Whats with Pinnacle..........

[Mr. Irrelevant]

In regards to Dumb Pilot's post, it is interesting to hear him describe the issues they have with these super low time pilots. Just the issues they shouldn't have if they had AT LEAST an additional 1000+ hours of experience doing CFI and/or charter work. Really amazing and illuminating to hear his input on this thread.

Mr. I.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Did someone say Pinnacle??!!

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=71374&highlight=pinnacle



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[bailey3083]

That's correct. They are presently showing the door to many applicants with thousands of hours, and opening the door to inexperienced JET U applicants with less than 300 hours. That's a fact. Amazing isn't it?

And just for the record, I never have and never will apply at Pinnacle. I would rather commute to Australia.

In the famous words told by a Pinnacle Captain of an inexperienced F.O. It was snowing in DTW and the FO looked at the Captain and said: "Hey, it's snowing out, are we okay to fly then?"

One of the best zero to hero comments by one of these SJS kids I have flown with is " Wow that is the longest I have ever been in a cloud. I just tripled my IFR time!"

 

[Mesabi Miner]

Where they need a LOT of work is in radio work, operations out off heavy traffic airports, that sort of everyday flying stuff that they simply haven't had any experience with. Getting their visual approaches stable seems to be the biggest problem with new applicants.

Seems to me like another 700-1000 hrs in a C-172/Archer/Arrow/Seminole would clear up these problems very nicely. Not knocking on any one company in particular but someone with 300 hours, in my opinion, has no business in a Part 121 airplane. Period.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I'm in favor of the ATP certificate as a minimum hiring requirement. After all, you are technically an airline pilot after all. Commercial is really only a minimum cert. needed to legally accept payment for your flying duties. 135 IFR minimums are still the norm for operations outside of airline flying, such as single pilot 135 freight and pax operations. With the typical equipment and operations found in scheduled flying, one should at least possess that many hours and have the ATP in hand.

It really says a lot when someone isn't qualified to command a 135 IFR trip, yet be able to fly right seat on regional jets and props.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I've got a funny story. A few months back, I gave a ride to a lady captain from LAN-DTW. The back was full so she rode with us in the front. While my F/O was doing the walk around, I gave her the J/S brief and told her that I was doing O/E and that she was going to see "instructing" rather than a normal line flight.
At the end of the flight, my F/O jumped out to do his W/A and she thanked me. "Always welcome" I answered. "No, I'm not thanking you for the ride" "I'm thanking you because I have just being offered a Check Airman position and after this flight, The hell with that, I'm not taking it."

 

[SEVEN]

One of the best zero to hero comments by one of these SJS kids I have flown with is " Wow that is the longest I have ever been in a cloud. I just tripled my IFR time!"

Those are funny stories. But whats not funny is that there are 50 clueless people riding along while those morons "gain" experience at 500 knots.
I guess we can all agree now that Pinnacle's hiring standards are a laughing stock and a joke at best. Always remember one thing. Keep the people you love off those airplanes.

:uzi: Pinnacle/Gulfstream/Jet U:smash:

 

[Dumb Pilot]

This is a trend gentlemen that regrettably is not exclusive of PCL. Low time pilots are being hired at most regionals these days. And the trend will get more wide spread, you will see before not too long low time "program" individuals hired at major carriers. It is happening now in other parts of the world. I used to transport European Airline Crews in position all over the Caribbean. LTU, Spanair, Air Europa. A-330 crews with the captains at 4000 total and the F/O's with 500 hours. Granted their selection and training programs are more intense on relation to what we have here in the States. But as the demand for crews increase in the next decade or so, you will see low time pilots not only at most regionals like you see now, but at the majors as well

 

[XJohXJ]

Northwest signed up with one of those programs recently, didn't they? One of the universities. Granted, they have plenty of checks in place, for CYA, until they see how it goes.

 

[Rook]

They all claim to be Northwest pilots.... What's up with that? I was going home one day after a long trip and this Pinnacle pilot told me "When I got hired by Northwest, I was flying the Saab, but I'm on the CRJ now." Everytime we make small talk with their pilots in the crew van they say they fly for Northwest and then the truth comes out when we ask what they fly.

Tools.

First off,

No. We don't all claim to be Northwest pilots. You were talking to one of our 'finest' I guess. And why lump all of us into that category just because you were talking to a jerk? I'm sure a lot of your Hitler youth compadres tell folks they fly for the Sky nAAzi's. I got a lot of buds at Eagle. I know you guys aren't all pretentious.