During my tour of the SkyWest facility in SLC, a captain asked me how many hours I had. When I told him over 4,000, he asked why I wasn’t interviewing that day. I told him it was predominantly helicopter time and his reply was, “So?” That’s when I knew SkyWest was serious about bringing professional helicopter pilots on board. Most regional airlines will allow you to interview 90 days to one year ahead of your potential start date. This gives you time and flexibility to accomplish the rest of your training with a conditional job offer in hand.
“ I finally received a “yes.” After hearing so many say “no,”
The RTP process varies slightly from airline to airline but the basic premise is that as an experienced helicopter pilot, these programs will assist you financially to obtain the certificates and ratings gearing you towards your ATP requirements. The amount of financial assistance varies, so it pays to see which program best suits your circumstances. Financial assistance/bonuses start around $17,500 and run upwards of $51,000. In my particular case, SkyWest provided me with a total of $27,500.
If you’ve already paid out of pocket for your training or have taken loans out, don’t despair. Most programs offered today allow you to keep all the remaining funds you didn’t use for training, thus allowing you to pay off your loans or replenish your bank account up to the amount of the bonus.
Where can I complete my flight training, you may ask? That also is a very personal question, as everyone’s circumstances are different. Some regional airlines have partnered with particular flight schools. If you live in close proximity to one of these schools, they could be a good option for you to train nearby in your off time while still working.
If you don’t live near a partner school, many regional airlines don’t limit where you can get your transition training. Often it simply requires approval from the company, and you could potentially be training at a school near you. In my case, I have a very supportive spouse who was OK with me temporarily relocating to another city to do my flight training, as I wanted a different option than what was locally available to me. At SkyWest, you are able to attend any flight school and still receive the $27,500 tuition reimbursement and bonuses.
In March 2018, I started flight training as SkyWest’s first civilian helicopter pilot in its new RTP program at FLT Academy in Bountiful, Utah. I completed my Instrument, Commercial Multi-Engine, and PIC time-building in two-and-a-half months, well ahead of the program’s projected four-month timeline. The FLT Academy did a great job making sure I received quality, accelerated training. Other schools that are affiliated with SkyWest can be found on
www.skywest.com.
I interviewed with four airlines (while only possessing a Private add-on) and was extended four job offers. Your interviewer will expect you to have an anticipated completion date for your training. Each interview was slightly different in how it was conducted and what topics were covered. In preparation, I subscribed to
aviationinterviews.com. This site is a good source to browse a large selection of experiences and questions that each company likes to ask, often referred to as simply the “gouge.” Most companies will either have a recommended reading list or will send you documents to review in preparation for the interview. Do not underestimate the value of the gouges. They will help you focus on areas that are important to each airline and increase your chances of
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