Lamb of God,
There are other forums that are covering this topic pretty well at the moment, but I'm happy to answer your Q's here.
Working for Rex is fantastic!! Morale is at all time highs, with the pilot group expecially sticking together through the current EBA negotiations. The FO's are over the moon that they get to give a large portion of their profit share to the Capts, and recieve alot less than the companies valued FA's.
The training process is second to none. You are almost trained to the very high standards the company hold. If your really lucky you will be trained well enough to pass a check, but this is rare and there are no guarente's. If you are in the majority and require extra training, you may be lucky enough to receive that training within about a month of failing the check, which is obviously awesome.
The recuitment process is pretty well straight forward. Turning up usually clinches the deal. The guys getting in at the moment have a wide range of experience....anywhere between 350 to 500 hours. The guys at the lower end of the scale usually get in cause they have 10-20 hours ICUS in a seminole or something similar....it's amazing how a bit of twin time makes all the difference.
Rex pilots currently get to fly 6 days a week!! which explains the chipper mood amongst the crew. Sometimes you get to fly with a Capt that has just come off his/her RDO, so he/she is really fresh and dosen't need a quick nap during the cruise....talk about fun times!! Most of the Capts have over 1500 hours and have been in the company for at least 6 months, which is just what you want when your a new FO thats a bit light on the hours. It's just such a good set up.
Rex fly Saab 340 aircraft. They are a great regional airliner however the company does like to think it's as complicated as a space shuttle to fly...but there is no need to worry, the extra training you receive after you fail your checks sorts that out!...How cool is that!!!!
The topic of pay is a sensitive one, but lets just say that the pilots are remunerated in such a way that they can comfortably maintain the life style they enjoyed in GA for the 3 or 6 months that they did it.
So all in all lifes pretty good at Rex. Just keep an eye out for the head of check and training. He's the dude that has his shirt perfectly ironed and doesn't have a hair out of place, infact he often looks like a card board cut out of himself!! His personal skills are second to none and if your really lucky after you fail your check he'll ring you up with a motivational speech that will take your breath away....truely amazing stuff.
Gee, and to think Rex lost over half it's pilots over the past 12 months....makes you wonder doesn't!