What V says may be true, but Atlas has, in the recent past, had instructors/check airmen who would frequently bust people on check rides. Some of this was due to the fact that the training at Atlas was unlike ANY other airline that I have ever been at or heard of. Atlas is the ONLY airline that did not teach me systems or profiles. You have to teach yourself virtually everything. Group study helps, but is sometimes complicated by new hires who lead a group down an incorrect path due to previously learned (from other employers) methods or techniques. It is a real "fend for yourself" situation.

This was complicated by the fact that there are many, many different "techniques" within the Atlas schoolhouse that the check airmen could disagree with on a case-by-case basis.

Topping all of this off was the example of the check airman who was fired from the training center because he told a new hire, as they walked off of the sim after a failed check ride (paraphrasing here) "well I guess you can forget all about going to that Delta interview, now". This attitude was not unique to this particular guy, either.

While the overall attitude within the schoolhouse has improved a bit with the installment of the new director (and the direction from management to hire like crazy to mitigate the constant resignations), the pathetic training system has not. It is still up to the new hire to teach him or her self virtually everything.

Good luck and don't forget that there are still career destination airlines who have professional training centers where they aren't afraid to spend the extra few dollars to actually teach you what you need to know to bring you up to their standards. Just don't expect this from Atlas.

8