I spent 4 years at Lakes and I have to say that for the most part I was not disappointed in my decision to go there. The number one reason for my lack of disappointment was due to the fact that I did all my research and I knew what I was getting myself into. They don't keep the training contract, low pay or the no pay in training a secret. It is your decision to accept or reject the job offer, no one is holding a flame to your feet telling you that you have to accept the job. Yes, FO pay and CA pay at Lakes is very low but again this is something that you know going into it when you accept the job. People that are disgruntled at Lakes for the most part are the people who spend all their time worrying about how the company (ie. scheduling, training dept. or CP office) is trying to make their life miserable. I like Joe looked at everything as "Glass half full". If you start a trip in the mind set that this is day one and I am supposed to be done on day four and nothing else matters between those two days as long as I go home when I am supposed to, you can keep yourself happy for the most part. Again that is my view and that is how I personally managed to keep myself happy, and it worked for me.

As far as the training department goes, like any other company that offers paying passengers a seat, they are obligated to assure the pilots are safe and keeping their knowledge and skills up to standards. You wouldn't sign a student off to solo if he or she had not completed all the required material prior that flight would you? None of the instructors at Lakes are out to get you (on either airplane). If you show up prepared and preform the way you are required to preform you will never have an issue. Again the people that have issues with the training dept. are the people that don't do their part to assure a successful training event. This goes for new hire training, recurrent, and upgrade training at Lakes.

Lakes is not a good fit for a lot of people. But you have all the information in front of you when you take the job. You have to decide for yourself if it is something that you can grin and bare. I will say this about Lakes, the people that you work with and come in contact with on a day to day basis are the people who make the job worth it, not to mention those are the people that will help you find your next job if you played your cards right during your stay. Now that I have left and moved on to another flying job I realize how nice it was to work with people that I got to see on a weekly basis, not to discount the people that I work with now, but is just a completely different environment.

Thats my 2 cents on my experience at Lakes. Everyone is different and you have to do what is best for #1.