Originally Posted by
bcrosier
I AM trying to talk you out of being a dumbass and taking the absolute shortest route to an RJ seat, thereby bypassing some of the most valuable experience you'll have the opportunity to get. The term character building comes to mind - and that's not a bad thing. To be the best pilot you can be, you need some character building experiences. I've already given examples, I won't bother repeating them - but perhaps you should go back and re-read them and contemplate that.
I guess I don't understand. How the heck does training in a slower fashion build character? Whether you like it or not, in ANY career, from ANY college, the goal of a graduate is to have a steady paycheck as soon as possible. This is the real world - if it means that I don't have the best "character," to your definition, then so be it. I'll be happy when I have a seniority number at a regional and am earning a paycheck (which is meager, mind you) at 22 years old.
Quite frankly, I think it builds more character to even be eligible to become a new hire regional pilot by the end of college. It takes a ton of hard work - flight instructing as much as possible, including the summer, and maybe squeezing in an internship as well.
I recognize and accept that people here have different opinions on flight training. But it's not acceptable to call somebody a "dumbass" because they value real-world career goals rather than building whatever concept of "character" that you have in your mind. I'm never going to be the very best pilot in the world. But if I can operate the aircraft safely, comfortably, and efficiently while working well with my captain/first officer and flight attendants, I'm happy. Whether you like it or not, ERAU and other "aviation colleges" have produced thousands of people just like that, with good character, decision making skills, and knowledge needed to fly safely. That's probably why during 2006-07 at ASA, approx. 75% of applicants who came from structured approaches were hired, while less than 27% of non-structured applicants were hired. And the interview process includes a simulator portion, where applicants need to deal with a variety of emergency situations, exactly like what you were mentioning.
Character is who you are when nobody is looking. I was taught that in kindergarten, and I've followed it ever since. It is NOT, however, going to Mom 'n Pop's Flight School of Fun rather than ERAU, and becoming a regional pilot at age 24 rather than 22, going through "character building exercises" along the way.
Oh, and by the way - my PM contact who went to ERAU did not say all positive things about the school, far from it. But because of his first-hand experience, he could provide me information that somebody who hasn't even attended ERAU can't provide.