I find myself at a cross roads in my aviation career.   There are a lot of options out there, but I have no idea where to go.   I wish I had a mentor or someone who has been around and could give me some solid advice.

So, have any of you had a mentor to keep your career moving in the right direction?  How did that relationship happen?  What pitfalls have they steered you away from?

My particular situation is this:  I have been flying for one company in Alaska for almost 10 years.  I'm stationed at what is concidered the best base in the company, flying our best pane (KingAir200) and make good pay and have a great schedule.  There is nowhere farther up to go here.  Down side is the company is financially unstabe, benefits are very poor, and I keep hurting my back because I'm still humping cargo.    

My wife lives in Thailand.  My schedule is month on-month off.   Which gives me enough time at home to keep her happy.  I'm not willing to go to a regional and ruin my home life.  I'd move full time to Thailand if i could.  But I have yet to find any work there that doesn't require being already typed in something.

My qualifations are good but not excellent.  More than 8k PIC, no accident, and would get excellent recomendations.   But its all Part 135, No 121 experience, No jet time, No Type Ratings, and no Multi Crew experience.

What should I do?  If you guys who have been there and done that have any ideas I'm listening.

Ben

Damn Ben, life moves fast.

King Airs, married, wow.

Hope things are going well for you and your family.

Btw, how many hours now?

Txl

Life never moves slow, does it.  I miss Texas sometimes.  And I miss flying skydivers sometimes too. It's crazy, I know.

Over 8000 PIC
4000 Muiti
2000 single Turbo Prop, mostly Caravan
1000 Twin TurboProp,  Twin Otter and KingAir

Ben

Sadly, jet time is where it is at.  I see ads for lear air ambulance drivers in AK quite often.  You would more than meet FO qualifications and would more than likely be ready for left seat soon.  The month on, month off would be very hard to find elsewhere.  I have a mentor (I guess I would call him that) who was my DO for many years.  I came to trust him, his knowledge, and his honesty.

This, you're stuck in a turboprop trap. Once you get a type in something marketable your ability to move into other equipment greatly increases. I would decide first what your career goals are, long term. If it's the airlines you may have to swallow the regional "pill" or move overseas and find a Boeing/ Airbus right seat to occupy for a while. Corporate is a whole different deal involving connections and luck which describes my career after leaving SkyWest.

I would honestly try and get on with a regional for a year and get the jet type. With all of your TPIC just 500 hrs in jets will open a lot of doors.  You will take a pay cut be home less but it should pay off in the long run.

My mentor was killed in a crash in 09 and I've been flying by brail through my career.

Funny you mentioned that.  I applied and had an interview with Lynden a couple months ago.  I was not selected.  The CP told me after that I interviewed well and should apply again in the future.

Do you have or have you had a TS or secret clearance?

If so, there are available options right now. 60 on 60 off. Live anywhere pretty much. Competitive pay.

Holler at me if so.

QFT.  My mentor was a retired airline captain, gave me good advice early in my commercial aviation career, and that was not to get 'stuck' in turboprops.  He was right.
Pilots who get into King Airs and stay there find themselves stuck there, because there are a lot of King Airs out there, and always a demand for pilots.

Once you're flying one all the time, it's hard to move into jets.


I took his advice because I respected him, and while I flew 182's and cargo and turboprops, I was always looking for jet time.  As soon a I had an opportunity to start getting legit FO time in a jet (I say legit, because too many brand new pilots log time as a seat filler in a single-pilot jet where they aren't required, and then get laughed at when they go to a job interview with 200 hours of fake time in their logbook) I took it.  Flew 135 ops in the right seat of Citations for a while and then got a PIC type rating.  From there, you have a marketable resume that other operators can look at.


My advice is this:  Get on with 135 operator flying Lears like Chad said, or something where you're in the right seat.  With your total time, which is great, you'll move into the left seat pronto.  Once you've got 500-1000 hours of jet time and a PIC type rating, you'll be set to go pretty much anywhere.  

I would like to add that air ambulance is one of the quickest ways to build jet time now that check relay is gone.

Thanks everybody.  

Jet time is where it's at. I know it.  Thing is, I really like flying the KingAir 200.  If I could find a job flying one in Thailand I'd be really happy.

Have you looked into the company Wheels up? They fly the king air 350.

  I know a pilot who started flying in the 50's, and never flew anything turboprop.  He's flown everything with a piston engine you can imagine, from radial-engine airliners to Beech 18's.  Probably has 10,000 hours of just Baron time.
Worked for dozens of corporate outfits through the decades.  Now he's probably 70 years old, flying a Duke and a Cessna 404, and drives a car that's as old as I am.  He never was able to break out of piston aircraft, and find a job with stability or retirement.


My point is, his situation was what I always want to avoid.  I don't want to put off thinking about my future until I'm ready to retire but can't afford to, because I lacked foresight.


Your situation might be different.  There's nothing wrong with a King Air, especially the bigger ones.  If that's what you enjoy doing, and it pays the bills plus a little bit, great!
But make sure you're thinking about the future.  Will you still want to be flying a King Air in 20 years, making about the same money, getting beat up by weather you can't get above and throwing luggage up those stairs?
If the answer is no, then why not start working now towards something you will be happy in 20 years down the road?


Seriously not knocking King Airs.  The 350 is a fun machine for sure.  Just hoping you're thinking about the future so you don't end up feeling trapped like my friend.


ETA:


I don't know anybody at WheelsUp, but I see their airplanes all the time.  They look really clean and well-kept up, and they also fly the XLS, so there's the possibility of an upgrade path.

Update:

I have a class date at a 121 cargo airline.

Is that where you want to stay?  Will it get you close to or at least have time off to get to Thailand often?

That's good. I used to be based in Nome doing pretty much the same stuff you were just doing. A coworker of mine left Nome to fly for Southern Air. Went from a Beech 99 to right seat on a 747 classic to captain on the 777 all in just a few years. Now he's at Alaska. The cargo carriers can be a nice way to get the resume rounded out while skipping the regionals.

Were you flying for Bering Air?

Congrats.   You are doing the right thing.    

How were you able to fly to Thailand every other month?    

Thanks everybody.  I'm pretty excited.  Also nervous. Also going to miss flying the bush.



I think I will like it there.  But, its hard to know.   It is shift work, 15 on 15 off.  And they will buy me a ticket home.  They have some planes in the middle east and SE Asia.  So eventually I should be closer to home.




I might stay with this company a long time. Who knows.  But I know the experience will open many doors in the future.

Not Bering Air, I have never been to Kotz.  I was mostly in Bethel.  My soon to be ex-employer is the largest all 135, all Alaska airline in the state.




Shift work.  Month on-month off, right now.   That and Jump Seat privileges with enough major airlines to get to Bangkok.

You're in CASS?  Cool.
What airlines have reciprical jumpseat with your company?      Is it just one per flight or can you fill any empty seats?