Professional Pilot Career Journal

 

August 17, 2002 – SkyWest?  What??

 

A quick update.  I went home on Friday to find a message on my voicemail from SkyWest Airlines.  They want me to interview in about two weeks!

 

I’m not entirely sure what to do with this new development.  Those who have been reading my career journal from the start know that SkyWest has always been my first choice of regional airlines, but the timing never worked out for me to interview with them.  I’ve been dying to interview with them for two years.   SkyWest is a United Express and Delta Connection carrier with domiciles all over the western United States, including Denver, Salt Lake, and my old hometown, Portland.  Pay and working conditions are industry leading.  If they had called two months ago it would have been a dream come true.

 

But I now have the best aircraft and the best domicile at a great airline who is putting me in class in one month, and I don’t think I’m in a position to give that up.  I’m guessing if I get hired by SkyWest it will be at least three or four months before I go to class, and as I stated in my last post, I’m not into waiting.  And I would most likely be in a turboprop rather than a jet.

 

Still, the prospect of being able to stay in the West without commuting is something I never thought I’d be able to do.  Because of that, I’m going to do this interview and prepare just like I did for my other interviews.  I want to have the option in case things go in the dumper at ACA (no reason to believe they will, but I’ve been in this industry long enough to never take anything for granted – it can bite you in the ass at a moment’s notice).

 

I’m getting to be an airline interview expert.  This will be number six and I have an 80% success rate so far.  (Yet I am still flight instructing.  More irony.)  Perhaps I should offer interview-preparation services and charge big bucks!

 

More later – seems to be feast or famine in this industry.