blade230,
You are correct about FSI and others but those who attend these programs are still paying a very hefty and substantial price tag to do training there versus doing it part 61 at a local mom and pops operation. Some of these more well known (more expensive) programs/schools do have agreements with a few select regionals out there to get you the interview once you have X amount of hours, etc, etc, etc.
PACE, 300 hour pilots, (less hours than Gulf "graduates" by the way), pay a huge sum of money for an interview. 300 hours, asside from the argument that Gulfstream is removing a paid pilot position with their program, how are the programs different. Enigma on another thread was arguing that PFT puts unqualified people in cockpits. With this train of thought, 300 hour PACE pilots who bought their interview, are just as unqualified as Gulfstream guys, infact, more unqualified, most Gulfstream guys have at least 500-600 hours, many with alot more.
With all due respect to Enigma he is not overly well versed on making such a statement that is pretty much not correct or valid at all. It is his personal views and feelings, has he flown with these 300 hour guys?, I think not... What you need to realize is that these "300 hour" guys are trained from day 1 to use Mesa standardization and procedures and if you are not up to par then they will wash you out without a second thought. It does not matter if you have 300 hours or 5000 hours,
these grads STILL must pass interview, indoc, systems, sim, oral, checkride, IOE, etc . Once again none of these grads are given a "free ride" due to the fact that they have only 300 hours... If you do some research you will see that once they are line qualified they have no problems at all.. If they were not up to par then they would not pass the rides/testing/etc, bottom line... Are they qualified and ready at this point? I would have to say so as most others would.
So when you say these guys are "underqualified" I do not think much "fact" is behind such a statement since obviously we know that they are not given a break due to their TT and background.
I have quite a few friends at Mesa that would fly with the San Juan grads any day of the week and they have had no negative things to say towards these guys. You may hate them for being in the right seat at 300 hours but do not think they are "not qualified" since the facts speak for itself. Engima and most others have no personal experience with these guys, talk to the guys that fly the line with them and you will see fact from fiction.
Low time people pay money for a shot at an interview, how is this not PFT?
You are not "renting a seat " at Mesa for X amount of hours- low time or high time does not matter.. God forbid Gulf had to actually hire first officers and pay them more than $8.00/hr to fly right seat, big difference.
Anyways, I get the feeling we will not agree on this, and it is not even my argument,
We can always agree to disagree,
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