Accelerated Flight Crew Crash in AZ

[bobbysamd]

Minimum wage

$5/hour isn't even minimum wage. See, e.g., http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/q-a.htm

I've been reading this discussion with interest. Of course, I am so sorry for the folks that died in the accident. Just am wondering if there is a website to this place.

Thanks in advance for all responses.

 

[bigD]

Here you go:

http://www.acceleratedflight.com/

 

[Flint]

I love the email address given on the web site. AFCT's electronic business communications is based on free web mail, (hotmail). That is classic. That is pretty low budget.

 

[FlyinBrian]

Unfortunately, Flight instructors are schedule sensitive employees and are exempt from FLSA.

These instructors have spent their hard earned money and time developing and honing a very special set of skills that they then turn around and sell for less than a Taco folder at Taco Bell. They justify this because the time they build is virtually 100% multi-engine. They don't seem to mind cheapening the profession to get ahead. This is the basis of my admittedly rude "Pilot-whore training bordello" comment earlier in this thead. I find this tremendously unprofessional behavior.

 

[weekendwarrior]

Funny, their website is not currently working. Wonder if the coward took it down?

 

[Goffer]

The page is loading just fine.

 

[weekendwarrior]

Oh ok. It's working fine now. It wasn't earlier. Probably once the URL was posted it crashed from so many people going to see it!

 

[Chunk]

Watch the reaction on this one....

Ask Stu (owner of accelerated) which side of the picket line he was on when he worked at EAL?

When a coupla guys criticized (legitimately) his school, he threatened them that he'd make sure they never got a job!

Real class act.

Chunk

 

[Flint]

Poor old Jerry Bloom has his hands full with all the work needed to keep'em in the air. Hope he doesn't take the fall for Stu...

 

[172driver]

The idea of three people logging multi PIC time on a single flight is repulsive to me.

1. Questionably legal
2. Definitely against the spirit of the regs
3. Not good experience...might as well be pencil-whipped
4. Unprofessional
5. Unsafe

How many of you MEI's out there would want to sit in the back seat with a couple of 40 hr pilots in the front during a routine flight, not to mention an emergency? I would be pretty sketchy about it in a single but wouldn't even think about it on a twin training flight. Do they practice engine-out ops with the CFI in the back? 'Watch this dude...this is what Vmc really looks like.'
'Oops, feathered the wrong one again.'

I feel extremely sorry for the three lives lost and the grief of their family and friends. I do not know the circumstances of the crash. Maybe the front seat pilots responded appropriately to the emergency, maybe not. Had the CFI been in the front seat, I would be much more likely to believe it. I hesitate to blame the CFI for sitting in the back because that is the way she was trained. Most of us trained in the real world (not a pilot whore bordello) would never dream of sitting in the back with two students up front. Why even go along at all?

How many of you low-time students out there would like to fly a twin with your MEI in the back? If so, you probably haven't been in an airplane when the s**t hit the fan.

Some of you airline guys...do your companies hire these yahoos? As far as I'm concerned, they're trying to circumvent the system by paying only 1/3 of their dues. I'm all for saving money but flight time in the logbook doesn't necessarily equate to experience, as I'm sure you know. Do your airlines consider back seat time as flight time?

BTW, didn't ATA (the school) lose their 141 certificate for this very issue? Maybe the Orlando FSDO isn't so kind in their interpretation of the regs.

 

[Numba7]

Ok - First of all I must say that I am extremely sorry for the survivors. Whatever the reason this plane crashed, the survivors are the ones who are paying the price. Like many of you already have, I can only offer my sympathy in this time of great sorrow and loss to the families affected by this sad event. This will affect them for the rest of their lives. As the young son of a pilot who was killed in an accident, I regretfully know only to well how they feel.

Secondly - I must say that I have not seen the "defender" of AFTC in this or in other discussion groups offer similar condolences. I can only wonder why.

Thirdly - I learned to fly paragliders long before I became interested in general aviation and I think the most important lesson that I took from this time was that of personal responsibility. No one tells us we have to fly. As PIC we must be Pilot in Command.

And Last - FlyinBrian....Did you get that memo on those TPS reports?

 

[FlyinBrian]

And Last - FlyinBrian....Did you get that memo on those TPS reports?

Yeah, I got the memo. It's really not a problem anymore.

 

[KigAir]

Re: Watch the reaction on this one....

Ask Stu (owner of accelerated) which side of the picket line he was on when he worked at EAL?

When a coupla guys criticized (legitimately) his school, he threatened them that he'd make sure they never got a job!

Real class act.

Chunk

Looking at Stew's philosopy http://www.acceleratedflight.com/about_us.htm.
I see he fly's for Japan Airlines. He probbaly doesn't have to worry about any criticizm crossing the ocean.

 

[Dash Jockey]

These instructors have spent their hard earned money and time developing and honing a very special set of skills that they then turn around and sell for less than a Taco folder at Taco Bell.

Now, lets leave us taco folders out of this.

 

[dibbuk1]

Gentleman.

I know a lot of you, lived next to one of you, and have a lot of friends at both Sunbird and Accelerated. I know a lot of the details about this accident. When all the bull$*** is put aside, I think we all know what the real issue here was. In my opinion (and that is all it is) I believe this was classic get-home-itis. The pilots in Nogales had the option of being picked up and brought back but declined. The pilots knew of the problem before they left and decided ON THEIR OWN to fly the aircraft back to Stellar. The nicest people with the best intentions can make mistakes and bad decisions. We can all take a step back as pilots and think of a time when we made a mistake or a bad decision. We have all made a few. We all learn from our mistakes. This was a tragic accident that we can all learn something from.

The important thing is that there none of us are really in a position to pass judgement on any flight school or any instructor. I know that neither of these flight schools would allow an aircraft to fly in an unsafe condition. The examiners had no major findings at AFCT and while Sunbird Aircraft are not museum pieces, they are safe and very well maintained.

The last part of this message goes out to the individuals who were more interested in personal attacks. I find it hard to believe that any Sunbird employee or ex-employee would be so unprofessional as to use this tragedy as an open season to bash AFCT. That would be very poor form. I am very sure that no Sunbird management would be part of it. I know that this has been very hard on everyone involved. I even knew (although not very well) the instructor who was on board. But we lived and now it is up to AFCT to learn. I hope that some things change for the better there and I am sure that they will. However, I personally would go there for twin training without hesitation or fear for my safety or the safety of the aircraft.

Most of the people on this string know the school or knew the victims and we are all emotional about what happened. I hope that we can all use what happened to make ourselves safer, more professional pilots. That is all.