Well, it's not PFT.
It's pretty obvious to me what it is. It's some people with a simulator who want to make some extra money.
But it's not PFT because they're not promising you a job, just an interview with American Eagle.
And what does AE get out of it? Ostensibly, a GA pilot who is familiar with a glass cockpit.
But so what? There are thousands of pilots with glass experiece.
The real! question is this: Is it reasonable to expect a guy with 500 hours to be competent in a jet?
And the answer is, of course, YES! Look at the military. Don't they have 25 year old pilots, with mere hundreds of hours, at the controls of multi-million dollar F16s. YES!
But what's the difference? Apparently, 11 days.
Eleven days of ground *and* sim training? That's laughable.
Listen up, my friends, save your money and I'll tell you a story.
In the summer of 2004 I attended a different Atlas Air groundschool that lasted for two months. I had been flying for 19 years and logged 9000 hours but I was learning how to fly a jet for the first time.
Guess what? I had my hands full. Old dog, new tricks perhaps, but that's my story.
And here's my familiar refrain: There are no shortcuts. When people take shortcuts in aviation, people die.
Do your time, pay your dues, eat your vegetables, be patient, work hard and respect your elders.
Good luck.
