FTSI Acquires CAPT

[Mickey]

How did they "screw" you? I think I'm misssing something. Because someone else didn't like you and hire you is somehow, their fault. Please explain with details.

 

[Flying Ninja]

Mickey,

The CAPT program produces low time pilots. This means that unless they open the door for you to regional airlines, you're not getting hired with the low time. Most graduates have 225 hours of total time on their books or less on their logbooks. Those 225 hours typically would have less than 100 hours of multi-engine time. I walked into CAPT with my PVT and 170.7 hours and flew outside of the CAPT program so I have a little more time than your typical graduate.

I bought into CAPT because they promised a training footprint of 10-12 months. I was able to do this program with my financial situation back then with the 12 month timeline in my planning "just kin case" something unknown came up. Anything beyond 12 months just wasn't going to work out financially. But they insisted that it will be intensive training and 10-12 months is realistic. However, the training took an additional 5 months due to their mismanagement. Because they weren't sure when exactly I could finish, I had to pay higher rent by going month to month. Add the usual cost of living for an extra 5 months of unplanned stay. The financial picture now no longer looked good. It ate into my startup money in a new city with a new airline. I was willing to take out my 401(k) to get into the regionals, but keep reading.

CAPT never mentioned anything about needing additional money to fly after graduation in case I have to sit around to wait for them to pull their thumbs out of their a$$e$ and get ther crap together. Here's my resume timeline I posted in another forum:

Heres the timeline for my initial resume (intended to go to ASA):
10/05/2005 10.04PM - Request was sent into CAPT requesting assistance with my resume preparation.
10/24/2005 10.50AM - CAPT e-mails me their official resume template with bloated hours which I spent a couple of weeks trying to verify against my training records!
11/09/2005 02.40PM - I requested CAPT provide a copy of my training record that the airlines will receive. I never got anything from them.
11/20/2005 01.02PM - CAPT requesting resumes from my class, I gave up chasing explanations for hours on the resume template due to lack of assistance.
11/20/2005 02.16PM - My e-mail with my resume attached was sent by me to CAPT.
11/29/2005 05.49AM - CAPT response: "I believe you sent me a copy of your resume but I cannot find it anywhere. Please resend to me asap."
11/29/2005 10.39PM - After returning from Thanksgiving break that night from the airport, I resent the same resume back to CAPT.
12/09/2005 - Graduation Day for class behind mine resume ready for Pinnacle VP, speaker.
12/12/2005 07.13AM - CAPT states my class resumes went out via FedEx Next Day service.

Air Wisconsin Timeline:
02/10/2006 01.41PM Requested CAPT to send my resume to Air Wisconsin
02/11/2006 10.06AM CAPT sends out an e-mail to solicit additional graduates for resumes. CAPT also states that my resume will be sent out by the end of the following week. This means my resume will be sent out by the 17th at the very latest.
03/10/2006 05.54AM CAPT states You resumes and cover letters have gone out to Air Wisconsin today.

All the while, my loan grace period was coming closer and closer with my currency getting closer and closer to expiring. And I haven't worked in the 17 months at CAPT and 5 months after leaving CAPT...waiting for them to deliver to me the 7-9 guaranteed interviews that they didn't have (another lie).

They also didn't give us the following which I shurgged off because I didn't want to stir up the pot at CAPT knowing full well that they had my future in their hands:

* Charts, AF/D, Plates (they only gave us the first issue, they promised ALL)
* Uniform (they gave us a shirt...paants, belt, shoes, tie, and summer polo (which was optional but dang if you didn't get that you'd die in the heat with your regular shirt) valued at around $100.
* Hyperbaric chamber training (supposedly the facility closed but no refund issued) valued at around $150.
* Upset recovery training at FCI (was in the initial advertisement but then was taken out as optional training we needed to pay for) valued at around $3000.
* Interview/Resume Preparation Course

They lied to us about many other things along the way. All were carefully taylored to keep up disillusioned to what was really going on so that we souldn't take our money and bail. But some folks didn't buy into their used care sales pitch and empty promises and they did bail early at a $20K+ loss to "administrative fees". When you're so gong-ho about wanting to fly, you want to believe anything they say that is in alignment with your aviation dream. They took advantage of us.

Anyway, the rest you can look up on the forums. If you have more questions, feel free to PM me. I'd be more than happy to share and answer any questions you may have.

 

[The Drizzle]

so wait, instead of going and finding a flying job, you've been waiting for them to find one for you?

 

[Flying Ninja]

The Drizzle,

Where could I have gone with 459/101 by myself? I looked into Cape Air in the northeast. And they told me that their published hours are their minimums. So I looked on APC and checked all the listed airlines and everyone was asking for hours that I didn't have as minimums.

With no CFI, no money, I think it was clear to me that I was screwed.

 

[The Drizzle]

The Drizzle,

Where could I have gone with 459/101 by myself? I looked into Cape Air in the northeast. And they told me that their published hours are their minimums. So I looked on APC and checked all the listed airlines and everyone was asking for hours that I didn't have as minimums.

With no CFI, no money, I think it was clear to me that I was screwed.

jesus christ it is all somebody else's fault! If you were a half decent stick, and had half a brain all you need is 3 hours of instruction to do your CFI.

1. Get a job at a supermarket save your money for what? a month?
2. Get your CFI
3. ????????
4. Profit

i have no pity for whiney ********************s like you

 

[Flying Ninja]

Well, good thing I'm not looking for anyone's pity. And it doesn't change the fact that I didn't get what I paid for at CAPT. That's the point of my presence on these forums. I want people to know that CAPT is not to be trusted and that they are a bad business that doesn't deliver what they sell you. It doesn't matter what my future in aviation is anymore. Me sharing my story is to back my statement about CAPT being liars and cheats. It's just that simple. And hopefully no one else will be hurt by CAPT. I'm not looking out for me. I'm looking out for students that are considering CAPT. I think they can do much better and get much more from other flight schools than at CAPT.

 

[The Drizzle]

yeah, they are known as FBOs, you know, at your local airport?

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Truthfully, your diatribe sounds really pathetic. You should cut your losses now and stop spewing the same crap about CAPT. IT REALLY MAKES YOU LOOK BAD. Please don't be offended, but it sounds a lot like some girl that let a lot of guys have their filthy way with her and now shes complaining that she isnt virtuous anymore.

 

[Flying Ninja]

The Drizzle,

Well, I wish someone told me CAPT was just another FBO because I could have saved my money and went to a local one instead of uprooting my life and move down to FL for CAPT's lies. But I thought I bought into a fast way to get into the industry. So I'm wrong. Let that be a lesson to all new people looking into CAPT.

Amish Rakefight,

You may be right. But when someone asks me about my experience, I'm going to share it. There are new people joining this forum and others and I need to reach out to those people. So if you've read my story, stop following me. It's going to feel like you're watching the same movie over and over again. I'm trying to reach new people. Not appease the regulars.

 

[TheGuat]

Mickey,

The CAPT program produces low time pilots. This means that unless they open the door for you to regional airlines, you're not getting hired with the low time. Most graduates have 225 hours of total time on their books or less on their logbooks. Those 225 hours typically would have less than 100 hours of multi-engine time. I walked into CAPT with my PVT and 170.7 hours and flew outside of the CAPT program so I have a little more time than your typical graduate.

I bought into CAPT because they promised a training footprint of 10-12 months. I was able to do this program with my financial situation back then with the 12 month timeline in my planning "just kin case" something unknown came up. Anything beyond 12 months just wasn't going to work out financially. But they insisted that it will be intensive training and 10-12 months is realistic. However, the training took an additional 5 months due to their mismanagement. Because they weren't sure when exactly I could finish, I had to pay higher rent by going month to month. Add the usual cost of living for an extra 5 months of unplanned stay. The financial picture now no longer looked good. It ate into my startup money in a new city with a new airline. I was willing to take out my 401(k) to get into the regionals, but keep reading.

CAPT never mentioned anything about needing additional money to fly after graduation in case I have to sit around to wait for them to pull their thumbs out of their a$$e$ and get ther crap together. Here's my resume timeline I posted in another forum:

Heres the timeline for my initial resume (intended to go to ASA):
10/05/2005 10.04PM - Request was sent into CAPT requesting assistance with my resume preparation.
10/24/2005 10.50AM - CAPT e-mails me their official resume template with bloated hours which I spent a couple of weeks trying to verify against my training records!
11/09/2005 02.40PM - I requested CAPT provide a copy of my training record that the airlines will receive. I never got anything from them.
11/20/2005 01.02PM - CAPT requesting resumes from my class, I gave up chasing explanations for hours on the resume template due to lack of assistance.
11/20/2005 02.16PM - My e-mail with my resume attached was sent by me to CAPT.
11/29/2005 05.49AM - CAPT response: "I believe you sent me a copy of your resume but I cannot find it anywhere. Please resend to me asap."
11/29/2005 10.39PM - After returning from Thanksgiving break that night from the airport, I resent the same resume back to CAPT.
12/09/2005 - Graduation Day for class behind mine resume ready for Pinnacle VP, speaker.
12/12/2005 07.13AM - CAPT states my class resumes went out via FedEx Next Day service.

Air Wisconsin Timeline:
02/10/2006 01.41PM Requested CAPT to send my resume to Air Wisconsin
02/11/2006 10.06AM CAPT sends out an e-mail to solicit additional graduates for resumes. CAPT also states that my resume will be sent out by the end of the following week. This means my resume will be sent out by the 17th at the very latest.
03/10/2006 05.54AM CAPT states You resumes and cover letters have gone out to Air Wisconsin today.

All the while, my loan grace period was coming closer and closer with my currency getting closer and closer to expiring. And I haven't worked in the 17 months at CAPT and 5 months after leaving CAPT...waiting for them to deliver to me the 7-9 guaranteed interviews that they didn't have (another lie).

They also didn't give us the following which I shurgged off because I didn't want to stir up the pot at CAPT knowing full well that they had my future in their hands:

* Charts, AF/D, Plates (they only gave us the first issue, they promised ALL)
* Uniform (they gave us a shirt...paants, belt, shoes, tie, and summer polo (which was optional but dang if you didn't get that you'd die in the heat with your regular shirt) valued at around $100.
* Hyperbaric chamber training (supposedly the facility closed but no refund issued) valued at around $150.
* Upset recovery training at FCI (was in the initial advertisement but then was taken out as optional training we needed to pay for) valued at around $3000.
* Interview/Resume Preparation Course

They lied to us about many other things along the way. All were carefully taylored to keep up disillusioned to what was really going on so that we souldn't take our money and bail. But some folks didn't buy into their used care sales pitch and empty promises and they did bail early at a $20K+ loss to "administrative fees". When you're so gong-ho about wanting to fly, you want to believe anything they say that is in alignment with your aviation dream. They took advantage of us.

Anyway, the rest you can look up on the forums. If you have more questions, feel free to PM me. I'd be more than happy to share and answer any questions you may have.

Anyone as stupid as you are deserves what you got! You are a fool and a lazy fool at that! Get off you fat a$$ and CFI for awhile, you might acutally learn something.

Here's your signature line:
Graduated CAPT 10/2005 - Summa Cum Laude, Highest Time (459TT/101ME) of any graduate!

WTFO? Please be sure and put on your resume that you graduated CAPT Summa Cum Laude!!!! You are without a doubt the biggest fool wannabe airline pilot, I've ever seen.

 

[Flying Ninja]

Obviously you're new to my story TheGuat. I'm not looking for a jet job anymore. And as for the CFI part, I'm studying for that on my own free time now and am saving money to get the certification so that I can teach others for free as a hobby. So don't worry, I won't be sending out any resumes for a flying job this lifetime. I don't know about being a fool but I have certainly been f*cked up by CAPT.

 

[Flyer1015]

People, give it a rest!

I'm GLAD we have someone like FlyNinja who has shared his experience at CAPT, and is now trying to warn others to stay away because of how crappy they really are.

If just one person doesn't go there after looking at this thread, then we've all accomplished a lot.

Don't rip on him for warning others. I say good for him for giving other people a heads up about that CAPT program, and warning them to stay away.

 

[The Drizzle]

I thought I bought into a fast way to get into the industry.

look at this as your punishment for being less of a person and taking the easy route to instant happy success.

 

[cwebster2]

I'm studying for that on my own free time now and am saving money to get the certification so that I can teach others for free as a hobby.

cant lower the bar in the regionals so you're going to do it for CFI's instead?

 

[Flying Ninja]

I seriously doubt one guy doing something nice for a handful of people is seriously going to affect the industry. Get real.

 

[cwebster2]

I seriously doubt one guy doing something nice for a handful of people is seriously going to affect the industry. Get real.

no, but its certainly going to affect the starving CFI's in your area.

 

[EMB170Pilot]

Im sorry that you didnt pass CAPT Ninja. Did you at least see my awards for best short-field-landing? Best preflight? and Best for asking mommy and daddy for money to get ripped off?

 

[Flying Ninja]

Trust me cwebster2, there are no starving CFI's where I live. People for the most part doing pretty well here.

EMB170Pilot,

CAPT don't have those awards so you're full of it. Nice try though. That's all I got to say to you.