The footprint itself is around 28 training days i believe. But I’m reality it will take anywhere from 1-3 months before actually getting to ioe. It all depends on sim availability and if you/your sim partner have any events that could need retraining.

 

Training scheduling has been spotty lately, to say the least.

I know a sim team, both of whom passed all their FPT (procedures training) events without requiring retraining, but were put on hold for nearly a month before starting sim training.

I have met trainees who passed all their events, but their partners required retraining on multiple events (FPT and sim), and so the trainees ended up getting held back an additional 6-8 weeks, essentially acting as seat support while their partners catch up.

One trainee's partner quit after failing FTP 5. As of today, this trainee still hasn't reached MV, and he started ground school first week of December 2017! His new partner seems to require retraining on every second or third event. The trainee had prior 121 experience and had been helping his partner (very experienced CFI) out as best he can (reviewing flows and callouts, giving tips on flying the sim, etc.), but he can only do so much. A sim instructor pulled the trainee aside after the partner failed a sim session, and said the training department has got to figure out how to get the two of them separated so the trainee can finish and get on the line.

 

At least a CFI from a professional flight school should be relatively decent on instruments. We're now taking CFIs from mom-and-pop FBOs (so little if any IFR experience) and "flew a Cessna 100 hours a year for 15 years 15 years ago" types of folks.

 

Ha! Describes my background

 

And us rotor guys who fly instruments once or twice a year

 

Haha, it's fine. We don't fly instrument approaches anyway, we fly visuals, and when its time for the magic to happen on downwind, my SOP call out is always the same: "shake n bake baby!"

 

Except certain night visuals, because even that is too much flying for us. I kid I kid.

 

Try helo guy in AZ. I saw a cloud last October and canceled flying for the day.

 

lol but you aren't kidding, now are you?