Any Caribbean Pilots????

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 14:30

So I am sitting here bored about to go to the gym and tear some of my muscle fibers and I think about this question. I don't really notice any pilots that currently fly for any regionals or Majors like Caribbean Airlines or Air Jamaica

so I want to see if there are any of you out there. Also what is it like flying down there. I PLAN in the future to fly for a Major like Air Jamaica (CARICOM citizen), and maybe a regional one day like Caribbean Star. Who knows? but anyway Please reply if you are outlook and give me your perspective/life as of now.

Thanks!

Matthew

Carnival_Pilot · March 22nd, 2008, 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

So I am sitting here bored about to go to the gym and tear some of my muscle fibers and I think about this question. I don't really notice any pilots that currently fly for any regionals or Majors like Caribbean Airlines or Air Jamaica

so I want to see if there are any of you out there. Also what is it like flying down there. I PLAN in the future to fly for a Major like Air Jamaica (CARICOM citizen), and maybe a regional one day like Caribbean Star. Who knows? but anyway Please reply if you are outlook and give me your perspective/life as of now.

Thanks!

Matthew

I have a few buddies of mine flying for Caribbean Sun, Sky King and Lait. But are not really on aviation forums like this one, so there hard to come by. but from what i have heard...the Caribbean airlines actually pay better for First year FO's and the flying is pretty awesome (so ive heard)

Soul Brotha' · March 22nd, 2008, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

So I am sitting here bored about to go to the gym and tear some of my muscle fibers and I think about this question. I don't really notice any pilots that currently fly for any regionals or Majors like Caribbean Airlines or Air Jamaica

so I want to see if there are any of you out there. Also what is it like flying down there. I PLAN in the future to fly for a Major like Air Jamaica (CARICOM citizen), and maybe a regional one day like Caribbean Star. Who knows? but anyway Please reply if you are outlook and give me your perspective/life as of now.

Thanks!

Matthew

Matt, you from Yawd? I was born there, but moved when I was very young.

Kristie · March 22nd, 2008, 17:27

if you're bored... start reading your FARs, you need to know those forward and backwards!

Cool2Fly · March 22nd, 2008, 17:59

Well unfortunately no one is "flying" for Caribbean Star/Sun these days because the company has been closed coming up on a year now. Places like Liat and AirJam are highly subsidized by the govt's and hemmorage money like its going out of style so their futures aren't too bright either.

That being said, life in the West Indies flying turbo-props around all day was sweet. You get all the hand flying you could want and the short sectors keep the day going by fast.

My advice(and probobly all of my friends stuck at LIAT or flying in Darfur after Caribbean Star closed down) would be to stick around US companies that operate down there.

I'm now currently at Spirit who just announced Port of Spain this summer so I will be visiting my old haunts once again...
later..

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Brotha'

Matt, you from Yawd? I was born there, but moved when I was very young.

yeah mon

, me come from May Pen, but me have a house at Mandeville

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristie

if you're bored... start reading your FARs, you need to know those forward and backwards!

Don't have that book

btw what US regionals/freights regularly go to the Caribbean besides the bahamas?

and yeah Air J is not in the best situation right now

, saddest thing is the A340's goin to Turkish next week

bok269 · March 22nd, 2008, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

btw what US regionals/freights regularly go to the Caribbean besides the bahamas?
\

American Eagle has a SJU base for the ATRs. Additionally there are a number of Part 135 operators flying turboprobs (Beech 1900s and the like) around down there.

MikeOH58 · March 22nd, 2008, 18:34

Cape Air and Winair.

scflyin · March 22nd, 2008, 18:44

Tradewind aviation flies C-208's out of San Juan in the winter. They are based out of CT in the summer.

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 18:56

Any Cargo? I think (bound to change any minute) that I would love to go to a cargo operator first for some hardcore steam gauge, cargo flying. I hear you come out with a lot of experience and as a pilot you can never have enough of that

KLB · March 22nd, 2008, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

Any Cargo? I think (bound to change any minute) that I would love to go to a cargo operator first for some hardcore steam gauge, cargo flying. I hear you come out with a lot of experience and as a pilot you can never have enough of that

Ameriflight flies out of SJU to many of the islands and places throughout Central America and South America....mostly Central America.

MikeOH58 · March 22nd, 2008, 20:53

Does Ameriflight hire directly into SJU?

KLB · March 22nd, 2008, 21:02

It depends on how much turbine time you have. I hear they usually steal highly qualified pilots from other crappy companies that already live there. We've picked up a few runs there as of late and there will probably be more to come.

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 21:31

Any info about IBC? I hear they are based in Miami and preety much go to Jamaica and many other Caribbean islands every day

N8081G · March 22nd, 2008, 22:52

The caribbean boys for some reason thinks that us FAA guys are soft. I hate their mentality. All they do is whine like a little baby about how tough it is over there.

lostplanetairman · March 22nd, 2008, 23:06

Hola, trabajo en San Juan, pero vivo en Pennsylvania!

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 23:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by N8081G

The caribbean boys for some reason thinks that us FAA guys are soft. I hate their mentality. All they do is whine like a little baby about how tough it is over there.

which caribbean boys?

N8081G · March 22nd, 2008, 23:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

which caribbean boys?

There is a friend of mine in Grenada who often complains that the pilots in the USA has it much easier than them, so therefore they are "better pilots" since they learn stuff the hard way.

JA Yawd Bwoy · March 22nd, 2008, 23:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by N8081G

There is a friend of mine in Grenada who often complains that the pilots in the USA has it much easier than them, so therefore they are "better pilots" since they learn stuff the hard way.

complete BS, I think the only pilots now that have it easy are the one's that are flying in Asia, I mean come on, you got guys under 30 flying a 747 as a Captain and someone that same age is either stuck at a regional or just starting out at a airline on a 737/A320/MD80 if they are lucky. Also from what I have heard some Caribbean pilots are paid more than the U.S. pilots so something is wrong there

N8081G · March 22nd, 2008, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA Yawd Bwoy

complete BS, I think the only pilots now that have it easy are the one's that are flying in Asia, I mean come on, you got guys under 30 flying a 747 as a Captain and someone that same age is either stuck at a regional or just starting out at a airline on a 737/A320/MD80 if they are lucky. Also from what I have heard some Caribbean pilots are paid more than the U.S. pilots so something is wrong there

Tell me about it. The guys who flies Singapore cargo hasn't reached puberty yet!

belliott · March 23rd, 2008, 05:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostplanetairman

Hola, trabajo en San Juan, pero vivo en Pennsylvania!

Que paso! Lomisoso para mea pero en Borinquen.... Puerto Rico es muy beuno no?

Nismaxdan · March 23rd, 2008, 07:37

Liat would be your best bet. Though there are many nay sayers CARICOM owners will not allow it to do under. Don't forget Liat gobbled up Caribbean Star when they went belly up. Oops I mean they merged with Caribbean Star.

Cool2Fly · March 23rd, 2008, 10:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nismaxdan

Liat would be your best bet. Though there are many nay sayers CARICOM owners will not allow it to do under. Don't forget Liat gobbled up Caribbean Star when they went belly up. Oops I mean they merged with Caribbean Star.

Very true, Caribbean ppl defintely support thier own with millions of tax dollars going down the drain. I find your statement ironic about LIAT never going under when all you have to do is look at your avatar. Can we say, BeeWee? Last I heard Caribbean Airlines is in the red $7 million US a month.

The written tests are harder than FAA tests. There are now Gleim answer banks to memorize. I took my ATP written here in an a day without cracking a book till that morning and to me that is kind of a flawed system. To give you an example, one of the main subjects is AC/DC electrics, I bet there are a lot of ppl out there that can't explain the difference.

Carnival_Pilot · March 23rd, 2008, 10:27

In fact i think (not totally sure) for US pilot we have to get some kind of JAA/Caricom convergence if you are not a citzen of a Caricom country. But in all cases we still have Eagle out of SJU, they fly to plenty of islands in the carib.

Nismaxdan · March 23rd, 2008, 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cool2Fly

Very true, Caribbean ppl defintely support thier own with millions of tax dollars going down the drain. I find your statement ironic about LIAT never going under when all you have to do is look at your avatar. Can we say, BeeWee? Last I heard Caribbean Airlines is in the red $7 million US a month.

Liat will not go under simply because of the reason you stated above. Millions of tax dollars form varying Caribbean countries to keep it a float. Yes BeeWee is also a good example of this. If it wasn't owned by a government (T&T) I would not have that picture in my avatar. Over the years Liat has had many near misses. When it seemed that their doors was going to close for good in came CARICOM to the rescue.

Knowing Caribbean people as stubborn, arrogant, and proud, as we are. Do you really think they would admit they were wrong about Liat.

Look at what the T&T government did with BWIA. Instead of admitting defeat they decided to dissolve the company and then started another one on the same flawed business plan. Except this time they are using investor money.