Sphrynxlla...plz elaborate on what your experience was like getting your 350 type in this manner....good/bad/indifferent, any problems, would you recommend it? Would you do it again? Was training expedited--i.e. did it take less time than attending the full course? Do you know if it was cheaper? How was the DPE? Were you prepared adequately to attend the 350 recurrent right away? Do you work for a large/small company, etc.....Thanks
Is this dpe Mr. Bob Markuete(sp?) from Indiana by any chance who will come in to do your type and training?
He is check airman for 13 or so different 135 operators and used my former company's 350 to get "qualified" on to be able to do the 300/350 type rides.
If he is coming in then the ride will be a piece of cake.
I did my first 135 captain ride with him and it wasn't overly difficult at all.
it all comes down to "cost" and he and his company is "cheap" compared to your FSI's out there.
there are also other items to consider because of the way they are doing this, I did an in A/C type on the 300 years ago, most of the reason was cost, it was a managed A/C so alot of the training cost was absorbed with mangmt costs, so it was actually cheaper to do it with a DE in the plane than school. Is there not someone available to give you a 135 check at the same time? not sure what the situation is there, but with most companies it will be the bottom line ahead of pilot competence, sadly enough,,,not saying you are not compentent, but just the order of things. Other than that the 300 was a fantastic T-Prop and I felt lucky to fly it, those fancy winglets on the 350 up the cool factor...enjoy!!
Most of the pt 142 sim schools have FAA approved prerequisites for their classes. Better check into those to see if you meet them. I heard for the pt 135 PIC upgrade class (Experienced Transition or whatever you want to call it) that in addition to the type you have to have some minimum experience (like 200 hrs right seat, not sure if these apply for King Airs). A guy told me that these are their most failed classes which is why the FAA required the pre-requisites. Just a heads up. Good Luck.
Lots of part 135 operators do it this way, it is done all the time-these kinds of ops are a world apart from the way privileged fracs or the airlines operate, and it is normal, the way business is done.
If you say something to your employer, and he doesn't see it your way, then how about getting yourself a manual and taking personal responsibility for studying on your own in addition to any training you might receive? There are many pilots that do that anyway, no matter what kind of sponsored training they receive.
Be thankful for the upgrade opportunity, maybe you could ask for more time to prepare instead.
Put together some salient points (owner's aircraft not exposed to training risks, your ability to concentrate on your primary function - safety, excellence of audio-visual aids and learning on a state-of-the-art sim at FSI/Simcom/Simuflite, etc.). You know this employer, catch him at a good time and make it clear you feel he'd best be served by a professional trained by professionals.
The alternative school he's considering is the worst of both worlds - strained training (wx, pop-up trips amid training), poor AV aids, not as cost-efficient as it would seem.
Sorry, phil, but just because "lots of Part 135 operators do it this way" doesn't mean it's the best way to go. Just the cheapest - and at the pilot's expense.
I know 135 operators that maintain training contracts at FSI (I worked at one), with multi-pilot discounts it's not as costly as one would think.
The professional training would set a good precedent. Join the NBAA, also.
Simuflite wants around $17,000 for the initial 12 day course on the type. I suppose thats why they are trying to avoid them. I guess I would prefer to have a fully trained pilot in my front seat. That price isn't too much for someones life is it? All these corp guys are a bunch of cheap A holes.
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