Skybus Toast

[Fly2Scuba]

And this whole debate is dumb anyways because if I'm not mistaken, all the regionals have been hiring in recent times without the college degree requirement. And who said you had to have a degree anyways from UND or ERAU? I've flown with a handful of pilots with those credentials.

 

[get2flyin]

Why is UND/ERAU not as bad as GA? What do these schools do that an FBO and a degree via community college and a local univeristy can't, except require cash payout... just like GA. But you tell me how you see it...........

Gotta call BS on this one. I spent 4 years at ERAU and spent the same amount of money as what my brother spent to get an Civil Engineering degree from a college on the East Coast. I spent 4 years as a flight instructor, 5 years at Eagle, and have been flying A320s for 4 years. Do you think I cheated my way here?

I wanted to be a pilot, so why should I have gone to some community college to get a degree in basket weaving so I can check the 4 year degree box? ERAU, UND, and similar schools are prestigious and their reputation means something (or at least it used to). Faulting a pilot who attended them is like saying a guy who went to Flight Safety bought his way into a job. Why go to a mom-and-pop FBO if you want to do this as a career?

I got a great aviation education, but nothing taught me more about the art of flying than the 4 years I spent flight instructing. Furthermore, the years I spent flying a turboprop were a hell of a building block to transition to RJs. And that made the Airbus a pretty easy transition.

Granted, I think someone who goes to ERAU now shouldn't think they are entitled to move into the right seat of a CRJ the day they graduate but existing bridge programs are making that more common. I think it's wrong. If that is what you are implying, then I agree.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

So you reject Gulfstream but champion ERAU?
I am asking...

Gotta call BS on this one.

Me too...

I spent 4 years at ERAU and spent the same amount of money as what my brother spent to get an Civil Engineering degree from a college on the East Coast. I spent 4 years as a flight instructor, 5 years at Eagle, and have been flying A320s for 4 years. Do you think I cheated my way here?

Nope. But I don't think you needed to spend the money. Your brother had to because that is how you get certified to be an engineer. ERAU doesn't certify you to get licensed. (it can) If it was exclusive then many ERUA students wouldn't go off campus to get thier FAA tickets.

I wanted to be a pilot, so why should I have gone to some community college to get a degree in basket weaving so I can check the 4 year degree box?

Diverse education... for example a teaching degree would enable a school job if furloughed...

Less money. Its your choice.. but ERAU wasn't required. Its a good school.. don't get me wrong.. I've flown with lots of good guys and girls from there...

ERAU, UND, and similar schools are prestigious and their reputation means something (or at least it used to). Faulting a pilot who attended them is like saying a guy who went to Flight Safety bought his way into a job. Why go to a mom-and-pop FBO if you want to do this as a career?

I am sure you don't like be joked for being a riddle rat just as the GA guys don't like the judgement...

In the end on the jet, flying the line... does it matter?

I got a great aviation education, but nothing taught me more about the art of flying than the 4 years I spent flight instructing. Furthermore, the years I spent flying a turboprop were a hell of a building block to transition to RJs. And that made the Airbus a pretty easy transition.

Cool.... the does the turbo prop flying at Gulfstream help guys like it helped you?

Granted, I think someone who goes to ERAU now shouldn't think they are entitled to move into the right seat of a CRJ the day they graduate but existing bridge programs are making that more common. I think it's wrong. If that is what you are implying, then I agree.

I don't think its wrong.. it is supply and demand in our economy. Poor attitudes are wrong. Entitlements are wrong. Judging is wrong.

 

[WalterSobchak]

A college education will make you a better rounded individual ready to take on those tasks.

Funny...the only thing I learned in college involvesd copious amounts of alcohol and hot freshman girls. So, yeah...maybe you're right about pilots needing a "college education".

 

[Lear70]

I wanted to be a pilot, so why should I have gone to some community college to get a degree in basket weaving so I can check the 4 year degree box? ERAU, UND, and similar schools are prestigious and their reputation means something (or at least it used to). Faulting a pilot who attended them is like saying a guy who went to Flight Safety bought his way into a job. Why go to a mom-and-pop FBO if you want to do this as a career?

I got a great aviation education, but nothing taught me more about the art of flying than the 4 years I spent flight instructing. Furthermore, the years I spent flying a turboprop were a hell of a building block to transition to RJs. And that made the Airbus a pretty easy transition.

Non-sequitur, sir.

Paragraph 1: "Why go to a mom-and-pop FBO if you want to do this as a career?"

Paragraph 2: "I got a great aviation education, but nothing taught me more about the art of flying than the 4 years I spent flight instructing..." and so on and so forth.

People go to a mom-and-pop FBO because they CAN and because it doesn't matter.

I went to a mom-and-pop FBO for my ratings, even though I was in the MTSU aviation program. It was cheaper, about $20k for a 4-year degree AND everything through my CFII and MEI.

I got a flight instructing job straight out of college when everyone else had to leave the area. A year later, I was in a King Air. 3 months later, I was in the left seat. 9 months later, I was in a Lear. 9 months after that, I was in the left seat of the Lear. Most of my classmates were still flight instructing at the time. The flight training and where I got it had NOTHING to do with it.

Having a degree from ERAU or UND doesn't mean squat in the real world. It's who you know, how good a stick you are, and how well you interview. Period.

I don't "fault" anyone who went there; think it's COMPLETELY different than GIA where you're basically buying your job, but don't think ERAU or UND graduates are anything special over the guy who got his 4 year degree in education from Northern Illinois Community College.

It's just a piece of paper that shows you have cognitive skills that can be widely applied to other areas of life than aviation. Sometimes helpful to aviation, many times not.

 

[BOYCAPTAIN]

I agree with lear70 on this issue...the one thing that stands out is the "who u know comment'...the one good thing that i got from ERAU(Management degree..did not fly there...wasn't allowed...could not afford Raybans )was contacts...those alumni contacts got me into a lear after graduation and fedex 3 years after graduation...along with being a superpilot..of course!

 

[airbaker]

Gotta call BS on this one. I spent 4 years at ERAU and spent the same amount of money as what my brother spent to get an Civil Engineering degree from a college on the East Coast. I spent 4 years as a flight instructor, 5 years at Eagle, and have been flying A320s for 4 years. Do you think I cheated my way here?

I wanted to be a pilot, so why should I have gone to some community college to get a degree in basket weaving so I can check the 4 year degree box? ERAU, UND, and similar schools are prestigious and their reputation means something (or at least it used to). Faulting a pilot who attended them is like saying a guy who went to Flight Safety bought his way into a job. Why go to a mom-and-pop FBO if you want to do this as a career?

I got a great aviation education, but nothing taught me more about the art of flying than the 4 years I spent flight instructing. Furthermore, the years I spent flying a turboprop were a hell of a building block to transition to RJs. And that made the Airbus a pretty easy transition.

Granted, I think someone who goes to ERAU now shouldn't think they are entitled to move into the right seat of a CRJ the day they graduate but existing bridge programs are making that more common. I think it's wrong. If that is what you are implying, then I agree.

I sincerely respect your career path - you definitely didn't take any shortcuts. With that being said don't take the following comments as personal insult:

What's with the arrogance of some of the Riddle guys? They act as if it was a "most selective" university, requiring 1400+ SAT scores and 3.8+ GPAs. It wasn't at all an academically competitive school; that's one of the biggest reasons I didn't apply. I'm sure it had a great aviation department, but a lot of guys I encounter brag as if they went to Stanford or Harvard.

 

[Pocono Pilot]

I agree with lear70 on this issue...the one thing that stands out is the "who u know comment'...the one good thing that i got from ERAU(Management degree..did not fly there...wasn't allowed...could not afford Raybans )was contacts...those alumni contacts got me into a lear after graduation and fedex 3 years after graduation...along with being a superpilot..of course!

Wow, somebody loves himself.LOL

 

[Pocono Pilot]

What were you making at Gulfstream? How much did you pay for training?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hypocrite

Did you work without medical insurance for the first year at CAL? Didn't Skybus new hires make more than CAL new hires?

Yeah, that's what I thought. LOL


http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hypocrite

 

[Caspian27]

Simple:

Captain - $65k/yr
FO - $30k/hr

And what are your AirTran rates compared with everyone else?

It's never cool to see people lose jobs, but I agree that this company was a scourge on industry pay.