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Transpac Aviation Academy

Old 05-26-2017, 07:21 PM
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What do folks know about Transpac Aviation Academy in Phoenix, AZ? Is the CFI life decent? Hours good? What's the housing like? Are the bonuses real? Is the management good to employees? Who I've been talking to has been super sweet, but HR people usually are. 🙂 Thanks in advance!
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Old 05-27-2017, 04:06 AM
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I left in November so might be out dated info a little bit. The pay was 28k, you work 5 10hr duty periods, 2 consecutive days off. Bonus is real it was $5,000. $1,000 week 1 and the rest when you pass indoc (2 weeks later). Ended up like 3400/3500 after taxes if I remember. They were funded CFI-I as well when I was there almost the entire time. The bonus is a 1 yr contract and if they fund your CFI-I you still get the 5,000 but your contract worth is 8,000. Just work for a year and you're off the hook.

So anyways, you'll teach private pilot when you get in. Expect 40-50 hrs a month. That will go about 4 months until you get to instrument. They do commercial time building in instrument so my hours were around 110-130/month depending how much I worked the week (a 6th day or not). Tough out private and don't complain and instrument you'll get the hours. Now if you're a MEI you're at a disadvantage because they were short those guys/gals. Most of that training is in the sim so your hours a month go back down to 40. Most of the time (if not all the time) they will keep you in instrument and not recycle you through private again. It almost always goes to new hires. Private is very stressful crappy time at TransPac. Briefs, solos, landing missions...these students are not very good either.

You'll have a language barrier but the students overall are very respectful. Not very good pilots but it's whatever. Some guys who are dramatic can't handle it but most are fine. You just never trust your students and be on the controls lightly as a back up or hands ready at all times. Even when they're 190 hours deep into training getting ready for multi or the king air. Too much to risk if you think they know it by now....they don't.

Pretty much QOL is not very good at TransPac but they give you the most hours in the valley for sure. If you teach instrument a common schedule is 3 or 4 pm start to 1am or 2am. It's great for the summer flying and with the air conditioners on the planes it's super nice. You'll work your a** off, get paid worse than the other schools but you also won't fly 40-70 hours a month consistently. You have the option for much more hours and to me it was worth it.

I almost never worked 6th day (until my last 2 months I did a few) and I logged about 930 hours in 11 months. The management is okay, they treat you like most places. Not as good as other schools but if you just do your job, don't cancel for a cell that's 30 miles away and the size of a Cessna, and you'll be fine. The ones who don't like management typically complain to them daily. I went weeks sometimes without having to talk to my boss and I just did my job. When I needed their help they helped but also I helped when they asked in return. Overall it's a good company. A good story I tell people is when my appendix ruptured the company gave me as much time as I needed and I got paid. I never got texted on when I was coming back and I left 12 students without flying for 2 weeks. When I came back they even offered to ease in a light schedule. They were very supportive and cared. People typically act like they don't (as does everyone with all management) but I enjoyed my time at TransPac. I went for hours and I got them fast. Other schools around the area will pay more, work less, and have better lifestyles but a lot of my friends there spent a few more months to get the same hours I had. Pick and choose your battles. Getting to a regional 3-4 months earlier is a big deal in seniority. Hope all that helps I tried to give a complete unbiased and not disgruntled opinion. You WILL run into guys who hate the company and couldn't deal with working that much with Chinese guys. It's not easy I won't lie but it was definitely worth it.
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Old 05-27-2017, 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by FlyingRae View Post
What do folks know about Transpac Aviation Academy in Phoenix, AZ? Is the CFI life decent? Hours good? What's the housing like? Are the bonuses real? Is the management good to employees? Who I've been talking to has been super sweet, but HR people usually are. �� Thanks in advance!
The CFI life at Transpac right now. You will work 10 hour days many times with 1 hour break others with half hour break only, I messaged my team leader recently about having a half hour break after working 8 hours straight and his reply to me was that we get 1 hour breaks as a "courtesy" this is on 10 hour work days so you can imagine how management feels about us CFI's.

You will usually be scheduled starting at 4am during private and 4 or 5pm during instrument into early morning 2 or 3am.

They are no longer paying out the entire bonus when you finish standarization, now they pay half once you are done with stanz and the other half six months after that.

Hours during private; last week one of the CFI's teaching privative told me she was only getting about 30 hours per month because of new restrictions on the amount of hours they are giving new students.

Transpac used to be a great place to instruct (well dispite that most students are just lazy and you really have to babysit them. SOME are really good but this is rare) new owners changed things around, did some major damage then put things back (kind of). They used to have different airlines come visit every month, but this is not thr case anymore.

Management will pressure you to fly at times, personally I had a student who said he was sick and wasnt fit to fly, they told him to have some water and get in the airplane. I couldnt believe it.
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Old 05-27-2017, 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by yeahbutstill View Post
The CFI life at Transpac right now. You will work 10 hour days many times with 1 hour break others with half hour break only, I messaged my team leader recently about having a half hour break after working 8 hours straight and his reply to me was that we get 1 hour breaks as a "courtesy" this is on 10 hour work days so you can imagine how management feels about us CFI's.
Quite a shame I've heard some people having some worse experiences lately.


I would suggest not even going to your team leader or class manager for any of that stuff. I almost never went to them for anything unless I absolutely had to. Just end your missions 15 minutes earlier than the return time, go to dispatch with the can while they tie down, start computer paperwork immediately and you'll get your hour and then some.

If you get into the rhythm of how to save time at TransPac it will really add up. I use to do missions to CGZ, 3 approaches all to a missed back to DVT in under 1.5 hours usually. Sometimes Valley Rally and if they said no to the ILS, I just incomplete it but complete the full mission since you're allowed those 2 incompletes. Would ramp out at the exact 15 minutes early, and return everytime almost 30 mins early...sometimes 1 hour. Some instructors took their sweet time doing briefs, sweet time to tie town, sweet time to talk after. If you can figure out a time to do that stuff before you get back I would (obviously with the students who aren't weak and need some talking to). Hammer that stuff out and get out of that place as early as possible.

I mean literally the pre-brief before each flight is a joke. It's the same exact brief notes you were supposed to do 3 flights before and you do that for 3 months straight. You cannot brief about wake turbulence avoidance 30 mins twice a week for 3 months. Also, you do the valley rally almost 5 days in a row or CGZ approaches. There is only so much to talk about on those briefs, let alone what they even listen to.....

Don't know if you can still do any of that but nobody was telling me "you must remain in the aircraft longer" and if you're doing missions in less time than 1.7 your boss is always happy.
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Old 05-27-2017, 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted by yeahbutstill View Post
The CFI life at Transpac right now. You will work 10 hour days many times with 1 hour break others with half hour break only, I messaged my team leader recently about having a half hour break after working 8 hours straight and his reply to me was that we get 1 hour breaks as a "courtesy" this is on 10 hour work days so you can imagine how management feels about us CFI's.

You will usually be scheduled starting at 4am during private and 4 or 5pm during instrument into early morning 2 or 3am.

They are no longer paying out the entire bonus when you finish standarization, now they pay half once you are done with stanz and the other half six months after that.

Hours during private; last week one of the CFI's teaching privative told me she was only getting about 30 hours per month because of new restrictions on the amount of hours they are giving new students.

Transpac used to be a great place to instruct (well dispite that most students are just lazy and you really have to babysit them. SOME are really good but this is rare) new owners changed things around, did some major damage then put things back (kind of). They used to have different airlines come visit every month, but this is not thr case anymore.

Management will pressure you to fly at times, personally I had a student who said he was sick and wasnt fit to fly, they told him to have some water and get in the airplane. I couldnt believe it.
If a CFI is only fly 30hrs/mo what do they do the rest of the time? I'm ok with long days (I think&#128578 ....a lot of schools don't care about their CFIs, so I'm feeling I should get used to that. 🙄 It's only for a year, so that'll go fast enough. I'm assuming you're a CFII, how many hrs do you get a month?
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Old 05-27-2017, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by FlyingRae View Post
If a CFI is only fly 30hrs/mo what do they do the rest of the time? I'm ok with long days (I think&#128578 ....a lot of schools don't care about their CFIs, so I'm feeling I should get used to that. 🙄 It's only for a year, so that'll go fast enough. I'm assuming you're a CFII, how many hrs do you get a month?
Sims solos ground briefs. I get about 100
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Old 05-30-2017, 05:59 PM
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Anyone else with comments on transpac? I am considering heading there just because i am looking for schools where I could average 100 hours a month. I am also much more comfortable in an archer instead of Cessnas which are more widely used. I don't like their bad pay and the fact if I get my mei with them will spend less time flying but would like to get more info or if someone could recommend an ideal school to me. Have been doing my research but mostly finding old out of date information.
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Old 05-30-2017, 06:00 PM
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Once upon a time transpac was the place to be. I have heard the new owners/management is absolutely terrible.
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Old 05-30-2017, 06:41 PM
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Any recommendations. I have look at flight schools all over the country and is fine relocating but haven't found a fit so far. Currently looking at Falcon aviaition academy in Georgia but I have been reading that they needlessly hire cfi without having to student workload to placate them. Also looked at Cae in Mesa but read terrible things about management. Iasco in Redding looks good.
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Old 05-30-2017, 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by thepesimist View Post
Anyone else with comments on transpac? I am considering heading there just because i am looking for schools where I could average 100 hours a month. I am also much more comfortable in an archer instead of Cessnas which are more widely used. I don't like their bad pay and the fact if I get my mei with them will spend less time flying but would like to get more info or if someone could recommend an ideal school to me. Have been doing my research but mostly finding old out of date information.
See my post above. For more info head over to glassdoor... sort by date.
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