Regional airline training schools

[no1pilot2000]

For those who want/are considering getting the training needed to become a pilot for a regional airline, are the "fast track" airline schools (RAA, Pan Am Flight training academy, Pheonix East academy, etc.) good places to get the training or are they mainly an overpriced scam?

 

[RJP]

Regional Airline Training Schools. Also known as RATS!

 

[snap145]

zero to hero factories...get your degree and flight instruct to get some expirience or go fly cargo in a Baron for a year....being a CFI helped me ALOT, but looking back i wish I wouldve had some single pilot 135 time....wouldve made the transition easier....

 

[sstearns2]

For those who want/are considering getting the training needed to become a pilot for a regional airline, are the "fast track" airline schools (RAA, Pan Am Flight training academy, Pheonix East academy, etc.) good places to get the training or are they mainly an overpriced scam?

They're probably not a scam, but they're not the most economical place to learn to fly. I'd stick with a local airport. Everyone teaches that same stuff, takes the same checkrides, etc. The first thing to understand about flying for a living is that it's a very small world and it's 90% who you know. There's only about 2 degrees of separation between any two people who fly professionally, everyone will know someone who knows you after a little while. Bum around the airport and chat with everyone and treat everyone as if they're going to recommend you at United 5 years from now.

AND........ PLEASE DON'T GIVE ANYONE A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PUT ON ACCOUNT!!!! If anyplace has a problem with this then turn around and leave. I've heard story after story of someone putting 15-20K or more on account only to have the flight school go bankrupt or disappear. It makes sense to put just enough money on account to get a 'block rate' discount which is usually 10 hours or so of flight time, no more than $1500 or so.

OK, that's it for my rant. Good luck.

Scott

 

[great cornholio]

For those who want/are considering getting the training needed to become a pilot for a regional airline, are the "fast track" airline schools (RAA, Pan Am Flight training academy, Pheonix East academy, etc.) good places to get the training or are they mainly an overpriced scam?

Its seems most of those places are "overpriced scams" as you say. Stick with your local FBO cause you will learn the same stuff. You sound like you are young and if you are try getting a job with the FBO (IE clean planes, or get on as a line guy). Most places will give you an employee discount and that will go a long long way to savin some big bucks. Then when you get your CFI they will usually hire you because they know what kind of person you are. Then you can use your CFI to help pay for your CFII, Comm Multi, and MEI. Once you are an MEI try to get as many Multi students as you can cause in that stage of your career multi time is GOLD!!! Anyways thats how I did it and it worked out pretty good. As it was said before be very very careful (IE dont do it and run far far away from) any school that wants you to put large amounts down up front. Too many schools have shut the doors overnight and left with 100s of thousands of student dollars. Now youre out 25k and have nothing to show for it.

 

[relief tube]

get a useful degree (non-aviation) to have a backup. Fly on the side as you're going to school.

 

[Beanie]

More than being a scam, these programs are used in conjuction with regional airlines to flood the market with "qualified airline pilots". This overstaturation drives our wages down and takes away our bargining power as pilots. Do your future co-workers and you own future a favor and go to the local airport to get your ratings. Instruct, fly freight and get some PIC time. Don't buy into how much better these schools are than going to your local FBO. It is all what YOU put into it. All the ratings come from the FAA and everything you need to know to can be found in a few books. It is not like choosing between Harvard and your local community college. Besides, if you are going to go pay 100k to get your ratings for a job that is going to average you about 30k for the first 3-5 years, (and the way things are looking, maybe a lot worse than that) we would really have to question your decision making ability.

BTW, I would really advise taking Cornholio's words to heart, especially the part about not putting a lot of money down someplace.

 

[stooge]

The best thing for you would be to go to one of these pilot factories as long as you don' have to put a lot of money on account as ssterns said earlier.

You will be stuck in some sh*t hole city like daytona, deland or vero beach. You will be nickel and dimed to death with all these fees that they tack on. The weather never cooperates and your training will take longer and be twice as expensive as originally promised. You will be so frustrated and discouraged with flying that you will quit before you ever make it to the regionals and get stuck in the "regional rut."

Getting a 100k loan so that you can get a job thats starting pay rate that averages $18 - $22 per hour doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me either.

 

[bender]

$44995(+2700 in checkride fees) is a ton of money, but if you have the money and want to spend it then ATP is a good decision. You'll be done in +-15 days of the quoted time frame and will have paid the exact price quoted.

 

[DX Rick]

zero to hero factories...get your degree and flight instruct to get some expirience or go fly cargo in a Baron for a year....being a CFI helped me ALOT, but looking back i wish I wouldve had some single pilot 135 time....wouldve made the transition easier....

I don't support these schools one bit. I think a lot of people would fly single pilot cargo if given the chance. But with the regionals with thier 600/100 requirements...why? It's harder to get a job with Airnet and Ameriflight right now, than it is with Colgan, XJet and Mesa

 

[suupah]

I can only speak from my own personal experience at pan am academy in dear valley phoenix. it was known as pan scam for a reason.

I would say it was a marketing company not a flight school. A mistake that I will be paying for probably the duration of my flight career.

if you want specifics ask but you probably won't like what you hear.

my advice is go fbo, or ATP's.

 

[jeroom]

For those who want/are considering getting the training needed to become a pilot for a regional airline, are the "fast track" airline schools (RAA, Pan Am Flight training academy, Pheonix East academy, etc.) good places to get the training or are they mainly an overpriced scam?

There is no special need to go to one of those scam schools to get ready for a regional job.
Go to a local school, build your experience as a CFI or a freight guy, do glider tow, banner tow, jump pilot... I don't know but you will make yourself a favor, the pilot community a favor and your future captains a big favor as well.
Plus, your bank account will thank you so much at the end.

I remember guys in my class who spent a 100K by going to one of those school.... that's just plain crazy!! there is no need for that. Just because he wanted to fly a jet as soon as possible... Once you will fly that jet, be careful, because you may regret what you have done. Try to spend as little as you can.

Good luck

 

[COOPERVANE]

FBO or ATP's

 

[Metro752]

ATP's gets bad press because of the other cr@pholes

 

[JSky26]

go bears

 

[pdub20s]

ATP is your best bet. I went there and i recieved the best training $$ can buy. as far as price go...their prices broken down beat any FBO i seen(+ fuel) in CA. they price their seminoles at about $250 WET.the sweet thing is, is that the flight instruction is free and so is any sim time needed.also their cessna go for $90 and hour w/ GPS..once again free instruction... and youll get atleast 120-130 hours of multi time. If i had to do it all over again...i would go to ATP

 

[MisterE]

More than being a scam, these programs are used in conjuction with regional airlines to flood the market with "qualified airline pilots". This overstaturation drives our wages down and takes away our bargining power as pilots. Do your future co-workers and you own future a favor and go to the local airport to get your ratings. Instruct, fly freight and get some PIC time. Don't buy into how much better these schools are than going to your local FBO. It is all what YOU put into it..

So what you're saying is the market is "Saturated" with "Qualified Airline Pilots." If that is the case, then please tell me why the regional airlines are trying to hire like mad and aren't able to fill classes? American Eagle has offered their current pilots a 500 dollars bonus to any pilots they bring in, and SkyWest is trying to hire 70 per month and can't fill classes. So please tell me again where this magical saturation is coming from? As of right now, FAA stats will prove that there has been a decrease in student pilots and an increase in demand for airline pilot jobs. Hmm.. I see that as supply and demand, and in our favor! Little supply of pilots, big demand, thus future wages should go up, hoping to attract more people willing to shell out the money for these flight schools so they can fill the airlines postions! The only sort of conjunction airlines and schools have is the same idea, get more pilots!

To answer the person that asked about going to an accelerated school or go to an FBO... it is totally up to your level of interest, and how much money and time you have. If you have some money and no time, then I'd recommend this, get your private license at an FBO, b/c you'll enjoy the flying and really get the feel for it. After that, go to some school like Regional Airline academy, Delta Connection, or any other big name school, and you'll have a quicker path and hopefully an easier time getting on with an airline of your choice.

Sorry for the novel! Happy Landings everyone!

 

[Beanie]

You sound like you have drank the Kit Darby/ERUA kool-aid a little to much and don't understand regional airline economics. I will tell you exactly why they are having to hire. It is for the same reason they always have, because pilots are leaving, which is exactly what they want. Problem for pilots is that they are leaving to find other careers, not go to better carriers. Regionals use to be able to rely on most guys leaving to go to majors or LCC's. Since these companies haven't been hiring near as much since 9/11, regionals have had to come up with a different way to get pilots to leave. When the big boys start hiring again, everything will seem fine, but the regional career will still suck, to get pilots to leave. Don't get me wrong, when leaving to go to Delta (or your airline of choice), that is great, but when Delta and the like is not hiring, don't look for your regional airline to take care of you so you will stay. Regional airlines do not want 10 year captains and 7 year F.O.'s. They want 3 year captains and first year F.O.'s. This makes for a lot less in salaries for the flight crew and the exact same revenue. (think bottom line) You think that the president of ASA wants a top heavy list of captains and F.O.s at upper end pay scales? Hell no, they want them to quit and replace them with much cheaper guys. Why do you think the contract negotiations have gone on for over 4 years. To drive those guys out. How do they get you to quit? By giving you crap wages and crap QOL. You will never see the "career" contract at any regional. They want you to have no incentive to stay. No retirement, no QOL, no COLA, nothing. Management doesn't care if you quit to be a greeter at wal-mart, just quit and let them have more first year guys from pilot mills and the cheap salaries that come with them. Eagle can't find a soul because who wants a 10 year upgrade? They also have all the flowbacks headed back to AA, and know they are going to have to replace them with 19K a year pilots. (Great for the bottom line again). Skywest is hiring because the play is to drive the higher priced and unionized ASA guys out of the nest and replace them with, you guessed it, first year 19K a year pilot mill pilots. Same play with alter ego's like Gojets and TSA. It is all about getting rid of the "fat" and replacing it with new pilots and cheap salaries. The regional airline handbook is as simple as this: Hire guys, get them to stay about 5 to 7 years, then run them off. That is why they are hiring, not because of some shortage or lack of pilots. Aviation started with one to many pilots at Kitty Hawk, NC, and hasn't changed since. The pilot mill is just another cog in the machine that kills this career. Don't fall for the old shortage play, we have been duped enough.

Sorry for the novel too, but understanding this is important BEFORE you choose it as a career.