Which Academy/School to recommend?

[bailout]

I have a good friend who has @ 2,000 TT, 325MT, mostly piston, but @100 King Air turbine, Com, ATP, IFR etc, but has been told by several regionals, that he is "not competitive". He wants to attend a flight school/academy to get his CFII, etc to get more time and exp, and possibly open a few more doors to get an interview. I think just getting a CFII and instructing locally is not as good as going to a reconized flight school, like DCI, ER, or FSI, etc from a regional airline point of view. Any opinions on these schools? or any other ideas? Or he would like to go to a school like RAA, that has a turbine transition program with an interview connection.
Thanks..

 

[crashpad]

Bailout;

I think your friend has the quals. to get an interview now w/Mesa, Skywest or Great Lakes. Don't you guys dare flame me for this, but there is only one school I would recommend to give him the best chance of getting on if he is determined to pay for an extra rating...MAPD. Mesas' school is a legitimate business and would likely have a plan for him. He could call and make up his own mind. I've been around about 2 decades in this business and that's my recommendation for too many reasons to list.

 

[charlie1]

has your friend applied to mesa or colgan?

 

[charlie1]

mesa use to have an ATP program that you would attend for one week, and if you successfully completed the training you were guaranteed an interview. no need to go through the MAPD with the current time your friend has.

 

[bailout]

Thanks for the replys and PMs. I'll let you guys know what happens in case any of you (or know someone) in the same situation.