Originally Posted by AirBear

The airlines are getting away from the "Build the Jet" mentality. When I did A320 Initial at US Airways in the late 90's it was a whole new ballgame. Mostly Computer Based Training, the program would back up and show you why your answer was wrong. Very few hard numbers to memorize. In the early 90's our 727 fleet had 4 different engine models, and we had to memorize the EGT and other limits for all 4. PITA.

By the time I did Embraer Phenom 300 Initial at Flight Safety around 2014, classroom was like playing Microsoft Flight Simulator all day. They'd throw in a malfunction and pause the flight and then explain about the system involved while the system was displayed on the MFD. Great way to learn the Jet.

I had a friend at USAir who got furloughed and went to JAL Cargo flying DC-10's I think. In school they had to memorize what the 27 layers of the windshield were made of. Oriental Carriers seem to still have the "build the jet" model, although my info is a bit dated.

When you get to ground school take a roll of Duct Tape with you. Because there's always one A-hole who wants to know how to build the jet. Apply Duct Tape liberally at next break