CAPT and other P-F-T are all crap
ERAU gave me my first full-time flying job fifteen years ago. As it turned out, it was my best flying job. Therefore, it saddens me that a small part of Riddle is groveling for the P-F-T market.
The CAPT program may not be true P-F-T. True P-F-T is an employment issue, in which an employer requires that a new-hire pay it for training as a condition of employment. But, the CAPT objective is clear; to buy you a job. In that regard, it and true P-F-T are the same.
This segment from the
FAQ is especially rich, or sad, depending on your point of view:
Why did CAPT select the MD-90 EFD and why an MD-90 type rating? For all these reasons, a student who successfully earns an MD-90 EFD type rating will be able to make a quick transition to whichever variant of regional jet they are assigned on their first tour of duty.
Earning an MD-90 type rating confirms that successful cadets have met and succeeded the stringent requirements of training to an airline-level standard. What this means to a hiring manager at a regional airline is that CAPT graduates meet and exceed the skill set required to fly a transport category jet aircraft . . . . Training in this device and earning a type rating clearly prepares cadets for entry into today's modern flight deck in the shortest amount of transition time and enhances their overall employability . . . .
(emphasis added)
It sounds like the Riddle academics are at it again. Idealism and no grasp of real-world hiring. Perhaps the MD-90 type lets this P-F-T program slip past the second prong of the P-F-T test because the type is a tangible credential that can be marketed anywhere, but H.R. will not view it in the light for which it is intended. I realize that more and more regionals are starting new-hires in RJs, but a paid-for transport-category Douglas type on a 500-hour pilot's resume will still be seen as hilarious. Maybe more so than a B1900 type on a TAB Express graduate's resume.
Another gem:
What is the application and pilot selection process?
First , you must apply online. Upon receipt of the completed application and Background Investigation fee a CAPT Staff member will contact you to schedule your interview and Aptitude Test battery. Testing is conducted at our Daytona Beach facility at the first week of every month. Please note: the scheduled test date is also contingent on successfully completing the background check.
Cost of application
Background Check ..........................................$180
Aptitude, skills and personality test ..............$300
Interview/Simulator evaluation .......................$300
Total.....................................................................$780*
* Candidates who enroll and start classes within 120 days of acceptance will receive full credit of these fees towards the cost of the program.
Purpose of evaluation
Background check to establish potential eligibility for employment by a U.S. domestic regional airline.
Aptitude, skills and personality test evaluates a candidate's potential for the program and an airline career.
Interview/Simulator evaluation offers a career "reality" check and assesses a candidate's ability to learn in a complex training environment.
Reality check, my ass. The so-called "application process" proclaimed by P-F-T vendors must be aviation's second-biggest sophistry after the pilot shortage. Once again, let's be real. Are they telling me that no matter how much of a bonehead an applicant might be that they would refuse a check for $65K?
The usual P-F-T caveats apply. The P-F-T caveat that is not discussed enough is the "guaranteed interview" "promise." The punctuation is intentional. How many guaranteed interviews are promised? One? Probably. More than one? Not bloody likely. Will "the interview" be conducted in good faith, or just as sop to the P-F-T customer to fulfill contract obligations? Please, consider what I'm saying. Aside from the usual preaching and temperance lectures about P-F-T, read the contract before you enroll for Riddle P-F-T, or any P-F-T.