Pacific Coastal - flight instructors aren't real pilots

[CanadaAir]

You’re only a relief pilot
You’re only a narrow body pilot
You only flew a single engine
You’re only a float pilot
You’re only a piston pilot
Push-pull isn’t real multi time
You’re only an instructor

There’re companies which use differences to divide pilots against each other & accept lower wages while the company profits.

This post already has pilot arguing calling one type of flying lesser than another, instead of questioning the low pay and high bond at Pacific Coastal.


More to piloting than generalizing with Pacific Coastal calling flight instruction as lesser experience.

[Tertle]

haha, pasco dropped their time from 750 to 500hrs? But they pay so well! (40k/year, 50k only after first year/1000TT).

I did an interview with them, never heard back anything after providing all the documentation this summer. All for the best, since I got a much better offer in the end.

Congrats! Is it jazz?

That's right. And I feel really lucky catching the 50%+ increase. I can't imagine having to live in a big city with only 40k that used to be (and still is with Pasco). I guess sleep in the car? Besides the pay, no wonder Pasco is short on pilots when, besides pay, they are asking for all your documents - a few days after the interview - then no longer send you anything (offer or even PFO). They forgot? Went on vacation? Why bother asking for documents unless you were successful in the interview? (Pasco even does 2 interviews, not only one)

I also don't get the bad rep Jazz is getting vs alternatives. Since everyone is leaving for AC, that means your seniority will increase at a very fast pace. So good schedule and pairings in a short time. And for my personal needs, the payscale looks really good for when upgrading to capt, and it will only get better with future MOS's. So I see myself staying for the long term. Since AC or WJ is the end game for most, I imagine the seniority gain is at a brutal snailpace speed.

Out of all airlines that would hire with under 1000hrs, Jazz in my books is currently the best, even better than Encore since they pay more, you have the option of flying jets and you have 4 bases to choose from vs only 1.

It's too bad you had that experience -- not a good look.

I actually think Pasco is one of the best places a sub 1000 hour pilot can go. Indeed, the 40k is a tough pill to swallow, but the 50k bump is quickly attainable for those OTS hires with at least 500 hours. After a year or less (at that hour amount) an upgrade could be on the table -- all it takes is 1200 hours to captain a 1900 according to TC... Now you're actually making some money. You could say it's still not enough, but 80k plus major OT opportunities and an ATPL later (with great command experience in the logbook), life is looking pretty good. When you feel like moving on, if that's the direction you choose, every door is open. No getting stuck in a flow program as an FO struggling to get an ATPL (and making less than the 1900 captain). 1900 FOs, usually with instructing PIC, and captains have gotten gobbled up by WJ and many captains have hopped off to big red. If neither of those options interest you, that resume is still going to look pretty attractive with all of that turbine PIC!

Fun place to spend some time at. Just my 2 cents though!

[rigpiggy]

Well in my 15+k time most was 704, with only occasionally getting maybe 1/50 hr getting an autopilot that wasn't voice activated. 6 leg days to handflown approaches makes you a very competent stick

[flying4dollars]

As a line guy I always found training instructors difficult.
We're going to fly at 14000' this leg. " but the flightplan says fl200"
Yes I know however we will have only 40 kt hw vs 120, "but we need to fly high for the TAS" actually this planes tries best between 17-fl190. We're going to fly this route" but the flightplan says we have to South of lake Ontario," yes but the winds are better this way, and we will get a direct for rwy 24L. Many times at cruise, I would pull out the flight manual, "I have control" drop it in their laps and say"show me" back then we used the beer system I'm wrong, I buy a beer if your wrong you buy me a beer! I wish that I collected on more beer, but 2 a night was enough(vs 6)
Biggest problem I had with instructors was undoing the indoctrination.

Interesting, I had quite the opposite experience training former instructors. I found them all a pleasure to teach and the light bulb moments for them while learning real world operational IFR flying in a turboprop/jet were gratifying for me as much as it was for them.

[rookiepilot]

Helpful site for you guys, who want to trash an employer online, anonymously, for dictating their experience requirements.

Such class. Just don’t apply instead.

https://www.bchrt.bc.ca/

[‘Bob’]

Nice to see that nothing has changed.

I was a flight instructor who worked for PASCO in the bad old days. Not first job after instructing, hell no. I would have never made it. I was told in no uncertain terms that my flight instructing experience was worse than nothing, and my time up north only just made up the difference. They thought they were the US Navy, probably still think so. How those clapped out 1900s ever rotated carrying the giant egos up front, I will never know.

[Tertle]

Nice to see that nothing has changed.

I was a flight instructor who worked for PASCO in the bad old days. Not first job after instructing, hell no. I would have never made it. I was told in no uncertain terms that my flight instructing experience was worse than nothing, and my time up north only just made up the difference. They thought they were the US Navy, probably still think so. How those clapped out 1900s ever rotated carrying the giant egos up front, I will never know.

That mentality is loooong gone. Crawling through a full C Model, or even being seen in one, is a nice slice of humble pie. For the people up top, they know where they stand these days.

[CaptDukeNukem]

Nice to see that nothing has changed.

I was a flight instructor who worked for PASCO in the bad old days. Not first job after instructing, hell no. I would have never made it. I was told in no uncertain terms that my flight instructing experience was worse than nothing, and my time up north only just made up the difference. They thought they were the US Navy, probably still think so. How those clapped out 1900s ever rotated carrying the giant egos up front, I will never know.

Pretty sure all aircraft manufacturers since year 1903 account for the extra pilot ego weight in all their weight and balance calculations. How else would these things get off the ground.

[JHR]

The weight of the ego is easily offset by the lack of weight of the empty wallet!

[CaptDukeNukem]

The weight of the ego is easily offset by the lack of weight of the empty wallet!

Lol. I’ll give you that one