DegeReguard

Headed to St. Louis for the June class at trans states on the ERJ-145

Anyone been in class at Trans States recently that can let me know how it goes?

What are the tests like, whats the best way to study?

What recommended additional materials should I bring with me?

I got a packet of memory items and limitations via email to study and will have that all memorized before my class date.

Are there any surprises early in the class? (AIM test, etc)

Everyone talks about the five weeks of ground school and 8 sim sessions at flight safety. I'm getting the ATP PIC and ERJ SIC type ride simultaneously. Any advice for the sim or for the ride? Any familiarity with the check airmen? (Personalities, etc.)

I've heard some horrible things about Flight Safety instructors teaching the wrong sop's and check rides being fundamentally brutal.

Also, I understand TSA has a high wash rate. Is there a reason for that beyond just general unpreparedness?

Any insight or help would be awesome. I really want this job.

Also, please do me a favor and only reply with useful on topic stuff. Not with complaints or snide remarks about the company or the industry or whatever else. I don't want to fish through a bunch of micro conversations about how they didn't buy you're subway when you interviewed or how the management treats you.

I'm here to fly jets, log time, upgrade, and move on. I get regional airline quality of life isn't great and the money sucks. Honestly, if I cared about either thing I wouldn't be a pilot to begin with.

So please, keep the conversations training related. Help a fellow pilot out. Thanks.

pilot0987

I have nothing useful to say. sorry. ADDing here, if your getting the atp you should be getting the pic in 145. I thought flight safety guys were good. If you know your stuff it doesnt matter what the personality of the checkairmen is like. You already have the job, its yours to lose in training. Congrats on the new job. I don't work at Trans States but I did my company training in STL. That city really does suck.

DegeReguard

Yeah STL is a terrible place. But, im not there for a vacation and i'm going to be IAD based so... i'll live.

Thanks for whatever insight you've got. I'll make sure I know my stuff. I'm actually more worried about the flying. My twin stuff is a little rusty, though i'm told jets are much easier to fly compared to a piston twin as long as you have the profiles and callouts down cold.

gcpilot

are they not handing out PIC type rating in ERJ with the ATP?

DegeReguard

The CP of recruiting had told me in my interview "You can chose to do your atp on your own before you come to class, because our training is one of the toughest training departments in the industry, or we can do your atp here but if you do your atp here we have to train you as PIC and you will get a PIC checkride which is more difficult, especially for someone with no prior 121 experience, so make sure you can handle it if thats the way you want to do it"

That leads me to believe i'm just getting an ATP ERJ 145 PIC type. Still I had thought the PIC type and SIC type were not all that different, everything is flown to ATP mins anyway...

Flying Enoch

If you are more concerned about the flying portion, once you get your ID and background completed, you may be able to observe a flight on our own equipment to see the all the flows and in action.... I know they have in the past. Just check with the CP or DO when you're over in the training center to work out the details. Good Luck!

DegeReguard

Now that would be super helpful. I certainly will look into that!

Thanks!

gcpilot

There is not much difference in training and checkride for PIC and SIC. SIC, however, is an useless type rating that is handed out in the US and of no use if you ever think of working in other parts of the world as an expat.

If you can hack it, go for PIC rather than SIC. The ball is in your court. All the best!

Slim11

By now, you have seen what appear to be minor differences in wording in the emergency procedure memory items and call outs. Do not...DO NOT...blow off those differences. When you take your oral, you will be expected to repeat these procedures back to the examiner word for word.

The company expects you to call "positive climb," not "positive rate." They expect you to call "flaps zero..." not "flaps up."

One of my classmates, a retired Navy P-3 flight engineer with Part 121 experience, ignored this and didn't make it through his oral the first time. There were some other issues but his mindset was a big issue. He quit in lieu of being fired.

DegeReguard

Call Outs and Memory Items VERBATAM. Got it.