Mesa Pilot Program

[j41driver]

Not sure where you are located but if you are any where near Pittsburgh, PA check out Community College of Beaver County. They have a pretty good program. Prices were resonable when I went there.

http://www.ccbc.edu/exploring/aviation.jsp?pageId=2090611881251077902964976

 

[PA31Ho]

I was told by many pilots to stay way from the FBO here because there type of training is not up to par, and I have heard many terrible stories. Do you know of any other program that offer a program like mesa where you get a interview with a Regional carrier.

uhm.... you think mesa training is up to par???... i know you're new to it all and think the bigger the school and the bigger the name the better.. (some cases that may be true) however, don't get sucked in because the will 'guarantee you an interview', etc... read the boards, do searches about Mesa.. you don't want to be one of those fools (with all do respect).. i just hear the stupidest statements/questions come out of their mouth.

 

[rickair7777]

In all fairness, MAPD has a good training program, and is one of the very few such programs that has a relatively high success rate placing their graduates...

HOWEVER, there a few issuess...

1) If you spend the time and money and don't get hired, you're hosed because no one else will hire you with 250 hours, because of your serious lack of experience. If you blow the interview or Mesa stops hiring, then what?

2) There are many professional pilots in the airline and corporate world who consider pilots who do not have military or CFI experience to be substandard. Being a MAPD graduate without CFI experience could be a black mark on your record when you apply to a major airline. Unfortunately, some young people do MAPD, get an airline job before they have any experience in aviation or life in general, and then act like complete jacka$$es...giving the whole lot a bad rap, including YOU.

3) If you invest two years in full-time training and CFI work you could be pretty close to the 1000 hours needed to get hired off the street at Mesa. You'd still need 100 ME. Also at that point, you would be eligible to apply to numerous airlines, not just Mesa...

 

[CX880]

gradating from high school

Your not the right age for the program. Not only does mesa have a age21 limit to hire but most who go into that program are old guys, looking for a second career. Last time I talked to a MPD recruiter there was only one 20 year-old in a classs of old guys.

 

[aerolee]

Hey Wolfeman229040, can recommend MAPD at ASU if your thinking about it. Its run differently then the Farmington and San Juan schools, its a 4-year degree, you also get your CFI and CFII. If you plan it right you can get your stuff done in a year and a half maybe two, then instruct for the time remaining at ASU. Then hopefully by the time you graduate you will have enough hours to go somewhere besides Mesa (unless something drastically changes in '07).

So far its been working out for me, I love it here. Prices and training are much better then my local FBO. Contrary to what some people believe, the training is actually really good, cannot speek for Farmington or San Juan as I've heard some things about their programs. My only regret is knowing more about how crappy Mesa is before I signed up, but like I said if you plan it right you can get great training then go somewhere else.

 

[SilverFlyer]

What's wrong with Mesa airlines? I have a couple of friends who have stars in their eyes after recently hiring on with them, but they haven't been there long enough to tell me to stay away. I'd love to be able to use them to walk my resume. . .

 

[Av8rPHX]

Stay away from Mesa, it sucks here. Although if you're desperate enough, we need about 100 pilots to goto JFK for the Freedom Dash 8 flying...get the 1000 PIC and move on..

 

[CFIse]

Stay away from Mesa, it sucks here. Although if you're desperate enough, we need about 100 pilots to goto JFK for the Freedom Dash 8 flying...get the 1000 PIC and move on..

It sucks everywhere in the regional world. I used to think Mesa sucked worse, but I hear other pilots complaining about their schedules, and their hotels, and their reserve lines, and their crew tracking and...... Mesa sucks just as much as any other regional.

Come here, get your PIC, move on. Or stay - by the time you decide to make it a career you'll be so senior that all the complaining you hear about Mesa doesn't apply to you.......

 

[Cows Go Moo]

Your not the right age for the program. Not only does mesa have a age21 limit to hire but most who go into that program are old guys, looking for a second career. Last time I talked to a MPD recruiter there was only one 20 year-old in a classs of old guys.

Not true. I've flown with two 20-year-olds here at Mesa within just the last couple months. It always surprises me when the crew gets together to eat on those 12+ hour overnights and our FO (and often the FA/FAs, too) is underaged. Makes me wonder how they do that... not drinking, I mean.

To be fair to this thread, a very high percentage of the MAPD grads I talk to liked the program a lot. I didn't do it myself, but the one's I've asked who have generally praise it.