Questions for Pinnacle Pilots

[135pilot]

1. How long is ground school and what does it entail
2. How soon do you start IOE after ground school
3. How long are you on probabtion for after IOE
4. How is the base which you will be at decided and when is it decided i.e during or after ground.
5. Is ground trainng 7 or 5 days a week
6. As a newbie do you get some form of compensation while in ground school.

 

[flyf15]

Well, I can't give you definitive answers on this, but from what I know about Pinnacle and regional airlines in general....

1. Expect ground school to be roughly 4 weeks. Indoc, systems, procedures, written exams, etc
2. Expect a month or so of sims, procedures trainers, LOFT, etc after ground school.. and IOE shortly thereafter
3. Probation lasts a year from the date you start class
4. You bid on your base and get what your senority holds. Right now I think that most Pinnacle newhires are getting DTW with MSP or MEM to some... if you want MSP or MEM, but get DTW, you should be able to hold them within a few months.
5. Ground school typically 5 days a week, 8 hours a day
6. I think right now Pinnacle is offering $200/wk and a hotel room while in training...


I'm sure Pinnacle guys can correct me if I was wrong on anything of the above...

 

[OMG7778]

Everything is pretty close above

Few things to add

Seniority in class is determined by age

You are not considered an employee until you pass your check ride, and they dont hesitate to remind you of this fact.

There are a lot of other companies you could go to that will both treat you better and pay you more. If you have other options I would consider those. Pinnacle is a last resort with everyone else hiring unless you live in one of the three bases.