Anybody Care to add to this?

[maddog805]

Believe me, I know that this PFT subject is VERY touchy, but we all paid for our training to some extent. Where does the "lowering industry standards" come into play? Is it accepting a job at Gulfstream? Is it dishing out money for a 737 type just so you can interview for a large regional airline? Ask JAL about PFT. They pay for ALL TRAINING of new hires, private through 747 captain. For all of you losers that have no passion for life, I worked my way up to get my "dream job". Just looking for EDUCATED OPINIONS.

In my opinion the only difference between all you SouthWest hopefulls that buy your type ratings and the newbies at Gulfstream is that you guys should know better, and you spend a little less money. Personally, I wouldn't pay for a 737 type if it GUARANTEED me a job at ANY company. Anyway, fire away.

-Me

 

[Nindiri]

If I had $10,000 to spend back in the mid nineties, I would have PFT'ed. I would be several hundred senority numbers higher than I am now and making a bunch more money. It's all about money and quality of life.

 

[Lear70]

If I had $10,000 to spend back in the mid nineties, I would have PFT'ed. I would be several hundred senority numbers higher than I am now and making a bunch more money. It's all about money and quality of life.

For every person like you, there's a person like me.

My CURRENT airline (Pinnacle) called me up back in '95 to ask me if I wanted to pay $12,000 to come sit right seat in a Saab. I was currently left seat in a King Air part 135 and making twice what I would if I PAID to go to (then) Express Airlines I.

I'm pretty sure I was polite when I said, "Let me get this straight. You want me to take a 50% pay cut, pay you $12,000 for the privilege, and go from the left seat to the right seat? Thanks, but call me back when you no longer require PFT."

Those who did are senior to me now and hold 2 to 3 more days off per month than I do, but in the meantime I got to command Lears and Boeings around the world; invaluable time now that I have to fly with 300-500 hour new-hire F/O's, not to mention I've made almost a quarter million dollars MORE the way I went and got hired here straight into the Captain's chair - something I couldn't have done going PFT.

I'm quite happy with the route I took, thankyouverymuch.

 

[Rook]

I know one of those guys on the testmonial page. Decent guy that insists he's still learning because he knows that he won't be a CA anytime soon. Another guy in the pic...I think the guy with the Einstein quote is a SIC here. Kind of a D*CKHEAD. Badmouths XJ...CRJ emblazoned all over his flight kit etc...The only thing that gets me is that when I ask these guys for their experience level I get the "oh I flew for a while down in FL" then when I see the 1900 sticker on the flight bag I say "oh whered you fly 1900's?" Head goes down to the floor, mumbling something about GIA.

My point is, hey admit to what you did. If you're pulling the gear as my F/O but you lie to me about your experience, how can I trust that everything looked "OK" on the walkaround? If you're not proud of where you came from, then why did you go there in the first place? My favorite is when passing thru 10K for approach they say, mind if I hand fly? Then give you a demo of unusual attitudes and how not too scan the instruments. Still makes me laugh as I'm saying..airspeed, altitude, you ok?

Rook

 

[Nindiri]

Lear70

I'm glad it worked out for you like it did. Unfortunately, not all of us were in such a sweet corporate gig. I was flying PIC in a Sabreliner domestically, making okay money but not getting rich or gaining senority. If I had been able to afford the 10,000, I would be enjoying those extra two or three days off monthly and making 6-10,000 more annually. Life is still good now, but it would have been nice to have that higher number.

 

[uba757]

Back in the late 90' I was employed by a company called Carnival Airlines. When I finished my licenses up to my Commercial I went to the D/O and asked to be placed in their PDP. They were charging $6500 for the FE ticket on the B727 but because I had been an employee for 2 years they only charged me for the Simm time, about $1000. Today I am an FO on the B727, I became an FO with 400 TT because I had been hired as an FE 3 years earlier. That $1000 got me here where I am today. I know that if I had to pay the $6500 back when I got started I would probably be a lawyer or something else today. I think I got a Rating that I deserved for my 2 years of employment. I will never get a job by paying for it. I rather pick up garbage for minimum wage. Is not fair to others.

 

[Lear70]

My favorite is when passing thru 10K for approach they say, mind if I hand fly? Then give you a demo of unusual attitudes and how not too scan the instruments. Still makes me laugh as I'm saying..airspeed, altitude, you ok?

ROFLMAO!

You don't even Knooooowwww meee!

 

[The_Russian]

Get your facts straight....

But if those kids have a legit shot at the job and the means to the money, why shouldn't they advance in their careers more quickly since the option is open?

Yeah, why not. It was the best thing I ever did.

LMAO I wonder what the flying public would think about reading somthing like this.

The flying public still thinks that we all start at 100K a year. And they don't care. They only care about getting from MIA to JFK for 49 dollars both ways.

Shouldn't the only "cost" of gaining airline experience be your self respect?

I respected myself and career by getting out of BS jobs pumping fuel and instructing in airplanes that were falling apart for $300 dollars a month.

Yup, they get to the right seat of an airliner and some captain has to babysit them. They insist giving ride reports out of FL10. Flip swithches without cluing in the Cpt. Ie turning off the Anti Skid(for some stupid reason) when they landed forgot to turn it back on. Imagine that.

As opposed to a jet regional hiring at 600 and 100. Those pilots have never touched anthing faster than my Camaro can drive. And our pilots are trained very well. Never heard a ride report from Flight Level 10. I don't think we call it that in US airspace. Ride reports are given for courtesy anyway.

-XJT Have not taken many F/Os from Gulfstream because they were unable to demonstrate to the interviewers a sufficient knowlege of the aircraft that they were flying most recently the Beech 1900.

Every GIA pilot I know that has gone to the XJT interveiw has been hired. Where do you come up with this stuff? You are just talking sh1t.

None of you know a danm thing about GIA and you really need to stop spreading lies and BS about good people. So STFU and go pick on someone who deserves it, like pilots taking pay cuts or managment.

 

[Lear70]

None of you know a danm thing about GIA and you really need to stop spreading lies and BS about good people. So STFU and go pick on someone who deserves it, like pilots taking pay cuts or managment.

Careful who you're pointing that finger at. Rook and I are both Captains are PCL and have to fly with GIA guys every day. Some of them are great people and great sticks, others are tools. But that goes for the non-GIA people too, there's one in every dozen.

The one thing you can't dispute is that the GIA guys and gals have very low (comparably) time to be flying the CRJ, and it DOES make our job harder at times as Captains, but that's the job we signed on to do.

 

[Rook]

Heard you got hitched 70. Not even an invite to a Bach party? We'll pop a couple if you ever get stuck in the 'D'. Lots of F/A's will be pissed...or relieved i'm not sure yet.

Rook