Originally Posted by FlyPurdue

This is really a shame - I was in the April class, and everyone whom made it to sim - passed with out any problems, granted many of us have since left for greener pastures...

AQP takes a lot of work, studying flows, procedures, call outs, and reading section 9! They expect you to show up to each sim and expect the ONLY thing you to struggle with is nuances of the dash, nothing procedurally, and especially nothing instrument related.

Unfortunately, there is no consistency between instructors, some are very laid back, others it is their way (not the Piedmont way) or its wrong.

I really enjoyed my tenure at Piedmont, but love being at ExpressJet! The training is not AQP, and if you show up with a great attitude - you will make it through. They have a lot of experience in getting lower time guys successfully through training, and IOE, and on to the line. My class had everyone from 700 hour CFI's, to a furloughed NetJets Captain The line captains do not expect you to be an expert at the -145, and will all help you feel comfortable. Some people from my class needed a few extra sim slots, or FTD sessions, and that was fine!

The Dash, is a very capable aircraft, and is the epitome of 1980's tech. But, it is 1980's tech - remember how user-friendly and state of the art 'DOS' was, think of that, but in an aircraft...

It really is a shame, that Piedmont has to go to the bottom of the barrel to find pilots to fly an aircraft such as the dash. It is defiantly the hardest aircraft I have ever flown, and that list included King/Queen Air's, Turbo Commanders, and now -145's. Piedmont has/had so much potential to become a great airline, just so poorly managed by both Salisbury, and Tempe. Good luck to all the new hires!

-FlyPurdue