Originally Posted by
itsjustajob
Anyone considering Atlas/Southern had better understand that there is enormous jeopardy that your training will NOT be successful.
Atlas/Southern rely on self study methods, so the burden is entirely on the candidate to pass or at least self-identify their own training deficiencies... You don't know what you don't know, making this nearly impossible absent constant evaluation by a qualified instructor or substantial experience to draw upon as you progress.
The bigger message needs to be that Atlas does not have an AQP program and still relies on 1950’s style training which relies upon and demands that a candidate have a high level of proficiency in type or an equivalent aircraft.
The staggering increase in Busts and no recommends and even terminations of incoming new-hires is revealing the inadequacy of the training program.
It's not that the instructors or new-hires aren't trying, it's that the system currently in use is a set-up for failure for those lacking 5,000+ hours of 121 international wide-body experience.
Luck simply will not cut it, experience is the surest pathway forward for anyone taking on this type of training scenario.
I don’t know that AQP is the biggest issue. Many today do shy away from any program that is rigid and extremely demanding expecting to be coddled and that’s a good thing for Atlas. Weeding out those who shouldn’t be there before spending time and money on them is better for the company, and it encourages potential applicants to avoid setting themselves for a failure that will follow them. The biggest problem that a company like Atlas faces is the compensation and the type of flying that they do. Flying 747’s to places that most people have never heard on a 17 day stretch with all kinds of explosives and other hazmat downstairs isn’t an entry level position. Anyone who applies to a company like this should be fully confident that they can handle whatever is thrown at them. Atlas is going to have to face the compensation issue. Paying entry level wages for a job that is far more demanding than what anyone at United or Delta ever face isn’t going to attract pilots who are able to perform. My guess is that one of the consequences of the 767 crash is that the FAA will be closely monitoring the training department and the standards will only be tightened. I don’t know that Atlas will ever be paid like UPS, but not getting close to the mark is just going to maintain the current problems. This isn’t right after 9/11. Highly qualified pilots aren’t on the street and desperate to feed their families.