Originally Posted by
beached az
I just got off the phone to Aerocrew (TSA) and so far so good there.
Am also in the process of drafting an application to ExpressJet.
In terms of these 2 operators, does anyone have any recommendations either way??
beached az,
Not being the one having to make decisions, my advice may not be of much value but a couple of thoughts come to mind when trying to put myself in the position of a young Aussie contemplating a plunge into the roiling scrum of US Regional Land:
The reason to join is to get through training and onto the line ASAP, flying as much as possible with an eye to potential upgrade. You have to get some accurate info on who has lengthy delays in the training pipeline and
who provides plenty of flight time post-training allowing you to maximize the two years of the visa (it'll likely be renewed but nothing with the Imperial Federal Government is guaranteed).
This may mean joining a carrier not providing the greatest quality of life ( and being worked like a rented mule for a while) then changing horses later. It's a tricky balance because accurate info is hard to get and circumstances can change quickly; it's an educated guess at best.
My son flies for a non-E3 regional with decent pay and QoL but only flew 250 hours in his first 2.5 years there (doesn't matter to him as he has 9,000 hours and plenty of PIC and Part 121 time).
I'd guess this rate of flight time accumulation wouldn't ideally suit the purposes of a young Aussie coming here ? Stuck with 100 hours/year flight time accumulation would take a long time to get that 1,000 hours FAA Part 121 time requirement for upgrade.
Just some random thoughts from the front porch of Ye Olde Pilot Home. Feel free to dispute and correct.