You do realize about every airline and fractional out there has more pilots than Ameriflight and doesnt need to hold a shock collar on everyone to get them to fly properly. I believe we have 30 routes staffed plus a couple floaters and a few ACP's so 40 without checking the roster. We have guys from florida to colorado and we only get flown with every 6 months as well. Have yet to see a single person since I started. Consistency has nothing to do with intensity. Hell look at the Minnesota Vikings we train like hell every year but cant consistently catch a ball or run a play in sync until the 4th quarter when its to late. Its the quality of the training and proper quidance and explanation. If a pilot finds a way that is better, safer and more efficient i would hope you guys didnt beat out the last cell of common sense and hope for life during training that he would decide to fly the safer way and not just following your way blindly every time.
Whats interesting is we pay less than Ameriflight but fill every route within a week of the job posting. I had 4 other guys to compete against for my spot. That should say something as to what people think of the training. As I have been flying around doing charters I have discovered there are a ton of lifers in the night freight world who all seem to get paid less than Am flight so if they had a decent culture there are plenty of guys out there who they could poach that dig flying pieces of sh!t through the back side of thunderstorms all night. Or maybe the hiring department is only picking ding dongs who pencil whipped the 1200 hours and they have to be like that who knows. My father has 10000 hours between the metro and 1900 in the 80's so i hear all the time about his training which required all ndb approaches and he still had a more relaxed environment than here. Hell he had 3 engine failures, 1 fire and a stuck nose gear all in the metro. And flying a metro single engine is no cake walk. So he survived without being ridiculed through training. Now maybe your instructors never made it to the big leagues and have an ax to grind and fill there egos by t-bagging new hires in training so that could be it. Either way we aren't lifeflight medics or ER docs we are night freight pilots. So chill out and fly the damn plane and get off the high horse. Life is short so let your people enjoy their job. Not aimed at you specifically just alot of pent up anger at the industry as a whole.
My .02.

 

If you are still basing your evaluation of AMF on Richards ideas, you are SO mistaken. With all the stuff we have done over the past few years, if Richards were still running we would have shut down by now.

 

Sounds like you are close. Half the planes in ABQ are parked, SLC losing runs. The runs you do have, you can't staff. Doing the same thing for 30 years and expecting a different result isn't going to cut it anymore.

Just because classes and classes of new recruits are coming through the "training" department doesn't mean business is booming.

 

I've been lurking on this thread for a while now, but figured I'd nose in here at this point. Been with Ameriflight since late last year.

My personal experience with Ameriflight's [Metro] training department has been positive. Their instructors are very competent, passionate, and expect everyone to be able to succeed in the training. But there is a standard, and if you are unwilling or unable to study after class, identify your weak areas yourself, you won't hold up when it comes time for the checkride. In my class, we had one guy quit the day before his checkride and we had another guy require some extra training and eventually get reassigned off the metro.

Frankly, I see these moves as positive. They expect you to know your sh*t. If you don't, sooner or later it becomes obvious.

Are their planes old? Yup. Do they break sometimes? Yup. You will be expected to know them well enough to handle an engine fire, run the appropriate checklists, talk to approach control while bringing her around in low vis conditions to circle to land on a different runway (on the centerline). ALL while solo. You will do exactly this in training... and more.

I'll say Ameriflight isn't a good fit for everyone. Not everyone is cut out to fly solo at night 'up the back side of thunderstorms' as you put it. I'd rather they weed those guys out in training than on the line. Those that are able to make it through the training can enjoy a better than average salary (as you mention) and maybe someday a flow thru to UPS, who knows.

But do they ridicule you in training or demean you in any way? I've never heard of that happening, and frankly, quite the opposite. They want you to succeed. I've seen them bend over backwards to get a pilot more training. Just my experience.

 

Things have changed as they now show an open list every few weeks and bids are done every quarter. Been there 4 years and have moved 3 times & upgraded twice. I could have went to Omni, but have decided to stay a while longer.

 

I agree Paul. I'm a better pilot due to the training I received & experience I've gained at AMF. Pilotscott, It's very obvious you washed out & can't except responsibility for your failure. If you're half the pilot you think you are, you'll take a good look in the mirror, adjust your attitude and learn from it.

 

Gary Richards? It's obvious you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

Yea, he still consults to the board of directors, but you're right.

 

You have been at AMF for 4 years? Do you hate your career?

 

Maybe he's waiting on the UPS flow thru? It would be stupid of him to quit now when he's so close to flowing.