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Old 09-22-2014, 06:47 PM
  #9  
zondaracer
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Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: I pilot
Posts: 2,049
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I have been to FTE Jerez and I am familiar with this cadet program. It is a legitimately good program and FTE Jerez is a very good school, although very expensive. This is not a PTF scheme. It is a program very similar to the British Airways Future Pilot Program.

In the UK, there are three schools known as the "big three." CAE/Oxford, FTE Jerez (which is now certified and administered by the Spanish AESA and not the UK CAA after new EASA rules), and CTC. These schools are known for being very expensive yet having connections to airlines which draw in many students.

As far as students washing out... I've seen guys make it through the EASA training who wouldn't have passed an FAA private pilot oral. It's not rocket science. 64 weeks is a realistic timeline for 6 months of intense ground followed up by 170 hours of flight training (yes integrated EASA commercial pilot training is 170TT) followed by a type rating.

Right now, the only school in the US that is authorized to do EASA training (without an anchoring or partner school in Europe) is EFT in Florida.

The difference between the USA schools that get you both FAA and EASA ratings is that the "UK Big 3" have reputations and are known for job placements of many candidates. Going to other schools often times leaves students job searching on their own once their training is done. To give an example, I worked at a school in Europe and in my year there, I saw one guy get hired at an LCC, and student get hired at a Middle East carrier below minimums due to internal connections, and three have unsuccessful interviews at Ryanair. Since I left, one more got hired at Ryanair and one at another low cost carrier. Considering the number of graduates, landing a job wasn't easy. Conversely, I had a perspective student check out our school and before he committed, he got picked up to go to one of the Big 3 and had a guaranteed job on a 757 upon completion, much like the Aer Lingus cadet program mentioned here.

Originally Posted by Learjet FO View Post
There will be tons of washouts with a firehose this long on a civilian population. Even a large percent of dedicated and thoroughly screened military officers fail to complete pilot training! European airlines will suffer huge losses from recruiting into academies off the street! Just look at the numbers of students that stop training before private pilot in any flight school! And that's at their own pace, not airline firehose speed! They should just offer American pilots the right to work there, with the credentials we already have. USA is an ICAO country right?
That's sarcasm, right?

The percentage of students in Europe who start training and finish is much higher in Europe, from my observation.
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