You know, Air Wisconsin was on my short list for potential airlines to work for, but all this talk about the training department is discouraging.

 

You get out what you put in. They don't hold your hand and push you though the program as fast as possible sticking captains with incompetent seat meat. Just don't come thinking it will be a vacation in Appleton, study and put in the work and they will see that you're trying. A lot of the training for me has payed off for using that knowledge on the line. They definitely aren't out to get anyone, they just want good pilots flying the line.

 

Agreed. It's hard, but they're not actively trying to fail you.

 

Hi guys,

Got offers from PSA, Envoy, Air Wisconsin and Republic. I'm 43 and I got a BS and MS in engineering. My priority is logging as many hours as possible in the first two years. Quality of life can wait. It's a bit depressing hearing all the negative stuff from pretty much every regional except for Endeavor which isn't an option since I can't wait till late summer to start training.

I'm still not grasping how the whole scheduling works (pbs, sap etc.) except that seniority is what rules it.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

Thanks.

 

We don't have PBS or SAP. But plenty of etc.

We need FOs. If hired we are putting people in class as soon as possible from what I know. And as soon as you can finish SIM you'll be on IOE. Can there be training hiccups and delays? Sure. Most I heard of lately is one month but I've also heard we're catching up on that now. There certainly is no six month delay to starting training here. The newhire bonus is generous. And after IOE new FOs are flying hard. I don't hear of much sitting around.

 

Ok. Thanks for your insight.

 

AirWis is not my first airline experience, and so far, I am impressed on many fronts. They got us into classes super fast. We were paid in training and did not have to share hotel rooms. We did not need to learn unnecessary details. They have done a good job to ensure that you are learning what you will need to know. From what I hear, this was not the case until more recently.

Worth noting is that they seem to go out of their way to show interest in their new hires. We had company paid dinners on more than one occasion and several high-level managers showed up. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like an airline with a heart. No complaints here and I would make the same choice again. Benefits are TERRIFIC.

 

Nice 2nd post. High level management also showed up to the basement in Appleton 15 years ago. You didn't need to learn unnecessary details? What about half the limitations that make no sense that I'm sure you were required to recite during your checkride. They are simply a limit on the the gauges that you have no control over. What about half the IAC that they continuously claim "comes from bombardier" while other regionals flying the same plane have half the IAC.

The only reason you didn't share a hotel is because of our contract. This company does no favors. Don't forget that. The same contract which is falling behind by the lack of our ALPA leadership on continuous flight pay loss doing nothing but sending out polls.

 

Which CPT instructor do you get? A great one, or a screamer?

Which sim instructor? Expert, or one that has trouble setting up the sim, and your 2 hours fly by, without enough being accomplished?

Which IOE Captain? A laid back guy, that lets you fly, and teaches you, or one that thinks you should fly at their level, and has you totally burned out? At least one recent student resigned right after he completed IOE.

I'm sure there are stories of people going through training without one single issue. But there are also many stories that show that there are manuevers being taught differently, different instruction on landings, and very subjective IOE standards. If you have previous 121 in a jet, ( not turboprop ) you should be ok. If you are coming from GA, this is not a good choice to start your career. Much better options.

 

Welcome to AirWis!
Don’t worry about the people on here that just ***** and moan, they are in the minority out on the line. No airline is perfect, and if people don’t like it here then they should quit and go somewhere “better”.

Study hard, and just look forward to getting off reserve where life gets much better.