Originally Posted by
CessnaGril
Any one new to the airline industry; consider starting somewhere else.
You will have some surprises in training, and may not be retained by the company :
- Significant failure rate . 6 -10 out of last few classes ( seems to be students new to 121, or those who have been away from flying for an extended period.)
- inconsistent training in sim.
- long delays between extra sim sessions.
- huge variation in level of difficulty on orals / checkrides.
- Inconsistent training on IOE. diff. level of expectations ,
different techniques taught, subjective standards.
- LCA's intentionally causing extra stress, because they feel like it.
The company has hired very experienced pilots in the past, and some LCA's expect you to fly at the level of an experienced 121 pilot.
If you accept an offer, be prepared.
As with most regionals, the failure rate is probably indicative of the quality/experience of applicants they’re receiving vs the actual training program changing. AWAC has always been known to have a high bar set for training.
Transitioning from props to jets, especially from piston props to jets, is a big step. 1500hrs doesn’t magically make everyone ready to be jet pilots, folks probably should do more research into airline training programs and chose an airline that will help them succeed in training for their first 121 gig instead of letting it be a dice roll. They can always leave down the road to an airline that’s a better fit after they’ve gained some experience.