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Tab Express=joke

  • Thread starter 350DRIVER
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350DRIVER

I dunno if it is just "me" but it is truly sickening to read magazines and see Tab Express ads " Pilot Shortage" ..etc..
I feel for the "sick" people behind this company who are using corrupt and "false" measures to lure the "innocent" young people in aviation to this foolish program.- If I could accomplish one "last" thing in aviation before I died it would be to shed light on the "wrong" doings of this company- In my opinion we should all be appauled at what is taking place and the whole "concept" of what they are trying to "sell" to the innocent young pilots who think this is a "great opportunity".............- I would ask for anyone interested in this "program" to look beyond the "promise" and realize that this company is a "money maker" and not out for the good of aviation.... Just looking at their website is enough to make any pilot sick let alone at a time of crisis where so many pilots are out of work and to see the phrase "Pilot Shortage".....Come on...why "BUY" something when you can and should "earn" it as I and many others have done.....- If you look at the site anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence would realize that this is a "joke" not to mention what they are trying to do at a time where too many pilots are out of work and trying to get by and feed their family- Even the concept of this program is crazy and if you look at the people running this they are all "EX" somethings.........- Anyone who would spend the amount of money for these programs needs to have their heads examined.....- -

I have absolutely no respect for these people- this is a joke in my opinion and a very "sad" way of trying to generate business at such a "hard" time in aviation- I will do everything in my power to prevent people from going there and will do my best to explain to the innocent that this is a complete disgrace to the whole aviation community.... It really is unreal in my opinion to see what "aviation" is coming to and I hope to God that this program is not a trend that will continue- It is up to "us" that need to stand up for what is right and explain to the next generation of pilots how to do things the right and proper way........ Tab Express= A complete joke....

my $.2

any other opinions or comments??- this can't be just me...
 
Don't pay the TAB (sorry)

No, it is not just you. I saw their stupid ad on page 73 of the March Flying and dissected it on an earlier thread.

My favorite is that top banner which professes how men and women are "WANTED to Supply U.S. Airline Pilot Shortage." HAH! The "pilot shortage" is one of the biggest sophistries ever conjured up. Suffice it to say, there is no pilot shortage. There are tons of qualified applicants available for every opening - there always has been - and I am not counting furloughees who are available for work. If anything, the furloughees have expanded the glut of pilots.

I also like how it says, "Our First Officer Bridge Program can get you a real Job Interview with American Eagle and other top Regional Airlines when you graduate." The operative word is "can." Not "will" or "shall." G-d forbid, "guarantee." The word "can" is a conditional. That's how they skate around getting the interview for you when you try and cannot.

I'm not saying per se that this place is illegal according to the law because I don't know that, but it is a typical scam that sells dreams. It sounds a lot like P-F-T, though it doesn't fit the technical definition. What it does is it preys on people who are desperate in their minds to get the job or those who are unwilling to put in the time to get the experience the commuters want. I would hate to see anyone being sucked in by this ad and what I am sure is a smooth and convincing sales pitch by their reps. Someone on the last thread commented that he saw the place and in realty it is a Mom 'n Pop with a beaten-up Kingair.

It may as well be P-F-T because, I'd bet, it wants a big check up front which it will keep whether or not you complete the program. Of course, with P-F-T you cough up the cash at the beginning with a no-refund policy. Therefore, they have a real conflict of interest between helping you complete the program as opposed to washing you out, arbitrarily, and making big money with little expenditure of overhead. Then, of course, if you complete the P-F-T the airline may not be hiring.

I have just started to read aviation magazines again after an eight-year hiatus. What continues to blow my mind is these same operations are still around and advertise in reputable magazines. As far as I am concerned, TAB may as well advertise in the Enquirer.

We can all hope that folks wanting the career will come here and/or get opinions from professionals about these "programs." Of course, it is caveat emptor, but I'd hate to see people with big dreams being taken by an operation such as this.
 
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Agree

While I agree with Bobbysamd on many things, I think we might be a little quick on the judgement gun here.

Tab is a school and they have a program, little different than any of the schools that we think of.

Now we can all look around and say, heh there is no shortage of pilots right this minute. Duh!! Obviously. As for most of the furloughee's, they are unemployable. Still there are plenty.

I was up at Tab and took a training flight with them. The student was a 10 year old black young lady. She will come out of there before her 20th birthday with approximately 385 multi engine turbine hours and a pile of hours of airline style ground instruction, most of it from active airline pilots who I met.

Let's assume that she has some other time to add on top of that.

The question is what is going to be the demand and supply when she is lets say 23. Where will she be if she continues and builds some more time and experience. I personnally thing sjhe will be in great position as the business comes back and more and more retirements take place.

OR

Let's say you are 35 years old, have a good pile of single engine time, some multi, but you are behind the average person competing for a job now an would stay that way. Here is an opportunity to make some time up, get a good education on crew coordination and aircraft systems in an airline environment.

3 years from now, you are competitive.

Bobby, you are too old just like me. In the big scheme of things, these are just programs and some fit some, some do not. Like our business, three or four years, or 7 or 8 miles in front has to be where you are looking.
 
Yeah, but . . . .

I decided to change careers to professional flying at age 36. My father, G-d rest his soul, who knew zip about aviation, told me I should have started ten years before. And, yes, this "school" is different than FlightSafety, or Riddle, or ATP. Perhaps closer to Mesa, which is a program that does work if you follow the rules.

What I do not like are the claims this school makes. I'll give a brief comparison to Mesa. TAB "can" get you the interview. Mesa, given the caveat above, "will" get you the interview. That's what people want. Their goal is "the interview."

Once again, what does "can" mean? That one of the current or retired airline pilots-instructors on staff will walk in your app to H.R.? Or, that you will receive publications similar to those which FAPA put out that makes it sound easy? That's my beef with these places. Who knows, fifteen years ago and not knowing what I know now I might have signed up with this place instead of the traditional way I used of building time while flooding H.R. with resumes and apps. And, probably, I would have had a wad of turbine in my logbook but set back thousands of dollars and at no greater advantage than had I built my wad of recip multi and having been paid.

We disagree, perhaps. We do agree that we're older, maybe chronologically but not at heart.
 
Speaking of the pilot shortage

Not on topic, sorry.

Obviously there isn't a pilot shortage, per se. There are, however, flying jobs to be had. The 121 airline I work for (many of you know who it is) had to work hard to fill a 1900 class this month. A few days before the class started, they had to made a phone call to a well known PFT school in FL looking for bodies to fill the class.

I guess people would rather be on unemployment than fly an airplane with 30,000 hours and 50,000 cycles...
 
MEN and WOMEN's money wanted

Just thought I'd throw my opinion in on all this. Several good points have been posted so far.

My point is quick and simple. As Bobbysamd stated, this flight school states it "can" get you an interview at an airline with lower flight time. Right now at this time in the industry, the realistic chances of this happening are about 1%. Having 100hours of King Air time is nice, but I seriously doubt you'll get hired anywhere with 400hrs of total time, and 100hrs of King Air time. If by chance you are so lucky as to get an interview with their one or two "target airlines" who aren't hiring, and you don't get the job, then what do you have? You have a few hundred hours of flight time, 100hrs of King Air time, no job, no CFI ratings and a huge loan to pay back. This school doesn't even offer the incentive of instructing there after completing their progrm, which most other flight schools offer. Speaking of, how much is this program? Nowhere in their ads or on their website do they mention the cost of their "Express Direct FO Program."

From the looks of their program, some of the things offered arent very useful such as:

-737 ground school
-Express 8 Phase: Interview Phase Ground School Phase (1 week)
-Express 9 Phase: Dispatch and Indoctrination Course (1 weeks)
-Express 10 Phase: Target Airline ground school (3 weeks)

I mean, yes, this might be interesting to learn, but personally I'd rather spend the extra thousands and thousands of dollars on flight time or getting my CFI, rather than taking any of those classes. A lot of those course courses are things you will get PAID to learn while in ground school. Not the other way around.

Atleast this is the way I look at it.

I wish we could hear from someone who attended or is attending this school to get their opinion.
 
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questions

As in all things, the answers are never as clear as they would seem.

There is no question that the weakness to this program is that if you start at zero time and go through, when you come out you od not have enough time to get easily employed.

That being said, having seen the program, you will probalby be advanced as to capability.

If you walked in with 800 hours of about any kind of time and did the program, you would easily be employable.

While they do not have cfi's for the most part, they have started a part 135 and have 20 King Airs on lease to businesses that can use sic's. BTW I think that you end up with about 385 hours of King Air and sim time.
 

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