FSI vs. Contract Pilots

[Spooky 1]

Had a Global contract pilot tell me the other day that Flight Safety is providing contract pilots to their customers for up to one year free. Sounds unlikely, but none the less this pilot was upset for having spent his dollars at FSI only to find himself competing against his very own training vendor. Free versus $1,000 a day is hard to beat in the eyes of the owner. Needless to say his future recurrents will be in Montreal, not at FSI.

Has anyone else had this experience or is this something new to our industry?

 

[some_dude]

I have been told this also, by an FSI Wichita guy, so it must be pretty widespread. This was for full service customers only, otherwise it is $1000+/day, for the big Citations anyway (Sovereign and X).

Of course, this is subject to their availability, which is not always that great.

Had a Global contract pilot tell me the other day that Flight Safety is providing contract pilots to their customers for up to one year free. Sounds unlikely, but none the less this pilot was upset for having spent his dollars at FSI only to find himself competing against his very own training vendor. Free versus $1,000 a day is hard to beat in the eyes of the owner. Needless to say his future recurrents will be in Montreal, not at FSI.

Has anyone else had this experience or is this something new to our industry?

 

[Spooky 1]

Talk about an up hill battle. A contractor on the GEX is paying big bucks to maintain his/her qualification and then he very outfit that he is paying these big buck to, is out on the street cutting him off at the knees. Sort of like Boeing supplying pilots to run your airline when you are low on reserves for the month.

 

[TundraT]

It is my understanding that FSI will only let an instructor go if all avenues for the operator have been exhausted in finding a contract pilot and FSI instructors have to take vacation to be compensated by the operator. (No double dipping) The use of some FSI instructors may be because a qualified contract pilot is unavailable for the coverage time.

Contract pilots have a rough road. They usually have to play for their training and then have to market themselves. Word of mouth carries a lot of weight. So even if you are a contract guy it only takes one aw $hit or "let me show you how it is done" to find yourself un-contracted for long periods of time.

 

[AA717driver]

Yeah, the FSI guys are dying to get a contract trip and make a few hundred bucks(FSI takes their cut, too) and get out of the "blue sport coat/red tie" environment. I agree it's frustrating and I'm not in the contract business.

If you're going to instruct, instruct. If you are going to be a "line" pilot, you should get a chance to earn your living without being undercut by the guy who just gave you the type. JMO.TC

 

[Rick1128]

fsi

I have been down the contract pilot road myself a time or two and understand how they feel on this issue. As a professional pilot that uses FSI and Simuflite, I also know that it is important that the instructors have current, up to date experience also. It makes them much better instructors. It can be a double edged sword here.

 

[400A]

Faa Mandate

I dont support the practice, but what has happened is the FAA is making the Check-airmen have some predetermined ( I dont know what it is ) amount of stick time in the real aircraft to maintain their Examiner qualifications. They are getting real picky about it for the 135 check airmen.

400A

 

[ultrarunner]

I will be finished up with entitlement training this year, and I will send out an RFP for each of the vendors that can provide training on our type.

As I have done in the past, I will include X amount of days at X availability for a pilot from the vendor as a requirement for the contract.

I always strive to get the most from vendors as the costs keep rising, and having them provide pilots when I need them works in the best interest of my company and the training provider.

 

[suen1843]

I have used FSI guys on 4 occasions, and each one was a clusterf....k.
I have flown the sim with each of them on numerous occasions, and they were really great instructors. They knew the a/c really well and I did learn a lot during each session.
The problem comes up when they got into the real world. Because they have been in the sim so long they just can't keep up with the pace of things that happen. They were SO far behind the aircraft it was almost like being in a single pilot operation. I am sure that had they flown 5 or 6 days in a row they would have been as good or better than our regular crews but they can't stay away from FSI that long.
FSI really likes to get these guys out in the field (and there is no charge except actual expenses) but in the future I think we will pass on the offers.

 

[TransMach]

Fsi

Guys,

Two things come to mind here ...

1) FSI FAR135 check airmen and instructors are required to get some operational experience in the airplane type they teach. The trick is, they don't have to be in a pilot seat. It is a Line Operations Observation only. If anyone tells you they have to fly in your FAR 135 line operations, they are pulling your leg. They don't, and unless they meet all your company's requirements, i.e. Basic Indoc, drug testing, TSA background, etc., they can't act as a crewmember and be in compliance.

2) FSI instructors are very good at what they do. That is teach a specific course in a specific airplane simulator, made up of specific lessons. They do that over and over and over again. Yes, they get very good at that. They are very good at the specific airplane's systems, limitations, normal, abnormal and emergency procedures. But just how often do you make a simulator go from one place to another? As a previous poster stated, take them out in the real world where you are going to and from airports they have never been to and do stuff that they haven't thought of, they are quite out of their element.

I have several good friends that teach at FSI and Simuflite and I'm not meaning to slam them, but I'll bet they would agree with me.

TransMach