Pacific Wings Info:

ihavewings · July 1st, 2006, 19:53

Im a low time pilot and wondering if anyone's got info on Pacific Wings in hawaii, good? bad? I appreciate any feed back.

Thanks

-Jimbob

Toonces · July 1st, 2006, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihavewings

Im a low time pilot and wondering if anyone's got info on Pacific Wings in hawaii, good? bad? I appreciate any feed back.

Thanks

-Jimbob

Don't bother, the pay really sucks. Their F/O pay is $8 an hr. I'd like to see how you live it up in Hawaii on that kind of scratch.

Stone Cold · July 2nd, 2006, 07:08

Do a search, it's been discussed here in detail. I believe it is $8/hour as a ramp rat or CSA, and then fly during your down time type thing. As said above, don't put yourself in even more of a hole after the expense of flight training by living in Hawaii $$$$$. It's not worth it, unless you have a free place to live, and even then it's not very good.

meritflyer · July 2nd, 2006, 13:38

It sucks.

Texasspilot · July 2nd, 2006, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by meritflyer

It sucks.

worst job ever

Skrob · July 2nd, 2006, 14:39

Anyone here who posted actually have any experience with pac wings???

ihavewings · July 2nd, 2006, 17:53

Thanks for the feedback on pac.wings. I'm soon to get out of FlightSafety and just looking for options.

TFaudree_ERAU · July 2nd, 2006, 19:28

I was browsing the college online networking website (facebook.com for those that are informed). About 5 people that I knew from ERAU are working there. I'll have to get the scoop from them and find out how crappy it really is.

Texasspilot · July 2nd, 2006, 22:39

Yah...I actually worked there. I had been CFI'ing for a little over a year and reached a point where I couldn't afford to live and I was ready to move out of my college town and try something different.

I got a buddy pass flew out and was offered a job...another guy I was cfi'ing with was offered a job as well so we both went. When I first got there the D.O. pretty much ran the place and it was great. The SIC's were treated like future employees and the atmosphere was laid back and fun. About two months after that the owners decided they wanted to try and start running the company which they sucked at. All of a sudden people were doing 14 hour days 6 days a week. Average length of employment dropped to around 4 months. You wen't from being viewed as a future captain for the airline to the managements gophers. You worked 8 or 10 hours a day then flew when you could to build your caravan SIC time. The flying schedule was usually made about 4 in the morning so every pilot had to wake up at 4am and call in to see when they had to show.

I was there for about 4 months and put around 200 hours in my logbook which I have subsequently deleted from my Total time. The time would be accepted by pac wings however noone else would really recognize it and so if you don't stick it out in order to build to 135 mins or even if you do stick it out on the slim chance you are offered a job there you probably wouldn't want to stay anyhow. I don't know of any of the SIC's who ended up upgrading, pretty much all the other airlines on the islands hate PW because of how ####ty the management treats the customers/employees/and other airlines employees. The old DO got fired for some pretty shady reasons and its gotten worse since then.

From what I hear you have to work the desk for a month or so before you can start training then the flying is scheduled for when you don't have to work the desk. I've heard the SICs are getting around 600hrs a year.

Having said that the flying was fun and the other pilots, for the most part, were great. There are better small operators on the islands to work for.

Pay was 8 bucks an hour for the SICs and that was only when you were scheduled to work the desk, you didn't get paid to fly because they really didn't need you there.

Captains pay was 2250 a month.

As for living I had a nice 2 bedroom apt for 1200 a month that I split. Electric is cheap because you don't really need the ac or heater and you won't be there enough to watch tv or use the lights. Food is allot more expensive...tuna is around 80cents a can if that gives you any idea. Costco is the cheapest place to eat.

You do get health benifits and flight benifits however you won't have time to use the flight benifits and the health beni's i didn't pay much attention to.

In conclusion I don't know of anyone who left on good terms nor anyone who would go back.

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=78761

Skrob · July 3rd, 2006, 01:35

hey thanks for the info, i am however a little confused about the part where you said you logged 200 hours but it wasnt worth anything unless you stick it out??? its still turbine-time and total time isnt it? and any reason other companies dont accept it? i only bring it up because i have sort of already committed to heading out there. i know it wont be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is, especially starting out in an aviation career. i am hoping very much for an enjoyable experience, or at the very least, a valuable learning experience. just out of curiosity, did you have to sign/break your contract???

DE727UPS · July 3rd, 2006, 04:27

"its still turbine-time and total time isnt it"

It would be single engine SIC turbine time, in a Caravan, and some interviewers will see Pacific Wings as a PFT, buy a job, sort of outfit. I mean, how great do you expect SIC time in a Caravan to look next to a guy who busted his butt as a CFI?

Some interviewers will laugh at anyone who has SIC Caravan time in their logbook, legal as it may be. I know I would....

Texasspilot · July 3rd, 2006, 10:55

Though it’s not a PFT or PFJ outfit the time is basically worthless outside of that company. The reason is no other company will really think you did any work in a single engine, fixed gear, slow as yugo airplane. You won't learn allot about flying IFR because it rarely is. What you will learn is how crappy aviation can really be and once you leave you will appreciate every decent job you have.

I saw some things while flying that can only be described as beautiful, however this company seriously made me absolutely miserable even in "paradise". In the time I was there I made it to the beach less than a handful of times came the closest to quitting aviation I ever have.

When I went there was a sixth month contract which I broke without a second thought. The DO and CP at the time said they couldn't blame me and wished me luck.

I don't know of any SIC's who have been allowed or been around long enough to upgrade.

As for the time its almost embarrasing to have in my logbook. I have the entries there but I don't count any of the time towards any sort of logbook time. I have worked really hard to redeem myself so that in my mind and my future interviewers can look past it.

Skrob · July 3rd, 2006, 13:27

well that certianly is discouraging, but once getting 1200 hours and a captain upgrade (i know you said itd be a while) ive gotta think it wouldnt be that bad. i cant see what the big deal with the time is, just as a CFI busts his butt at work i intend to also. a job is a job and time is time. im not paying for it. in all honesty i cant see why teaching rectangular course 4 times a day is any more valuable than flying passengers point to point over open ocean in a single engine caravan. i do know of a couple guys who went on to other airlines (companies) from pacific wings and they are the ones who convinced me to go out there. like i said i am already heading out there, and i really do hope im not making a huge mistake, but if it is ill be the first to let you know.

DE727UPS · July 3rd, 2006, 13:39

"a job is a job and time is time"

"i cant see why teaching rectangular course 4 times a day is any more valuable than flying passengers point to point over open ocean in a single engine caravan"

Man, you're talking about being a copilot in a single engine Cessna that is normally flown single pilot.

I could go on and on but it would be pointless...

"ill be the first to let you know"

Please do, either way it goes.

Skrob · July 3rd, 2006, 13:50

so any time in a plane that can be flown by a single pilot but is flown by 2 is worthless? what about other charters, corporate, small regionals?

Texasspilot · July 3rd, 2006, 14:04

all require two pilots. You need to understand the way a caravan is viewed by other pilots who will be interviewing/hiring you in the future.

Think about being a professional co-pilot on a 172 because thats what the job pretty much is. Does it have a pt6? yes...does anyone care? no.

Its a caravan, a single engine, non-complex, barely high performance airplane that you won't even be responsible for. Theres been more than one pilot from there who was laughed out of an interview for having the van sic time.

Is it legal to log..yes.
Is it respected time..no.
Will it be an experience you remember..yes
Will it help your career along...more than likely not.

Search flightinfo.com for pacific wings info and you'll see what people have to say about the company.

Skrob · July 3rd, 2006, 14:12

thanks for the info

eh... i think ill forgo the $10 membership fee and pass but thanks anyway

ihavewings · July 6th, 2006, 22:58

Skrob-The best to ya at Pac-Wings!!! Please keep us posted when you get over there as I'm very interested in moving to Hawaii. I want to fly for Island Air someday and I'm thinkin Pac-Wings will give me some good Hawaiian time.

Texasspilot · July 7th, 2006, 03:35

I forgot they had that stupid fee nowadays...ill post some clips for you tomorrow.

Texasspilot · July 7th, 2006, 07:02

heres what a few guys have said about the place in the lats couple of weeks.

I went out to interview with them last Sept. They are a small operation, only 5 A/C I think, and when I went to interview the starting pay was $8/hr or $8.50 for an FO. You will work as a baggage handler/customer service rep for the first 30 days and then they send you to school on the Caravan. You then fly approx. 40 to 60 hrs a month and on your days off you load bags and check the customers into the flight. Most pilots who I talked to worked a 2nd job just to make ends meet or still had their parents helping them out. $8.50 an hr out there would be roughly half that here in the states, depending on where you live. Moreover, if you plan to fly for them, if you don't stay on and get some PIC time then your time out there will be worthless. I talked to several Capt's who work for the majors and all of them told me that SIC time on a Caravan is a joke. Unless you are dead set on living on the island for a while or hoping to stay out there and make Capt (they do have a quick upgrade time) I would highly suggest looking elsewhere. Just my 2 cents but good luck either way....

--------------------
PW operates under the "Air Nevada" certificate. They have issues...

1) They lost their Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, and a few of their senior Captains when they had a "difference of opinion" with local law enforcement. Rumor was they were assaulted when they refuse to pay for additional security.

2) SIC time in a single pilot aircraft is worthless. If they don't have an SIC training program, you are just window dressing, or a bag thrower. You can't even swing the gear in a fixed gear aircraft. The only way it's worth anything is if puts you in line to upgrade, and then it's only worth something at PW, nowhere else.

3) Listen to the people that are telling you how expensive it is to live in Hawaii. I did it for a year. After the year, my wife and I were $20,000 in debt, and we rented a room with no kitchen. I was working on the mainland, my wife was flying in Hawaii, making around the level of a Captain at PW.

Working (more than) full time for PW could make you bankrupt, the locals aren't happy about you being there, since that job should be theirs (in their opinion), and most mainlanders can only handle living on an island for a few weeks, a condition called "Island Fever".

It is a beautiful place, and the flying is exquisite, but there are substantial costs that you probably won't encounter on the mainland.

By the way, every time I wrote PacificWings with a space between the words, it was reduced to PW by this website. I don't know why, but it is curious...
-------------------------------------------
Worked there for 5 months as a captain. The worst possible place you can possibly work at. Never had the slightest problem working at any place exept there. The management is the scum of the planet. Will try to make you fly to VFR only airports in IMC, they try to get you change your fuel numbers so you're not "overloaded," Try to keep you flying till the end of the day with binding ailerons, etc... Chief pilot flies at 500 feet in the clouds beside a cliff. The whole operation is really wreckless and just a matter of time till something really bad happens. The FSDO has their eye on them and I wouldn't risk your license working there. On top of that, when you quit they try to say you were fired. If they weren't so popular with everyone, that could cost you a job later. Thankfully most companys know what a load of crap that whole place is. One good thing is that working anywhere afterwards will be like heaven.

Pay is really bad for living on Maui. Maui is nice though if you like the outdoors. A lot of fun stuff to do, but I wouldn't do it again.

And if you're going in as an FO then forget it all together. 1 person a year ends up making it to captain. The rest throw bags for minimum wage. And like said above SE SIC time in a caravan is pretty worthless.
-----------------------------------------

falconvalley · July 7th, 2006, 10:53

I think the biggest problem with 135 SIC time in single pilot aircraft is how we intend to use the time. It's time that can be logged, but not good experience. I never hear anyone say that they intend to impress anyone with that time. Yet, everyone debates about what it can be used for.

Take interviews for example. Most of us already know that if the hiring officials know where you got that time, they aren't going to take it as serious as PIC time. Of course, some companies won't even consider it as anything. But if it came from an FAA sanctioned program, keep a record of it, especially if you used the time on an 8710.

You can log any flight time you want. Anything. Whether or not you can use flight time that you've logged depends on what you want to use it for and how you got it.

Skrob · August 17th, 2006, 05:29

I REALLY do appreciate the feedback... i should have been keeping tabs on this thread but i have been pretty busy lately and now i find myself the night before i start work at pacific wings with alot of questions and many many 'mixed' stories. i hope it goes well, regardless i just wanted to say thanks to those who posted earlier...

* I just want to add the interview was pretty easy and laid back, there was a 20 question written (Gleim) test, a one on one HR question part, a technical question part and the sim check *

Stone Cold · August 17th, 2006, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skrob

I REALLY do appreciate the feedback... i should have been keeping tabs on this thread but i have been pretty busy lately and now i find myself the night before i start work at pacific wings with alot of questions and many many 'mixed' stories. i hope it goes well, regardless i just wanted to say thanks to those who posted earlier...

* I just want to add the interview was pretty easy and laid back, there was a 20 question written (Gleim) test, a one on one HR question part, a technical question part and the sim check *

Give us some more details of what you meant...mixed stories?!?! I wish you the best out there, get the experience you feel you need and get out of the money pit I can see this being.

You must now give details on how it is, since you wanted the in-person experience and didn't believe us that haven't been there, but know the reputation. Let us know where we were right and wrong.

Skrob · August 22nd, 2006, 19:45

well ive got one week done. honestly i am more optimistic about it than i was initially. everyone out there for the most part is pretty cool. all the pilots are really nice people and easy to work with. ive got 3 more weeks of customer service until i can start ground training. i am really looking forward to flying the caravans, they seem like nice planes and the routes are pretty cool.

it is expensive out here, gas is 3.60 a gallon right now on maui, my apartment is 1200 a month for a 2 bedroom in Kihei but its split 3 ways so its not bad plus its a really nice place just down the road from the beach. i think only one guy has actually completed the year contract so i dont think they enforce it very strictly. the 'mixed stories' i was referring to concerned some of the shady reasons for people getting fired, honestly i am nervous about posting too much of it here because i dont want to loose my job.

i never thought you guys were wrong or that i didnt believe you, i was just unsure of what you were talking about. it is only 8 bucks an hour for SICs so that really sucks but honestly most people arnt here too long so its nothing to get too worked up about i guess, it will be tough with aviation loans so hopefully you save some up before coming out here. you can buy a "maui cruiser" which is a cheap car for around $1000, mine was 900 and needed a little work but seems to run fine. like i said though the pilots out here are really cool and other than the flight time you build and the relativley unique experience of living in hawaii, one of the greatest things you can get out of any aviation job is networking, so hopefully that will benefit me as well.

Texasspilot · August 22nd, 2006, 23:13

If theres a guy named maury(black captain) tell him he still owes me 700 bucks for the car he bought from me.

July 1st, 2006, 19:53	#1
ihavewings Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 18	Pacific Wings Info: Im a low time pilot and wondering if anyone's got info on Pacific Wings in hawaii, good? bad? I appreciate any feed back. Thanks -Jimbob

July 2nd, 2006, 07:08	#3
Stone Cold Old Skool Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: SE US Posts: 2,942	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Do a search, it's been discussed here in detail. I believe it is $8/hour as a ramp rat or CSA, and then fly during your down time type thing. As said above, don't put yourself in even more of a hole after the expense of flight training by living in Hawaii $$$$$. It's not worth it, unless you have a free place to live, and even then it's not very good.

July 2nd, 2006, 13:38	#4
meritflyer Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Winchestertonfieldville Posts: 6,245	Re: Pacific Wings Info: It sucks. __________________ The simplest answer tends to be correct.

July 2nd, 2006, 14:39	#6
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Anyone here who posted actually have any experience with pac wings???

July 2nd, 2006, 17:53	#7
ihavewings Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 18	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Thanks for the feedback on pac.wings. I'm soon to get out of FlightSafety and just looking for options.

July 2nd, 2006, 19:28	#8
TFaudree_ERAU Old Skool Join Date: May 2006 Location: Virginia is for Lovers, yacht chasing on the weekends Posts: 1,774	Re: Pacific Wings Info: I was browsing the college online networking website (facebook.com for those that are informed). About 5 people that I knew from ERAU are working there. I'll have to get the scoop from them and find out how crappy it really is.

July 2nd, 2006, 22:39	#9
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Yah...I actually worked there. I had been CFI'ing for a little over a year and reached a point where I couldn't afford to live and I was ready to move out of my college town and try something different. I got a buddy pass flew out and was offered a job...another guy I was cfi'ing with was offered a job as well so we both went. When I first got there the D.O. pretty much ran the place and it was great. The SIC's were treated like future employees and the atmosphere was laid back and fun. About two months after that the owners decided they wanted to try and start running the company which they sucked at. All of a sudden people were doing 14 hour days 6 days a week. Average length of employment dropped to around 4 months. You wen't from being viewed as a future captain for the airline to the managements gophers. You worked 8 or 10 hours a day then flew when you could to build your caravan SIC time. The flying schedule was usually made about 4 in the morning so every pilot had to wake up at 4am and call in to see when they had to show. I was there for about 4 months and put around 200 hours in my logbook which I have subsequently deleted from my Total time. The time would be accepted by pac wings however noone else would really recognize it and so if you don't stick it out in order to build to 135 mins or even if you do stick it out on the slim chance you are offered a job there you probably wouldn't want to stay anyhow. I don't know of any of the SIC's who ended up upgrading, pretty much all the other airlines on the islands hate PW because of how ####ty the management treats the customers/employees/and other airlines employees. The old DO got fired for some pretty shady reasons and its gotten worse since then. From what I hear you have to work the desk for a month or so before you can start training then the flying is scheduled for when you don't have to work the desk. I've heard the SICs are getting around 600hrs a year. Having said that the flying was fun and the other pilots, for the most part, were great. There are better small operators on the islands to work for. Pay was 8 bucks an hour for the SICs and that was only when you were scheduled to work the desk, you didn't get paid to fly because they really didn't need you there. Captains pay was 2250 a month. As for living I had a nice 2 bedroom apt for 1200 a month that I split. Electric is cheap because you don't really need the ac or heater and you won't be there enough to watch tv or use the lights. Food is allot more expensive...tuna is around 80cents a can if that gives you any idea. Costco is the cheapest place to eat. You do get health benifits and flight benifits however you won't have time to use the flight benifits and the health beni's i didn't pay much attention to. In conclusion I don't know of anyone who left on good terms nor anyone who would go back. http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=78761

July 3rd, 2006, 01:35	#10
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: hey thanks for the info, i am however a little confused about the part where you said you logged 200 hours but it wasnt worth anything unless you stick it out??? its still turbine-time and total time isnt it? and any reason other companies dont accept it? i only bring it up because i have sort of already committed to heading out there. i know it wont be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is, especially starting out in an aviation career. i am hoping very much for an enjoyable experience, or at the very least, a valuable learning experience. just out of curiosity, did you have to sign/break your contract???

July 3rd, 2006, 04:27	#11
DE727UPS Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 6,482	Re: Pacific Wings Info: "its still turbine-time and total time isnt it" It would be single engine SIC turbine time, in a Caravan, and some interviewers will see Pacific Wings as a PFT, buy a job, sort of outfit. I mean, how great do you expect SIC time in a Caravan to look next to a guy who busted his butt as a CFI? Some interviewers will laugh at anyone who has SIC Caravan time in their logbook, legal as it may be. I know I would....

July 3rd, 2006, 10:55	#12
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Though it’s not a PFT or PFJ outfit the time is basically worthless outside of that company. The reason is no other company will really think you did any work in a single engine, fixed gear, slow as yugo airplane. You won't learn allot about flying IFR because it rarely is. What you will learn is how crappy aviation can really be and once you leave you will appreciate every decent job you have. I saw some things while flying that can only be described as beautiful, however this company seriously made me absolutely miserable even in "paradise". In the time I was there I made it to the beach less than a handful of times came the closest to quitting aviation I ever have. When I went there was a sixth month contract which I broke without a second thought. The DO and CP at the time said they couldn't blame me and wished me luck. I don't know of any SIC's who have been allowed or been around long enough to upgrade. As for the time its almost embarrasing to have in my logbook. I have the entries there but I don't count any of the time towards any sort of logbook time. I have worked really hard to redeem myself so that in my mind and my future interviewers can look past it.

July 3rd, 2006, 13:27	#13
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: well that certianly is discouraging, but once getting 1200 hours and a captain upgrade (i know you said itd be a while) ive gotta think it wouldnt be that bad. i cant see what the big deal with the time is, just as a CFI busts his butt at work i intend to also. a job is a job and time is time. im not paying for it. in all honesty i cant see why teaching rectangular course 4 times a day is any more valuable than flying passengers point to point over open ocean in a single engine caravan. i do know of a couple guys who went on to other airlines (companies) from pacific wings and they are the ones who convinced me to go out there. like i said i am already heading out there, and i really do hope im not making a huge mistake, but if it is ill be the first to let you know.

July 3rd, 2006, 13:39	#14
DE727UPS Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 6,482	Re: Pacific Wings Info: "a job is a job and time is time" "i cant see why teaching rectangular course 4 times a day is any more valuable than flying passengers point to point over open ocean in a single engine caravan" Man, you're talking about being a copilot in a single engine Cessna that is normally flown single pilot. I could go on and on but it would be pointless... "ill be the first to let you know" Please do, either way it goes.

July 3rd, 2006, 13:50	#15
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: so any time in a plane that can be flown by a single pilot but is flown by 2 is worthless? what about other charters, corporate, small regionals?

July 3rd, 2006, 14:04	#16
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: all require two pilots. You need to understand the way a caravan is viewed by other pilots who will be interviewing/hiring you in the future. Think about being a professional co-pilot on a 172 because thats what the job pretty much is. Does it have a pt6? yes...does anyone care? no. Its a caravan, a single engine, non-complex, barely high performance airplane that you won't even be responsible for. Theres been more than one pilot from there who was laughed out of an interview for having the van sic time. Is it legal to log..yes. Is it respected time..no. Will it be an experience you remember..yes Will it help your career along...more than likely not. Search flightinfo.com for pacific wings info and you'll see what people have to say about the company.

July 3rd, 2006, 14:12	#17
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: thanks for the info eh... i think ill forgo the $10 membership fee and pass but thanks anyway

July 6th, 2006, 22:58	#18
ihavewings Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 18	Re: Pacific Wings Info: Skrob-The best to ya at Pac-Wings!!! Please keep us posted when you get over there as I'm very interested in moving to Hawaii. I want to fly for Island Air someday and I'm thinkin Pac-Wings will give me some good Hawaiian time.

July 7th, 2006, 03:35	#19
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: I forgot they had that stupid fee nowadays...ill post some clips for you tomorrow.

July 7th, 2006, 07:02	#20
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: heres what a few guys have said about the place in the lats couple of weeks. I went out to interview with them last Sept. They are a small operation, only 5 A/C I think, and when I went to interview the starting pay was $8/hr or $8.50 for an FO. You will work as a baggage handler/customer service rep for the first 30 days and then they send you to school on the Caravan. You then fly approx. 40 to 60 hrs a month and on your days off you load bags and check the customers into the flight. Most pilots who I talked to worked a 2nd job just to make ends meet or still had their parents helping them out. $8.50 an hr out there would be roughly half that here in the states, depending on where you live. Moreover, if you plan to fly for them, if you don't stay on and get some PIC time then your time out there will be worthless. I talked to several Capt's who work for the majors and all of them told me that SIC time on a Caravan is a joke. Unless you are dead set on living on the island for a while or hoping to stay out there and make Capt (they do have a quick upgrade time) I would highly suggest looking elsewhere. Just my 2 cents but good luck either way.... -------------------- PW operates under the "Air Nevada" certificate. They have issues... 1) They lost their Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, and a few of their senior Captains when they had a "difference of opinion" with local law enforcement. Rumor was they were assaulted when they refuse to pay for additional security. 2) SIC time in a single pilot aircraft is worthless. If they don't have an SIC training program, you are just window dressing, or a bag thrower. You can't even swing the gear in a fixed gear aircraft. The only way it's worth anything is if puts you in line to upgrade, and then it's only worth something at PW, nowhere else. 3) Listen to the people that are telling you how expensive it is to live in Hawaii. I did it for a year. After the year, my wife and I were $20,000 in debt, and we rented a room with no kitchen. I was working on the mainland, my wife was flying in Hawaii, making around the level of a Captain at PW. Working (more than) full time for PW could make you bankrupt, the locals aren't happy about you being there, since that job should be theirs (in their opinion), and most mainlanders can only handle living on an island for a few weeks, a condition called "Island Fever". It is a beautiful place, and the flying is exquisite, but there are substantial costs that you probably won't encounter on the mainland. By the way, every time I wrote PacificWings with a space between the words, it was reduced to PW by this website. I don't know why, but it is curious... ------------------------------------------- Worked there for 5 months as a captain. The worst possible place you can possibly work at. Never had the slightest problem working at any place exept there. The management is the scum of the planet. Will try to make you fly to VFR only airports in IMC, they try to get you change your fuel numbers so you're not "overloaded," Try to keep you flying till the end of the day with binding ailerons, etc... Chief pilot flies at 500 feet in the clouds beside a cliff. The whole operation is really wreckless and just a matter of time till something really bad happens. The FSDO has their eye on them and I wouldn't risk your license working there. On top of that, when you quit they try to say you were fired. If they weren't so popular with everyone, that could cost you a job later. Thankfully most companys know what a load of crap that whole place is. One good thing is that working anywhere afterwards will be like heaven. Pay is really bad for living on Maui. Maui is nice though if you like the outdoors. A lot of fun stuff to do, but I wouldn't do it again. And if you're going in as an FO then forget it all together. 1 person a year ends up making it to captain. The rest throw bags for minimum wage. And like said above SE SIC time in a caravan is pretty worthless. -----------------------------------------

July 7th, 2006, 10:53	#21
falconvalley Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: KMKE Posts: 1,924	Re: Pacific Wings Info: I think the biggest problem with 135 SIC time in single pilot aircraft is how we intend to use the time. It's time that can be logged, but not good experience. I never hear anyone say that they intend to impress anyone with that time. Yet, everyone debates about what it can be used for. Take interviews for example. Most of us already know that if the hiring officials know where you got that time, they aren't going to take it as serious as PIC time. Of course, some companies won't even consider it as anything. But if it came from an FAA sanctioned program, keep a record of it, especially if you used the time on an 8710. You can log any flight time you want. Anything. Whether or not you can use flight time that you've logged depends on what you want to use it for and how you got it. __________________ British Airways flight asks for push back clearance from terminal. Control Tower replies: "And where is the world's most experienced airline going today without filing a flight plan?"

August 17th, 2006, 05:29	#22
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: I REALLY do appreciate the feedback... i should have been keeping tabs on this thread but i have been pretty busy lately and now i find myself the night before i start work at pacific wings with alot of questions and many many 'mixed' stories. i hope it goes well, regardless i just wanted to say thanks to those who posted earlier... * I just want to add the interview was pretty easy and laid back, there was a 20 question written (Gleim) test, a one on one HR question part, a technical question part and the sim check * Last edited by Skrob; August 17th, 2006 at 05:31. Reason: update

August 22nd, 2006, 19:45	#24
Skrob Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 43	Re: Pacific Wings Info: well ive got one week done. honestly i am more optimistic about it than i was initially. everyone out there for the most part is pretty cool. all the pilots are really nice people and easy to work with. ive got 3 more weeks of customer service until i can start ground training. i am really looking forward to flying the caravans, they seem like nice planes and the routes are pretty cool. it is expensive out here, gas is 3.60 a gallon right now on maui, my apartment is 1200 a month for a 2 bedroom in Kihei but its split 3 ways so its not bad plus its a really nice place just down the road from the beach. i think only one guy has actually completed the year contract so i dont think they enforce it very strictly. the 'mixed stories' i was referring to concerned some of the shady reasons for people getting fired, honestly i am nervous about posting too much of it here because i dont want to loose my job. i never thought you guys were wrong or that i didnt believe you, i was just unsure of what you were talking about. it is only 8 bucks an hour for SICs so that really sucks but honestly most people arnt here too long so its nothing to get too worked up about i guess, it will be tough with aviation loans so hopefully you save some up before coming out here. you can buy a "maui cruiser" which is a cheap car for around $1000, mine was 900 and needed a little work but seems to run fine. like i said though the pilots out here are really cool and other than the flight time you build and the relativley unique experience of living in hawaii, one of the greatest things you can get out of any aviation job is networking, so hopefully that will benefit me as well.

August 22nd, 2006, 23:13	#25
Texasspilot Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,066	Re: Pacific Wings Info: If theres a guy named maury(black captain) tell him he still owes me 700 bucks for the car he bought from me.

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