Regional Airline Academy

[RX7 PILOT]

Anyone been through the Flight Officer School?

 

[OUT]

Do they have any bridge agreements?

 

[taters]

RAA is

 

[OUT]

Is what?

 

[Hootie9750]

Is a joke.

 

[blackbox]

...a waste of money. a CRJ type rating is pointless. Give me 5K and I will guarentee you an interview with my airline or any airline of your choice. and if you dont get it, i'll pay you back half the 5k.

 

[svcta]

oh, god, here we go again.

 

[Burt Reynolds]

What's the upgrade time like? QOL?

 

[xjlifer]

Ya know some people should not post pictures of themselves on the net.....one in particular is just plain scary

 

[jbDC9]

What's the upgrade time like? QOL?

Better ask "psysix" this one, he has all the answers to these things. No, wait... he only has questions.

 

[RX7 PILOT]

...a waste of money. a CRJ type rating is pointless. Give me 5K and I will guarentee you an interview with my airline or any airline of your choice. and if you dont get it, i'll pay you back half the 5k.

The type may be pointless but to go from where I am now to where I want to be in only 9 weeks sounds pretty nice.

 

[keith]

....sounds pretty nice

....until you get there. Then the novelty wears off and the reality sets in. $20-25K a year doesn't buy much.

-Keith

 

[BeechCowboy48]

Raa

Why spend 100k on a bunch of BS? Just get all your certs from a reputable fbo/CFI (if you can find one). Teach for a while, tow banners, fly jumpers, freight dog it a little. Become a good pilot and have a good attitude and you will have a career in aviation. If you try to spend you mommy and daddy's money on a shortcut you take your chances. I would be suprised if even 50% of the tards who start at RAA (or most other pilot mills) get any kind of decent flying job. If you must go to a pilot mill, the least shady in my opinion are Flight Safety or Pan Am. A type rating really doesn't mean much if you can't even meet the insurance mins for a 182. May you'd get lucky, or maybe you'd have 700$ a month debt service and a job as a burger technician.

 

[BLing]

No!

I did none of my training there, but as an ex CFI for that place who had to sit through the first week of FOS, I am telling you not to waste your money!

 

[blackbox]

The type may be pointless but to go from where I am now to where I want to be in only 9 weeks sounds pretty nice.

I know it sounds good. Is your profile correct? Do you have 600 hours? I got sick of instructing too. but I just I had to tough it out. How much is the RAA program? and how much have you already spent on your flight training? Did you have to pull a loan to pay for it? will you have get a loan for RAA? Think about the loan payments. A first year regioanl paychek is about 650 bucks. You get that twice a month. The second one might be a little more with perdiem. Then you have a 500 dollar loan payment because you couldnt stand instructing 5 more months. yet now you gotta pay that 500 a month for 15 more years. Dont forget you gotta pay for your rent, car payments, cell phone bills, insurance, food, and any other bill that might come up I.E. Doctor bills, car repair, and who knows what else.

I know you want the quick road to the airlines. BUt about 95% of the people on this board instructed just like you. we all got burnt out but we stuck with. Their really arent any shortcuts to the airlines. The only legit one I can think of is if you do an internship. even then most of those are unpaid. Good luck and trust me and everyone else on this thread. Dont spend the money on RAA.

 

[mayoplane]

Ya know some people should not post pictures of themselves on the net.....one in particular is just plain scary

I don't know which ONE in particular you're talking about....there are more than one scary one.....

-----------------------------------------------
RAA...I wouldn't do it if I were you. I have seen their CRJ FTD....I wouldn't even use it as a CPT device. They always charge so much money to have their 600 hours CFI teach you how to fly big planes. My friend paid them $4000 for some airline transition course and got no interviews a few years ago. I felt very horrible for him. Maybe they got better programs now? A couple years back, they wanted people who wanted to teach there, to take this some expensive airline transition crap training before they worked there as a CFI. I just don't like their business ethics.

 

[xjlifer]

When the industry is on the upswing...and most if not all airlines are hiring....then maybe...just maybe this would not be a terrible idea. But when few are hiring and there are TONS of folks with TONS of hours on the streets....well then this is a very bad idea. Any airline that hiring that is worth anything has no problem getting pilots. I could see a RAA Hojet deal....pay 20g's and RAA will get you a job with hojet's. That will set you up for a nice long happy career!

 

[taters]

ATP might be a better solution IF .. you are willing to instruct for a while ( which you really should be if you want to suceed as well as become a better pilot ).

 

[flighttime]

I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and the subject of paying for crj type ratings was brought up. They said that a lot of the airlines are all after canidates that have some sort of crj training, but don't go out and spend the money on a type at RAA, or anywhere else. He said Delta Connection Academy has a good class and flight training device for the crj that would be a lot cheaper and very helpful.

 

[Way2Broke]

I applied for a CFI position at RAA a while back and was offered it without ever having met anyone from the school or even having been to the school. One condition, I would pay for some stupid program prior to employment. Cost, about 4k. SCAM! I wish I could remember the foreign guys name that said he talked to the chief pilot about me, and was pleased to extend the offer of employment conditional on....... I refuse to be a PFT pilot.

 

[pipejockey]

RAA is all about getting theirs! Once they have your money and have met at least their minimum contractual obligation to you, they will wash their hands of you! Don't ever expect them to go the extra mile for you just because you spent 25K to 100K on their pathetic training!

 

[RX7 PILOT]

I'd like to hear from someone who has been through the program. I see what you are all saying about being a CFI and I agree with you all. I'd just like to know what the program was like first-hand.

From the recruiter that I spoke with, nearly every pilot that completes the Flight Officer course is hired. He mentioned that american eagle recruiters visit every class and hire the majority of the students.

 

[Av8rPHX]

I'd like to hear from someone who has been through the program. I see what you are all saying about being a CFI and I agree with you all. I'd just like to know what the program was like first-hand.

From the recruiter that I spoke with, nearly every pilot that completes the Flight Officer course is hired. He mentioned that american eagle recruiters visit every class and hire the majority of the students.

Of course they are going to tell you that they have a high placement rate, that is one of those types of schools major selling points. Its kind of like flipping through Flying magazine and seeing all those colorful ads for the big pilot mills with happy smiling pilot people and NW,DL,HP,etc logos plastered all over the ad. They want to give the impression that almost everyone gets hired..

 

[Way2Broke]

I hear Delta is hiring street Captains, all you have to do is go to RAA.

 

[RX7 PILOT]

Of course they are going to tell you that they have a high placement rate, that is one of those types of schools major selling points. Its kind of like flipping through Flying magazine and seeing all those colorful ads for the big pilot mills with happy smiling pilot people and NW,DL,HP,etc logos plastered all over the ad. They want to give the impression that almost everyone gets hired..

YES yes I know the guy is selling his company but back to my original question, Has anyone been through the Flight Officer Program?

 

[SkyBoy1981]

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that some will go just to become an RJ pilot.

 

[fastbird]

Do your time as a CFI...don't go into debt...and don't PFT. You'll be better off for it in the long run. These pilot mills are crapola because they infect impressionable pilots with SJS and the false hope that there is a fast track to high paying pilot jobs.

Do a reality check RX7...hiring dried up at the majors about the same time concessionary contracts hit. Now, we're seeing whipsaw, alter ego carriers like GeauxJets and bankruptcy filings or sales of regionals plus low pay for our flying. When the legacy carriers or anyone else with big iron is hiring, they are looking for 1000 PIC with a 121 carrier. Right now, it's going to take you a while to get your 1000 PIC (like years). Spend a few more months as a CFI so you have 1200 TT, then you're at least part 135 insurable.

_________________
Don't be going in debt when the payoff is going to be a job that won't pay off the loan and give you descent QOL.

 

[sweatro]

He mentioned that american eagle recruiters visit every class and hire the majority of the students.

Now why would anyone want to go to Eagle?

 

[pianoman]

The experience you gain flight instructing will serve you well, in my opinion. It'll show you how to get along with people a lot different than yourself, which will come in handy when you have absolutely nothing in common with the person you're stuck in an aluminum tube with for an entire month.

You'll learn how to instruct without being a complete control freak, which will make you a much better captain when you upgrade and are flying with brand new FO's.

Plus, they're right- you really need to spend that kind of cash and keep paying it off for the next 10-15 years?

 

[crashpad]

RAA will go sneakers-up at some point. If you are there when they file Chapt.11, your training and money will disappear.

Research the American Trans Air pilot, his crooked Delta father and their entire criminal family with the school in Florida called ATA (Airline Training Acacdemy).

They played students like you and stole millions.
http://www.ilsapproach.com/forum/2003.cgi?noframes;read=44614&expand=1#44614