61 (Mom & Pop) vs 141 (Pilot Mills) in 2019
 

Traditionally, Part 121 carriers (regional airlines) favor Part 141 training due to its regimented nature, many evals (stage checks), etc. But 141 schools - especially with 2019’s rapid movement & opportunities across the industry - have a lot of relatively inexperienced instructors teaching, as flight schools tend to hire their own students once they earn their instructor certificate/ratings. Given this, it seems there would be significant value in training at Part 61 school with an experienced (possibly career) instructor, rather than a time-building instructor at a 141 school. Yet most regional airlines still prefer 141 training over 61; regionals just want everyone to reach hiring/ATP mins ASAP above all else, but most regionals will indicate a preference for 141 training if asked. Can you please help me understand why this is still the case?

I don’t mean for this to become a degree-granting flight training (college/university programs) vs stand-alone flight training debate, but instead I’d like to get thoughts from experienced pilots, especially those flying 121, on Part 141 (degree-granting or stand-alone training) vs Part 61 (stand-alone training) and why the regionals continue to prefer 141 training (even when it’s ‘babies-teaching-babies’) instead of Part 61 where there’s more experienced instructors available potentially.

1: regionals prefer that you have clean records (training/legal)
2: regionals require you meet their minimums.
3: the end.

List of regionals which prefer 141 vs 61 and vice versa:
1:
2:
3:

Thank you.

I've interviewed at:
1. SkyWest (hired)
2. Northwest (hired but didn't make it into a class before merger with DL)
3. NetJets (didn't get hired)
4. US Airways (hired)

Airlines that asked if I was part 61 or 141:

1.
2.
3.
4.

No ones cares.

No. That's a myth perpetuated by 141 schools and some of their clueless alumni. Airlines vastly prefer graduates of title 10 flight schools.

One known exception: DAL likes aviation universities. If you can't do a title 10 school, and have money to burn, that would be the next best choice for DAL. But a name-brand university, not a puppy-mill.

Never ever heard of any regional actually having a preference.

141 and 61 instructors have always been pretty much the same young, low-time, time-builders. Occasionaly (in either system) you'll find a more experienced CFI. Most of the career CFI's are free-lancers, not working for a school. Schools make money by paying low wages, which works for time-builders but not for career people.

Easy, they don't prefer 141.

I'm a p61 CFI. We're way cooler than p141 CFI's.
lol- kidding.
Kind of...
I had a student come to me requesting grass strip proficiency- guess what we did for a month?...
...not a possibility within the limiting rigidity of 141 ops...

Nobody cares where you got your ratings, just that you got them.

Interesting and thanks - there’s something of a disconnect between regional recruiters and your feedback, as each regional airline recruiter that I’ve personally asked that has a preference indicates 141 over 61. Some recruiters don’t indicate a preference, but each that does values 141 over 61. Given that there’s more senior instructors who actually teach in 61 than there is in 141 schools (where senior folks tend to end up in management/supervision roles), this surprises me. Why is there a perception from these airline recruiters that 141 (although not necessarily degree-granting programs) is better preparation for 121 than 61?

I’m not basing any of this on feedback from flight schools themselves - obviously, they’ll pat themselves on the back.

It makes sense that career/destination airlines/companies (like NorthWest, NetJets & US Airways) would have better things to use to evaluate than 61 vs 141 by that point (overall training record at a regional, any ancillary roles at regional like LCA, etc). But, among those recruiter recruiters who have expressed a preference when asked, they’ve all said 141.

Title 10 flight schools are those burning JP-8 on the taxpayer’s dime, right? (ie, military flight training)

Career & independent instructors (not flight school employees) is exactly who I’d be looking to work with in going 61.