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Flight school experience

Old 02-04-2006, 03:44 PM
  #21  
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I'd also be interested in seeing that 1/4 "fact." The website doesn't count. I heard 1/2 pilots are military but that statistic seems far more realistic.

Training is good in most places. It just depends on how focused and determined you are. It's easy to say the training is crappy if you don't apply yourself. I learned that after my first few months of ground school training.
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Old 03-06-2008, 05:41 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Willi364 View Post
I recently completed the career pilot training with Pan Am Internation Flight Academy. I don't know if you have looked into them yet. I can say I am satisfied with the results and I feel I got a good of a deal as any of the other schools of that size. Out of all the schools I toured before making my decision I took into account the quality of the facilities, aircraft, classrooms, sims, and just the general vibe of the students and staff. In comparison to most large flight schools I found the Pan Am fleet to be fairly new and all equipped with the necessary equipment and then some. Its gets hot on the ramp in the summer time in AZ and all aircraft had A/C which was a nice luxury. I don't recall be delayed or cancelled for weather. They have a great maintenance department which works 24hrs a day which resulted in no down time due to issues with aircraft. The staff at Pan Am seems to be very knowlegable about the industry and what it takes to achieve your goals. I did some reading about the company before making the final decision and learned that Pan Am's history runs deep within the airline industry as an airline and as a training option. Anyway, Once I completed the program I was hired as a flight instructor and was assigned 2 students. Pan Am does not hire instructors off the street. They must be Pan Am Grads. In closing I will say they did what was advertised to this point. Im not one to bad mouth any other school because I did not go there. It seems no matter where you go guys and girls are ending up with a FO position with a regional the same way. Start training , get all your ratings, build hours through instruction, send resumes and interview. Does one school have an edge on another? I think it all comes down to the individual sitting in the hot seat at the airline interview.
Will364,

It's been over two years since your post, and it seems that Pan Am is now hiring from outside of the Pan Am graduate pool...

http://www.panamacademy.net/AboutUs/...t.aspx?jo_ID=5

I have my CFII & MEI, and am currently working as a CFI at a small school in FL. I am considering applying at PA for an FI role, (money looks great, fleet looks modern) and was looking for first hand insight as to what it's *really* like to work and live there. The 'promises' of up to $55K/income seem pretty aggressive... and moving across country isn't trivial... Questions:
o Is the $55K/yr earnings realistic and achievable or is only 1 of 50 instructors ever gonna really make that much?
o What are *average* earnings for an FI w CFII and MEI?
o Can you really get 100 hours monthly?
o Are you paid as a W2 employee or a 1099 consultant (ie no bennies, on your own for taxes etc.)
o What is the caliber of student you are training?
o Are they financially connected in any way to the economically troubled Pan Am Airways that seems to come to life and die again every few years (they most recently had a few routes from Bedford MA and Portsmouth NH to FL but recently shutdown...)
o What else should I be aware of, that working there has taught you, or that you wished you knew before you took the job?

Thanks in advance.

I am also happy to hear from other current/former PA FI's with their inputs...

Thanks
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