helonorth Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) It has been my experience (and I actually work in the GOM) when you start, you will have no say in your schedule, other than the length of your hitch. If you bid into a job, you will work opposite of whomever is already assigned to it. If your opposite moves on, you can now (if the customer approves) change the length of the hitch. You can also then switch hitches if you want to. If you are in the pool, it's nearly impossible to switch hitches. If they need it, they may switch your hitch and you will also have no say in the matter. I had to switch hitches when I started with a new company and now work every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hear Era has the entire company switch hitches every year to make it more fair. I personally like that idea. Edited June 16, 2012 by helonorth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Pig Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Someone mentioned in an earlier post that GOM pilots are leaving after the first couple of years. All of the pilots Ive talked to out here that used to work the GOM said it just got old, and they were tired of flying over water at night and wanted to be home every night. So is there a lot of turn over in that industry? If a pilot got on, what is the time frame to move into the larger twins if you stuck it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pohi Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 The hr guy told me for people who commute long distances, it's typically 2 years before they move on to somewhere closer. As far as upgrading to ifr, it depends on if you have twin time. Previous twin/ifr time will most likely get you hired in as ifr if you want. (at least where I work, I can't say for other operators) As for a single engine guy with no previous experience, it seems it might take a year or more. The last class that was selected, the most junior person had 2 years. That's according to the posted list, they might have had other classes that were not posted though. I've heard of people going directly from tours to ifr in the gulf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heligirl03 Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 The GOM seems to have as many or more empty seats as EMS these days. Especially those already qualified for IFR Captain positions (ATPs). The word on the street is that contracts are being turned down due to lack of pilots to fly them. The choke point is somewhere between sifting through resumes to find qualified applicants and the hiring/training process only happening just so fast. A colleague of mine recently hired directly into an SIC seat in a GOM IFR twin and they expect to make him captain before the end of the year. 2500TT, ATP, 800 turbine, bachelors degree in business, well-spoken, clean cut, and driven. He's already picked up more workover than he intended. If you offer the complete package, it can be a straight shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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