i know people don't respect pft, but I know what pft has done for my aviation career. I only pft for a low number of hours before i got my corporate job. I have more opportunities than I would if i had not done it. I have also been personally denied from regionals b/c of it. Regionals highly frown upon it. If someone wants to go there, you should not pft. The corporate world doesn't seem to frown upon it. you have to have so much time to get insured, its a lot harder to get insured corporate. going to the airlines you need a lot less time and experience. i have got banner tow jobs, fo jet jobs, and sic jobs from respectable cargo companies b/c of pft. the best thing that came out of it was the experience. you would never get that experience flight instructing. i am very comfortable in the worste weather situations, situations i would never be in b/c airline and corporate flying doesnt fly through that type of weather. MOST, not all, of the pics are great to fly with and will teach you a lot. theres always that one a$$ hole of the group that lets it known you mean nothing to him, and he will not help you out or let you fly. i was fortunate for the most part i had a great pic, until he moved on to bigger and better things.
i wish i had done pft with another company other than cas b/c of the way the sic program is run, to be a pic is a different story. the management is all messed up with the sic program. the daughter runs it and is a total flake. she will tell you that you owe all this money when you have not flown the time all ready paid for. Basically, she has a hard problem keeping things together, keep track of all your receipts and flight time. she makes the program a bad experience.
the owner jt is a great guy, you need something he will get it done right away. he emails me every now and then to see where i am at in life. he also has a great business ethic, obviously that s why he is where he is in life. he knows how to make a penny. his son used to fly for the company, he may still, he's a nice guy, too.they do give post cards of the commander out for the xmas card, but why should they give more? it is not a career job for most people, they will just be leaving in a 6 mo. period. btw, the daughter drives a jaguar, son drives a bmw, owner and wife drive a jag!