I had some friends who came to Cape Air and every single one of them told me that their time at Cape Air was probably the best thing they have ever done in their career in aviation.  And they have all told me that if they could come back to Cape Air at some time in the future, maybe when they retire from their major airline positions, they would love to come back! 

First Officer

I grew up here in this area, and I always knew about Cape Air.  And it is like an ‘old school’ operation left over from the days when aviation was a little bit more one on one.  The fact that upper management folks were in here today to greet us and talking to us new recruits on our first day of training, that is really special.  And I really like hearing on the first day the number of times the idea of safety is being talked about by so many of the people who we’ve been meeting here.  I consider that to be key and we are hearing that it is the factor underlying all decisions at Cape Air.  As a pilot that is great to hear about the culture.  And I also liked hearing the leaders tell us about your seaplane operations plan, Boston Harbor, the Hudson River and all.  That’s a really aggressive project to take on and it tells me that Cape Air is not sitting on its laurels running through its status quo.  Also, hearing about the new aircraft, the Tecnam that you have coming on line…that’s something where, as pilots coming into this company it is a very exciting thing for us to be a part of it---to be involved on the introduction of a completely new aircraft type!  And whether people in this class eventually move on to a major or not it is an exciting event to be a part of.  We are coming in when there are a lot of changes coming down the road and it is an exciting time to be at this company and participate in exciting times.  The company is making inroads into big exciting things. 

Captain

My experience at Cape Air has strengthened my character and my skills as a pilot through a well-rounded, hands-on environment.

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Working at Cape Air is unique. Our flying differs from a typical airline environment in that we fly single pilot IFR, file our own flight plans, and get a very well-rounded experience. As a First Officer at Cape Air, I have so far been able to build a solid foundation for my career and apply myself in all aspects of my training. The type of flying here is very hands-on, which is exactly the type of flying I was hoping for. I am excited to soon reach my next milestone: captain upgrade!

First Officer

I felt strongly that this company. Cape Air was special and has something different that would help me fit in.  I live in Puerto Rico, and I saw very clearly how American Airlines and especially American Eagle, kind of retreated.  And airlines such as Cape Air came in and began to do a lot of the work that those operators abandoned. And Cape Air did it in a way that was different.  It was more a smaller operation that had a different, a more family-like approach.  It really felt different, special, people oriented.  And when I heard of the opportunity, I decided that I wanted to pursue it, to be a part of this smaller airline.  I know the area a little bit.  I went to school in Boston for four years.  I came down to Cape Cod as a tourist one time before, and I really appreciate what you guys are doing here.

Captain

I am from northwest Montana, and I am really excited about working here, and getting to fly IFR, and seeing all of these cool new places around New England.  Flying to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard low over the water.  Wow!   I’ve never even been on the East Coast before!  It’s really cool.

First Officer

I am very excited about all the skills I am going to learn here at Cape Air and I know that I am going to meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends here who share this passion of mine. There is something especially neat about flying these smaller planes and being so close to the passengers. My instructor for my private certificate flew for Cape Air as an intern and he said to me:  “That was the best thing I ever did, and if I could have stayed on, I would have.” 

First Officer

I always wanted to fly.  I was a Flight Attendant for 19 years, and, early in those years, I earned my Commercial, Multi, and Instrument ratings.  In the wake of 9/11, I let go of my dream of flying.   In 2011, I decided to give it another try.  I got current and pieced together flight time for the next 4 years.   

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When Cape Air offered me the opportunity to work for them as a First Officer and to eventually become a Captain, I felt that my dream was finally becoming a reality. Working for Cape Air has given me experience and confidence - things that you cannot buy.   Cape is a wonderful company and I am proud and honored to be part of the family.  

Captain

Learning to fly a Cessna 402, or the Islander for that matter is not the big thing.  You can train me, and you can even tell me what decisions should be made, but unless you can actually give me the experience of being out there, making PIC and Captain decisions daily, I do not grow as a pilot. A person really can’t know what they would do in a situation unless given the responsibility to make that decision. When it is all on you, that’s when you really learn.  It is all single pilot.  You have to make that correct “go/no go” decision.  So, at Cape Air, you have more responsibility sooner in your career.  It works because they give you thorough training and excellent support. 

Captain

Cape Air provides a super supportive environment, and I loved that.  It has to do with the smaller company culture, and it has to do with the safety culture.  You knew who the chief pilots were. You knew who the check airmen were. You knew who the training captains were. You could sit in the crew room with the really senior captains, who have been around the block a time or two, and you could ask them those tough questions and get answers that come from their experiences.

Also, it is a great place to develop your technical piloting skills. You’re flying a smaller “hands-on” airplane.  It is great piloting experience.  You’re not using autopilot all that much, and you are operating in that difficult weather environment, specifically in New England.  You are making critical “go/no-go” decisions and you are getting knocked around a bit.  You don’t have as many tools as you do in a jet, flying at altitudes with two jet engines on the airplane. So, you are making difficult decisions about weather and aircraft capabilities every single day.  That builds confidence, it builds a general experience level that is really hard to find anywhere else, and that is really going to make you a better pilot.  It made me ten times the pilot I would have otherwise been.

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After my Cape Air experience, when I came into my first jet training scenario at JetBlue, I felt like, hey, I’ve seen a lot of things, I’ve experienced a lot of things.  I may have never flown a jet before, but I know that there is a basis of understanding on my part that is going to allow me to be successful in this next career move.

I think at the end of the day, some of the most enjoyable flying days that I’ve ever had were at Cape Air. Some of the fondest memories I can think back to are days of flying down in the Caribbean, flying on the Cape and Islands, especially in the summertime, experiences I had living in different places and enjoying the camaraderie of a lot of the other pilots and co-workers. It’s a really fun job.

Current JetBlue First Officer and Former Cape Air Captain

I thought the training at Cape Air was excellent. It was robust.

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Cape Air is an unbelievable resume builder. What I was interested in is that when you hit that 1500 hours, the minimum to be a captain, you are brought into captain upgrade training the very next day! That is not common—that doesn’t happen at the regional airlines where you will sit as a copilot for two or three years. So I was interested in that.  And looking back, as a Captain most of the flying you do at Cape Air is primarily single-pilot. So you’re running things, you’re doing the radios, you’re flying by hand. You’re doing a lot of the work yourself, in a busy, busy airspace. And that is coupled with direct customer relations where you are really building your people skills without that cockpit door. So, it’s a solid resume builder no matter where you are going to go afterwards, that experience is going to serve you well.

Current JetBlue First Officer and Former Cape Air Captain