/multi engine piston in training to maybe a job on a multi engine piston. Or if you are lucky like I was, straight onto something like a light twin turboprop multicrew. Spend time mastering that and move up.

Unfortunately the market does not support this kind of progression any more (at least, not around here). They really should. Flying the Jetstream has taught me heaps and heaps of useful skills (including manual starts when even that automated system fails).

Some of the basic requirements here are;

1: Do you have experience on this type? No? Move along then.

2. Wait, what did you say? You don’t have experience on type but you would very much like to pay us over market value for a typerating and a crappy temporary contract afterwards? Welcome!

3. Hmmm, you have 2000 hours on a turboprop aircraft. But... is it’s maximum take off mass over this arbitrary number we just pulled out of thin air? No? Pfff... amateur.

Slight dramatization of course, but it can be frustrating. Luckily there seem to be exceptions and I hope this will be a nice chance for me. Still a couple of hours before I head to the sim.

ttyymmnn > Jetstreamer 04/14/2016 at 20:24

1

I had a friend who started out flying turboprops for American Eagle, then DC-9s for ValuJet before transferring to a global freight carrier (now defunct, I think) flying the DC-10-30F. After that, he moved to US Air. I don’t know where he is now, I haven’t spoken to him in years. I don’t know a whole lot about the business, but it seems to me that a FO position on a jet would be a much better track than a Captain gig on another turboprop. Best wishes to you, and keep the pointy end forward. Godspeed.

YukaCL > Jetstreamer 04/15/2016 at 14:15

1

Best of lucks with either path you choose.

I would imagine the jet would travel longer distances and take more of your time to complete tasks, right? I would imagine that could become a bit more troubling, but I would imagine be more satisfying somehow.

In any case, like I already said, whatever you end up doing, best of luck to ya mate.

Cheers!

Jetstreamer > YukaCL 04/16/2016 at 02:00

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Yes, in general the flights are longer and I will spend more time working. But this airline does not do a lot of overnight stops where I have to sleep in a hotel. I will basically be back home every night, which is something a lot of pilots would kill for.

YukaCL > Jetstreamer 04/16/2016 at 15:44

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In that case, then the Jet, hands down.

Cheers!