Erau

[BoilerUP]

I have a 12-pack of Amberbach or Guiness (or favorite alternate beverage) to anybody who can prove my suspicion that this guy is a reserve bum somewhere messing with all us. Same case will go to anybody who can prove this guy is a true, honest-to-God ERAU student, as long as they promise to educate them on the industry. I'll throw in a copy of Hard Landing and Flying the Line Vol. 2 for towards this end...

 

[jdru25]

Ok I'm chiming in a little late with this one but, I had thought that Riddle had cancelled the program with NWA. I had known one person in that program who is now just flight instructing. Who knows.............

 

[ExFokkerFlyer]

I graduated from the PRC campus in fall of '94. When I came out to visit prior to high school graduation in 91, I was told that due to the industry tides and the quality and reputation of the school that I would step into the right seat of a 737 upon graduation from Riddle. That statement was further reinforced my freshman year. We all bought it and chugged the koolaid. As graduation approached we realized that was probably just a sales pitch. I did think that the school would help me find a job though. My last semester I went into the career center and told them that I wanted to start the search. I was handed a dot-matrix printed book with addresses and contacts for flight schools. At that point I realised I could have saved a whole bunch of money by just joining AirInc or something similar. BTW - still waiting for that 737 job.

It is good to know that the school has been trying to place it's grads for the past few years. That's one promise that was broken to me, but to be fair I was young and naive. I have sinced worked in a few flight schools and understand the snake oil salesman approach.

Riddle really never opened any doors for me. My first CFI job was given to me because the last person they hired worked out so well that they wanted to try another from the same school, Riddle, and so they hired me. You could argue that Riddle opened the door and I don't really have a problem with that... but if we had both went to FlightSafety, or Westwind or the like, I think the same could have happened. I further feel that had I gotten my training at another flightschool/FBO that I could have had the opportunity to teach where I was taught. At the time, Riddle didn't readily hire it's graduates.

I wouldn't go to Riddle again. It was a big chunk of money that I'll never get back. Having said that, the Riddle I went to is much different than the one that exists today in some ways... they now stand behind their grads.

The truth is, anything can open a door. You might know somebody, be from the same small town as an interviewer, gone to the same FBO for training, or the same college as previous hires. It's how you conduct yourself in the interview and through all phases of training that sets you apart. I have flown with quite a few Riddle grads, some of them have been a pleasure to work with... others not so much. That can be true with any school, but not every school's grads have the rep for being arrogant elitist snobs... Riddle does, and to a certain extent it's well deserved. We were told that we were the best, the most highly trained, and were destined for fast planes and big paychecks. I'm flying a psuedo-fast plane, still waiting for the check... though, aren't we all? Most of us graduated expecting everybody to fall over our diploma trying to hire us. At least at that time, it didn't happen.

To those of you at ERAU now... keep the attitude in check and realize that regardless what Riddle has told you, you don't know everything! I have learned more from non-Riddlites than I have from fellow grads because our training, though good, was pretty incestuous. They had their curriculum and stuck to it, and that's fine. It wasn't until I got into the 'real world' that I realized that there are so many ways to fly an airplane other than the Riddle way. You are getting a good education for aviation, but keep your mind open and always try to learn from those outside of the Riddle fold, they can teach you a lot...

Good luck to everybody... there are a million ways to get to the airlines or whatever your career goal may be, just keep working. Hopefully when you get there, there will still be that golden ring that you worked so hard for. As it is now, it seems that everybody I fly with is trying to find another career because the industry seems to be deteriorating.

Sorry for the rant, maybe I should cut back on my coffee intake?

 

[Flyguy2k8]

To Jdru25,

In regards to the NWA program. I do not know if they still have it. My friend did it last year, got hired as an intern and now flies for NWA. He had 550 hours TT, and did not instruct. For some reason I do not think that NWA and ERAU have that anymore. There is an ACA bridge program that I believe they do have. It is pretty hard to get and it holds the possibility of instructing to get hours if they require it.

I don't think I answered your question really, but that's all I know!

 

[BoilerUP]

My friend did it last year, got hired as an intern and now flies for NWA. He had 550 hours TT, and did not instruct.

Your "friend who interned with Northwest last year" IS NOT flying for them now, and certainly not with 550TT. A colleague of mine is a NWA DC9 furlough, and your buddy would be hired last year and currently flying the line over his dead furloughed body.


FLAMEBAIT

And what a shame, it was all so believable up until this point...

 

[wheelsup]

Flyguy2k8 is talking out his @ss.

The program was a GREAT opportunity. However it never materialized.

"Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 6, 2001 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Northwest Airlines announced today that they signed an agreement to implement a Dual Track Hiring Program designed to provide opportunities for Embry-Riddle graduates with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical science to become new-hire pilots with Northwest Airlines. "

http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2001/northwest.html

If you care there's the whole link. However about 4-6 months after getting accepted to this, NWA canceld the "dual-track" portion and just made it an internship. The guy I knew was hired on as an Aircrew training instructor after that internship...NOT to be a pilot. However I'm sure he's got a pretty good 'in' with NWA once he gets his time up and they resume hiring.

~wheelsup

 

[Flyguy2k8]

No he's not flying for pinnacle and calling it NWA. He's flying for pinnacle and I"M calling it NWA. I guess i'm making him big, cuz he's my friend!


yall have a good one

 

[DKM]

Quote:

Trouble @ ERAU CAPT Program.

The Program Director for CAPT resigned this week.

As misguided as his direction was they are now left without direction.

www.captiscrap.com

 

[Flyguy2k8]

Yeah I can't blame you for rolling your eyes. If I was lucky enough to work for COEX (now called expressjet) if asked, I would say I worked for Continental Airlines!

 

[HAZ-MAT]

$910 a credit hour.... ouch, good luck!