Long Time Gone said:
Naw.....you're thinking of Tab Express, also in Deland. ..... They have an agreement with Colgan (at least they did over a year ago) as far as training and interviews is concerned, but no certified courses thru the airline......
LTG
TAB wishes they had a thing going with Colgan (or any other airline), but they don't!!!
In the summer of 2001 they got a deal going with American Eagle to interview the grads, but then 9-11 happened. I think TAB had a couple pilots that actually started with Eagle about a week before 9-11, but got sent home. American Eagle hasn't hired since.
TAB has placed about 6 or 7 grads at Colgan - about 4 or 5 a year ago and another 1 or 2 recently (actually, the recent ones may be in a pool). There is no "arrangement" with Colgan. Colgan has been down to visit and likes the operation of the flight school, and I believe the low-time TAB grads they have hired have done well in training/IOE and I guess flying the line. TAB has also placed at least one grad at ACA, and I'm not sure if one went to Great Lakes or not. Anyway, not a real great track record, but not bad considering the industry these days and the fact that TAB has only graduated about 30 or so over the last year.
There is a developing situation at TAB that I'll fill you in on as it developes. TAB is getting an FAR 142 Certification. 141 is an FAA approved flight school and 142 is the part that governs "Training Centers" that generally provide training in large airplanes. Simulator Training Centers for type-rating in Boeings and Airbuses are approved under FAR 142, and then they can usually do training for "any" airline, if they use that airline's procedures, pubs, checklists, etc.
TAB is apparently going to be a "satellite" of Lockheed-Martin/Premair in Orlando. As a "satellite" training center under 142, they will be able to do training for any airline that would want them to. TAB has a couple of Beech 1900 sims, and they could turn out a pilot that was almost completely ready for IOE for any airline that operates that equipment. They would probably only need a final company sim check and maybe some company oriented ground school. The students are all trained in the B-1900 sims anyway, so if some company might want to interview some, TAB could train a class to that airline's procedures.
I don't know how this might develop, but I think it would be that some airline like Colgan might say: "We're getting ready to need 5 new F/O's, so send a class of your students through the B-1900 training using our pubs/checklists and we'll interview them and see if we like any of 'em. If so we might hire a couple".
So, as I see how the thing might work, there will be no gaurantees of a job - maybe only the prospect of getting an interview.
But, what do I know. I'm just a part-time instructor there and am just reporting some of the latest news I've been hearing.
TriDriver Bob