When management announced to the company that ZW was going to start hiring pilots again the very next line was that we will have to “contain costs.”



Obviously the ATP/CTP course is a cost to the company, so its obvious why they will not provide that training at this time. That said, even if you have the course and ATP written completed, but you do not have turbine or 121 time, I suspect that they likely will not offer you a class date at this time either. I hope I’m wrong by the way, but the fact is there are tons of guys on the streets who have turbine and 121 time and have proven to be successful through a 121 initial training program. The collective cost to train these guys is significantly less than the collective costs to train the 1,000-1,500 hr CFIs who have never completed a 121 program. The guys with 121 experience have a significant less risk of requiring extra training or more importantly failing out. When a new hire fails out because he’s having trouble in the sim, the company has spent a significant amount with no return on investment. So one way to contain costs is for the company to hire former 121 folks as the overall training cost will likely be less. Realistically ZW will likely be hiring former 121 folks first, and once that pool of applicants dwindle, they will offer ATP/CTP and class dates to 121 newbies. How long that will take is anyone’s guess.