Originally Posted by
LoudFastRules
I appreciate the comments you made earlier in your post, and can understand why someone who doesn't need to worry about the cost might select the JetU program.
However, I disagree with the paragraph above. JetU is a roundabout form of PFT. It is the airlines job to teach you 121 ops and aircraft specific training. If some PCL guys just happen to come from JetU, then that's really no big deal. However, if the PCL recruiting department is sending out emails telling applicants that they will not be considered until they first give JetU $27,000, then that is absolutely the airline pushing pilots to pay for training.
Look at it this way: When you get your private cert, instrument rating, commercial cert, and ME ratings, you are actually earning real qualifications which you can use all around this great planet of ours. But what does JetU actually QUALIFY a pilot to do? Get a job at PCL? If that's the case, then it's pay for training.
Sure, if you want to get technical, PFT -- Pay For Training, can be seen in all realms of aviation. From Southwest to corporate flight departments to guys going through a 5 day RJ Standards course at ATP to guys at Jet U. Call it what you want.
Though Pinnacle does provide the training materials, from my understanding they don't get a slice of the 27 grand. Once you're hired, you still go through ALL the training that any other new hire goes through. Also, if they did get a slice they probably wouldn't come here and play stupid games like giving tests during interviews filled with questions about Q-Routes, RNAV, etc., when staff here are specifically instructed NOT to teach about these topics. "External applicants" have never, ever received tests like that. We'll see what they have in store for this next group interviewing later this month.
Pinnacle encourages people without their minimum time requirements to go to JetU because they're dying for pilots, and they know if somebody signs up at JetU they'll be on a fast track to their airline. However, JetU "graduates" are by no means obligated to go to that airline. In fact, to be honest with you -- I bet there'll be a large amount who don't go to Pinnacle in the near future (especially considering some of the latest "issues"). Many people here have their sights set on Air Wisconsin and PSA, and both of those airlines have their sights set on us.
So I would still definitely argue that this is not PFT. It's learning the CRJ -- operated by dozens of airlines -- which simply makes a low time guy more marketable to
all airlines. Not just Pinnacle.