Gulfstream Academy "pilot factory" SCAM Revealed By CNN

[freighthumper]

I think its easy to blame GIA out of a general dislike of the type of operation that it is. I too am a strong believer that PFT is BS. It can also be said that there is reason to believe that the attitude of a person that thinks shortcuts and buying your way into a job is acceptable, is indicative of a personality type that can be dangerous in the cockpit. HOWEVER as easy as it is to blame GIA, the real blame lies with the training the pilots receive(or do not receive) after. It also lies with the operators inability to recognize and appropriately deal with a pilot that shows poor airmanship and/or judgment. For years I have been doing the EXACT SAME checkride. This is a very poor tool to judge the airmanship and judgement of a pilot. We are also trained to pass this checkride. Although we are also trained in other important areas, the main focus is training to pass the checkride. This is most likely to prevent the embarrassment of a failure and also it prevents scheduling interruptions by remedial training and people that are washed out. It is almost impossible to argue the statement that a person that repeatedly fails a checkride that they have done numerous times in the past is a competant pilot. The real failure lies in the training(and testing) system that ensures pilots are competent and remain that way.

 

[s3jetman]

I think its easy to blame GIA out of a general dislike of the type of operation that it is. I too am a strong believer that PFT is BS. It can also be said that there is reason to believe that the attitude of a person that thinks shortcuts and buying your way into a job is acceptable, is indicative of a personality type that can be dangerous in the cockpit. HOWEVER as easy as it is to blame GIA, the real blame lies with the training the pilots receive(or do not receive) after. It also lies with the operators inability to recognize and appropriately deal with a pilot that shows poor airmanship and/or judgment. For years I have been doing the EXACT SAME checkride. This is a very poor tool to judge the airmanship and judgement of a pilot. We are also trained to pass this checkride. Although we are also trained in other important areas, the main focus is training to pass the checkride. This is most likely to prevent the embarrassment of a failure and also it prevents scheduling interruptions by remedial training and people that are washed out. It is almost impossible to argue the statement that a person that repeatedly fails a checkride that they have done numerous times in the past is a competant pilot. The real failure lies in the training(and testing) system that ensures pilots are competent and remain that way.

Totally agree your statements are accurate and warranted.