USMCFLYR

Both the highlighted above are true - - but it is often said on the forum that some of the people who have the most trouble with the sims (whether it be airline training programs or other type rating programs) are the ones who are not proficient with their IFR skills precisely because they have not been flying much at all, OR having been flying all VFR without much recent experience either in the IFR system or flying/shooting approaches in actual IMC (traffic watch and flying jumpers are two of the most often cited examples).

Of course with the more overall experience, it stands to reason that gaining back that IFR/real world IMC proficiency comes easier to the more experience pilot than the fresh instrument rated pilot.

iFlyRC

There's good pilots and bad pilots, past experience doesn't always correlate. I've seen it way too many times to place a blanket statement.

Phteven

Absolutely. This speaks to the sad state of regional hiring right now. I used to do hiring for a 135 company and I didn't even look at resumes from people who needed an IPC because 1.) they clearly must not want it that much, and 2.) I don't want to risk wasting money on them washing out. In the new hiring environment, lots of these guys think because they'll get the job that they'll pass the training. I was in class with a guy just like that - 15 years since his last IPC and only recently hit 1500 flying skydivers. He washed out in IOE.

mpmp

Abandon ship!!!

Form 10-Q
Great Lakes Aviation, LTD
Pilot Shortage
New Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), pilot qualification rules imposed as part of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 in combination with revised FAR Part 117 Flight Crewmember Flight and Duty Limitations and Rest Requirements, (“FAR Part 117”), created an industry-wide shortage of qualified pilots negatively effecting our level of operations and financial performance.
The new rules have increased the demand for qualified pilots among air carriers as they strive to offset the loss in flight crew productivity that has resulted from the increased rest period requirements. In addition, the new and more stringent qualification requirements have reduced the supply of pilots qualified to fly for FAR Part 121 carriers. The net result of the new regulations is that Great Lakes has lost large numbers of Airline Transport Pilot (“ATP”) certified crewmembers to airlines operating larger jet aircraft and offering greater compensation...

...Until the Company is able to cure the covenant violation or to successfully renegotiate our existing debt obligations, it is expected that the Company will not have sufficient liquidity to service its existing debt obligations for the next 12-month period. These factors raise significant doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern.
------------------------------------------------------
Notification of Late Filing
State below in reasonable detail the reasons why Forms 10-K, 20-F, 11-K, 10-Q, 10-D, N-SAR, N-CSR, or the transition report or portion thereof, could not be filed within the prescribed time period.
The management of Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. (the “Company”) has determined that the Company is unable to file its Form 10-Q Quarterly Report for the period ended September 30, 2015 within the prescribed time period, without unreasonable effort and expense, due to the lack of personnel necessary to complete the information required for the filing on a timely basis.

BIueSideUp

This is laughable. Even if more hours does not equate to more skill; wouldn't it be better to make a good pilot build a few hundred extra hours than to risk letting a ******* pilot into the cockpit right after their CAMEL checkride? Good pilots will put in their time and work quickly towards the goal. ******* pilots will get caught up and weeded out somewhere in the middle.

flapshalfspeed

Are you going to complain about having to do VOR checks? Are you going to complain about having to go around at mins? Do you complain about having to have service checks and recurring inspections per airworthiness directives?

Stop pouting about it like a butthurt 16-year old who didn't get the bb gun he wanted for Christmas--the 1,500 hour reg is there for a reason like all the other regs.

FloridaLarry

GLA management is caught between the 1,500 hour rule, the economics of their service model and the number of customers in their geographical area. In addition, they are now stuck with a fleet of aging twin turboprops that made sense at one time, but now are higher-cost to operate (fuel, flight crews and maintenance on older airframes).

They can't do anything about the cost of fuel. They've tried several things to staff their cockpits, but despite raising wages, in today's pilot competition they (like virtually every regional) can't attract and retain enough flight crew. They don't have the money, or investors, to replace their Beeches and Brasilias with newer planes that take less maintenance, or to right-size the fleet to Pilatuses and Cessnas to match their route structure and number of customers. I don't see EAS coming to their rescue with huge increases in subsidy payments (more than half GLA's cash flow comes from EAS flying).

What once worked, now doesn't. Too bad.

Wileybird

"EASY FRANCIS". Was just saying I talked to a kid who was prepping for an interview with lakes! Nowhere in my statement did I make fun of the guy.

deltajuliet

Our comments are showing up now.

FirstClass

Can you guys start a new thread in the 135 section?