Corporate or Merlin Air?

[AbOvo]

Does anyone have opinions or information regarding Corporate or Merlin Air? A friend of mine is considering their pay by the hour program.

It's a summer internship and for $100 bucks an hour you sit in the right seat of the Metro flying out of Puerto Rico.

Apparently some of the interns get hired after they complete the internship. Any help is appreciated!

 

[hopeful]

do a search about PFTing. You will probably not ask a question like that again.

 

[jdru25]

I know a couple people from Riddle that did this program and I have heard a lot of nasty things about it. Number 1 its PFT and just search the sight about PFT. Number 2, they have lots of maintenence problems from what I have been told. Number 3, I have heard many stories about the pilot's poor decision making and one captain not identifying the ILS properly and almost landing on a highway. The training as advertised at Riddle's career services was $10,000. I would not recommend it.

 

[AbOvo]

Yeah I realize the whole Pay For Training is a touchy subject. My personal feelings aside, I think folks are looking at all kinds of options these days with the job market being so rough.

Basically I was looking for opinions on the company. Thank you for your informative reply jdru25.

 

[jdru25]

I hope that info helped. I got it straight from several interns with Merlin. Basically they told me that they would have been better off Flight Instructing instead of dealing with Merlin for a summer.

 

[skylane58]

Corporate Air is great, aside from the fact it is run by a drug runner. Corporate just bought out Merlin not too long ago, within five years. The problem is that Corporate treats Merlin as sort of the red headed step child. This is where the maintnence issue comes up. The pilots, mechanics, etc. at merlin get paid a lot less and basically its a smaller scale American-TWA thing. Bottom line, stay away from Merlin Air.

AS for the PFT, I don't think its a bad idea if you get with the right company. If you can come away with 300 hours of legitamate turbine time for less than you can rent a chickenhawk, do it.

 

[hopeful]

skylane 58,

that is pretty bad advice. Don't encourage someone to PFT. It is bad for their careers. You will understand this someday when you get a little more time in the saddle. Until, keep your ill informed comments from negatively affecting someone else.

 

[AbOvo]

OK OK I didn't really want to start a flame war regarding PFT. I don't like the idea any more than the next pilot. It all depends on your situation whether you think it is a good idea or not. Obviously if you are junior in regard to your experience, any edge is considered a good one. Once you've been there and done that you realize looking short term isn't always the best idea.

I'll pass the info along to my friend who is considering this program. I'd say flight instructing until you can get a 135 or regional job is a better way to go. PFT just seems to bring up too many red flags in an interview situation.

 

[SquirrelDog]

PFT

I too believe PFT is a very bad thing and agree with many of you. I have friends whom have done it and gone far in their careers. Myself though, very against pay for training.

I do have a dilema though when it comes to pilots paying for a certain type rating for a certain airline. I would like to hear the voices on this issue in order to make a choice later on, in my or others careers'.

thanks for the input

Squirreldog

 

[skylane58]

Let me set the record strait. I do not agree with most pay for training. There is only one or maybe two programs I would do. To do those programs I would have to be sure that it was legitimate. A program that sends you to flight safety and gets you a type rating, Then gives you a part 135 check ride. As long as you have the part 135 mins, it should be legal to log PIC when you are flying and SIC when you are not. Correct me if I am wrong, the regs say that if you are on the certificate and qualified in the airplane, you are legal. If you dont have the mins for 135, that is a whole different story. That would be where the controversy plays a big factor. That said, I am not a big proponant to PFT, however, if I had the money to do it I would because in this industry you need any advantage you can get. I dont think that my advise is ill informed, just ill advised. I just needed to give some details. Anyway, until I win the lotto, I will be taking my licks just like everyone else.

 

[Lonestar]

Skylane...

Yes, you are ill informed. There can only be one PIC on any flight and that is the guy that signs for the plane - he is called "The Captain". Sitting in the right seat (even if you are the Pilot Flying) in no way, means that you can log the time as PIC (even if you are typed in the plane).

 

[Trout]

Having a PFT program on your resume is a major DISadvantage. Dont you get it?

Why? I know former Merlin pilots, who paid, who now fly for FEDEX, United, DHL, Alaska, and Northwest. PFT didn't hurt their careers.

 

[hopeful]

I would like to see how these fellas do in the "new" world of aviation. Jobs will no longer be handed out. I guess we will wait and see.

 

[Trout]

I take it you paid for your original spot at AMF?

Why would you assume that?

 

[100LL... Again!]

Lonestar-

Actually LOGGING is different than serving. I have read the FAA legal department interpretations of the logging issue, and an SIC can log as PIC legs on which they are the flying pilot. IF THEY ARE TYPED (for A/C over 12,500 or jets).

Multiple Feds have confirmed this. This type of PIC, however, is NOT RECOGNIZED by 99% of all airlines as real PIC time. It is SIC as far as they are concerned.

Someone made the point that 'legitimate turbine time' could be logged at one of these jobs. Even if you play it safe and log it all as SIC, this perfectly legal loggable time may not carry much weight with a pilot interviewer. They do not look at this time blindly: "Oh looky, he's got turbine time!"

They will carefully consider whether you were a pilot or a 135 qualified PASSENGER. They know ALL about PFT, and the fact that the training is NOT the same as REAL airline training.

 

[Lonestar]

100LL-

I know you're not bustin' my chops on this issue and yes, I know that people can find creative ways to log their time. You are right, someone CAN LEGALLY log PIC in an aircraft over 12500 (if they are typed) but as you alluded to - this is chicken shlt time. I have a hard time believing that any self respecting 135 captain would log only SIC as the PNF while his snotty nosed, 400 hr, bought his window seat PFT right-seater was logging PIC on his legs. As I said earlier...there can only be one captain.

 

[SquirrelDog]

Lonestar

I heard that!!!

nice post Lonstar,

Squirreldog

 

[Trout]

Because usually the only ones who support, condone or can even stomach the fact that some people would even consider PFT are those that did it themselves.

Where in my orginal post did I "support, condone or can even stomach" anything? I wrote what I've experienced. The people I know who have PFT'd have done very well for themselves. I also know people who have not PFT'd and are also flying for a major. Is this a contradication? If I PFT'd shouldn't I bash the non-PFT'ers? Because I obviously support, condone, and stomach (how dramatic) PFT.

 

[Trout]

Fair enough. And I despise PFT like most reasonable minded pilots.

 

[Lonestar]

Now...don't ya'll feel better?