mesa's pace program

[UPF-7]

Help, I’m a low time CFII looking for a job. Has anyone heard about this “pace” program at MPD. The way I understand it is you basically pay for training and you get a interview. Please let me know if anyone has info on this topic, or other good ideas for flight time.

thanks

 

[celloman]

I know your feeling.

How to get time LOL keep on instructing..... or at least thats what they tell me.

I know a little about the pace program. You have the basics of it down. I do know that the major percentage of people who are getting jobs are the ones who go through the whole 2 year program.

Two other things to consider. 1) Mesa is not hiring right now (at least thats the last I heard) and there is a back log of san juan grads waiting for a class date 2) Mesa might go on strike or you could be asked to work for freedom.

Just a something to think about. Best of Luck

 

[bobbysamd]

Mesa PACE v. MAPD

I instructed at MAPD nine years ago and know that program. I'm not that familiar with PACE, but feel very confident in advising you that it is P-F-T. Compare it to MAPD, which is paid for by the customer, yes, but really is just a flight school that is heavily geared toward Mesa Airlines. The Commercial you earn at MAPD is good anywhere, although if you do everything you are supposed to do you get "the interview" with Mesa.

What you might consider if you are hell-bent at getting on with Mesa is building your time to MAPD's hiring mins and apply there. The real deal with MAPD is the opportunity to get on with Mesa Airlines. I believe that MAPD's mins are 500 total and 100 instructing. More time, multi time, and multi instructing time are probably advantages.

Barring that idea, I think that you are really best off instructing for the time being until you hit the mins for the next step(s), which would be freight or 135. The commuters won't be doing massive hiring for a long time to come, and when they do hire, it won't be at the ridiculously low mins that you saw a couple of years ago. Figure on at least the old-fashioned standard mins of 1500 total, 500 multi and your ATP to be competitive for the regionals.

I second Celloman's observations about the Mesa labor and hiring situation.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[azpilot]

For the short term I would say this is not the place to go. It sounds like the only job offer you might get is to fly for Freedumb. I would wait 3-6 months to see what shakes out at Mesa. One thing I know for a fact is the program takes lots longer than advertised. I believe they say it takes 10 weeks but I know someone who has been up there for over 6 months and still isn't finished. Most folks couldn't afford to sit around and wait for the 1900 time like he can.

Just build your time and apply at a place like Great Lakes that might take you with less flight time.

- AZPilot

 

[Snakum]

I got the 'Pace Packet' in the mail and spoke with a recruiter/salesman because, to be honest, I'm dying behind a desk and at my age (30s) and with the current situation I may never get to fly for a living, even though all I ever really wanted to do was local King Air or Citation charter type stuff. I can't even afford to finish my Commercial without borrowing, but I was considering taking out a big loan and just doing it all at Mesa. Just drop everything and move out west ... one last try ... all caution to the wind.

However, after the salesdude told me how quickly EVERYONE in the PACE program was being hired then (definitely not true, at that time I believe there were furloughs) and after reading what was happening at CC Air and with Freedom ... I just couldn't justify it. It is borderline PFT (at best) and that coupled with the possibility of winding up at Freedom was more than I wanted to swallow, despite a burning desire to fly professionally. A couple years at Mesa and I think I could have come back home and found a local charter gig - which as I said, is all I've ever wanted to do.

Realistically, I may have wound up a 500-hour wonder in the right-hand seat of a CRJ700, and the thought of that was absolutely intoxicating. But after reading the 'new list' here and reading thru a couple arguments about Freedom and about CC Air (I know someone who went there BTW and it's a mess!), I was concerned that Freedom would eventually be shut down and I'd not only be out of a job, but would be a Sub-1000-hour wonder with CRJ time and my name on a list. Things may have wound up more difficult than they are now.

From the sales pitch, I really got the feeling that the people in the PACE and Mesa PD program may be heading to Freedom. It's a choice only you can make for yourself.

Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.

Rev. Thich Minh Thong
(Still depressed ... behind a desk ... maybe I'll get a Skyhawk trip for the company this month ... maybe not.)

 

[celloman]

bobbysamd said:

I believe that MAPD's mins are 500 total and 100 instructing

I know for a fact that 500 tt will not get you a job at MAPD I think right now its in the 800-900 tt.

Best of Luck