Originally Posted by
frmrbuffdrvr
Question. How large is your fleet and how many pilots do you have?
I realize that right now we only have about 130 line pilots but we have had, and hope to have again in the future, over 200 line pilots. I would argue that the reason our training is so intense is that, with that many pilots, we have to have strict consistency across the fleet. And sometimes the only time someone flies with them is during their six month check. So we need to ensure they are flying the plane the way we want it flown instead of some way they decide themselves is better.
PrettyFlyGuy, if your instructor had 2000 hours IN the 1900 while he was here, I'm guessing he went through our training back around 2010 or so. I believe he would find a different culture if he were to go through today.
You do realize about every airline and fractional out there has more pilots than Ameriflight and doesnt need to hold a shock collar on everyone to get them to fly properly. I believe we have 30 routes staffed plus a couple floaters and a few ACP's so 40 without checking the roster. We have guys from florida to colorado and we only get flown with every 6 months as well. Have yet to see a single person since I started. Consistency has nothing to do with intensity. Hell look at the Minnesota Vikings we train like hell every year but cant consistently catch a ball or run a play in sync until the 4th quarter when its to late. Its the quality of the training and proper quidance and explanation. If a pilot finds a way that is better, safer and more efficient i would hope you guys didnt beat out the last cell of common sense and hope for life during training that he would decide to fly the safer way and not just following your way blindly every time.
Whats interesting is we pay less than Ameriflight but fill every route within a week of the job posting. I had 4 other guys to compete against for my spot. That should say something as to what people think of the training. As I have been flying around doing charters I have discovered there are a ton of lifers in the night freight world who all seem to get paid less than Am flight so if they had a decent culture there are plenty of guys out there who they could poach that dig flying pieces of sh!t through the back side of thunderstorms all night. Or maybe the hiring department is only picking ding dongs who pencil whipped the 1200 hours and they have to be like that who knows. My father has 10000 hours between the metro and 1900 in the 80's so i hear all the time about his training which required all ndb approaches and he still had a more relaxed environment than here. Hell he had 3 engine failures, 1 fire and a stuck nose gear all in the metro. And flying a metro single engine is no cake walk. So he survived without being ridiculed through training. Now maybe your instructors never made it to the big leagues and have an ax to grind and fill there egos by t-bagging new hires in training so that could be it. Either way we aren't lifeflight medics or ER docs we are night freight pilots. So chill out and fly the damn plane and get off the high horse. Life is short so let your people enjoy their job. Not aimed at you specifically just alot of pent up anger at the industry as a whole.
My .02.