Comparing 121 training programs
 

It seems like ExpressJet has a good training program from what I've read. Would appreciate info on duration and quality of ground and sim, success rate, if instructors are helpful. How do other carriers such as SkyWest, Pinnacle, PSA, Comair, Mesa, Air Wisconsin, Commutair, Colgan, Big Sky, Great Lakes, American Eagle, Chautauqua, Mesaba, Horizon, TSA,etc. rate?

I am just finishing up at Eagle. The training has been good. It has been intense to say the least. Go to class 7-4 then study until 10ish. The instructors are very knowledgable and give good guidance.

I went through SAAB COLGAN training and XJT EMB training, XJT blows them out of the water for a few reason................The FTD we use at Express are actually cockpits with moving displays at COLGAN they use ratty cardboard..............which one do you think makes for better training, Colgan instructors seemed to teach irrelevant systems stuff, though the 737 at American is nice, I dont need to know about it :) basically XJT has a much more professional way about themselves than COLGAN ever did when it comes to training pilots.............my sim instructor at COLGAN didnt know how to use the sim. we spent the first hour of each one him trying to figure out the damn thing, not to mention we never did any TCAS RA's so when checkride time came.............yeah you guessed it........anyway I could go on and on but basically the difference is lie night and day.


PS We also had one great guy wash out because he got a 69 on the systems test, he needed a 70, they sent him home an hour later.............what a disgrace rumor had it that it would of been easier to send him home because we had an odd number of people in the sim, so it would of been cheaper for them to just send him packing.........

I am a proud ex-Laker but I'd have to say, copy SAAB's Colgan experience and there you have Lakes training. The only difference would be quality of instructors, every instructor I had at Lakes was top-notch. The management of the training was, and always will be, sub-par.

The first time pass rate for upgrade was about 30% when I went through and I lucked out and passed. That after sitting in Cheyenne for 2 weeks without touching an airplane because there weren't any available. No refresh flight, no nada. Low pass rates are a reflection of a poor training program, bottom line.

Couple that with politics. They now have a training 'manager' on the 1900 that I would not give a leg to because of his gross ineptitude as a pilot. He subsequently hires cronies like himself.

That all being said, I have attacked and conquered every subsequent training program that I have been in solely because of the 'fear of god' that Lakes training puit into me.

Eagle has an excellent training program which I completed in the ERJ 145 a few months back. Instructers where experienced and a wealth of knowledge. Eagle has a "3 strikes, your out" policy. It was not tough at all, so long as is you stay awake in ground school and put in a little extra study time after dinner. Eagle provides you with everything you need to be successful and you need to make the best of it. Everyone in the school house tells you they are glad to have you, and they will do whatever it takes to help you through.

As for the other aircraft. Many people in my new hire class had trouble with the Saab. THey are desperate for quality instructors. If you choose a base with that aircraft, be prepared to teach yourself systems.

ATR and CRJ I hear are great training programs with fun instructors.

compared to transstates. i thought xjet training was a joke. im no genius, but the interview was the hardest part for me at xjet... i guess it did help that i had time in the 145. training facilities, sim, FTD, instructors all great. hotel sux!

in my tsa class several years ago, 5 out of 11 washed out. all during sim! its pretty tough to be a waterskier.

SUBIN as for me, it was easy as well, but dont forget it was our second time around..................., a lot easier

I just finiahed with Eagle, I found the training program to rather easy. Just stay ahead and put in a little extra time after dinner and relax. Though I am on the jet and I hear the Saab is much more difficult

Did they teach you to close your flight plan if tower is closed? Or is it common to leave for the hotel and let the other 5 aircraft inbound hold?

machaf, so have you never made a mistake... You must be an aviation god....

Easy bud. Lets not turn a good thread into a flamefest.

I'm finishing up at SkyWest and overall I think its pretty easy. Ground was four weeks and started at 8am and usually ended around 5 pm with a one hour lunch. We had one week of Indoc which was very straight forward, then two weeks of CRJ 200 systems which were super easy to follow along with. You don't need to even open your book during systems because they teach you everything that is actually relevant to flying. I would have liked them to go a little more in depth but I guess when they only have you for two weeks every minute counts. The last week we did ACARS, FMS, weight & balance, performance and a couple days of 700/900 differences training.

We do 3 static training sessions during ground. You will bid on your sim schedule using the more senior person's number (Most of use were paired up with upgrades). 5 FTDs, the first of which is infront of a paper trainer and the other four are in the actual sim, just without motion (I think we have XJT beat there SAAB ;) ). 8 sims follow, 1 of which is your checkride. A day or two after your sim checkride you go and do a pattern, some airwork and an ILS in the actual airplane! Definitely a nice way to do your first landing as opposed to having a boatload of people behind you.

Overall I think training here is good, not great but I guess its a nice blend of professionalism and fun. Out of my class of 25 nobody failed yet. There are still some left in the sim though.

Thx duvie,

That's what I'm looking for. Keep'em coming guys/gals.

Would someone give a description of the training program at PSA?

If you'd been there first, you wouldn't have had that problem.

I was told by someone who had been through both Commutair's and Colgan's Training programs. The difference was "night and day," advantage Commutair. In fairness, Colgan training was said to be good, but Commutair was better. I sure hope they are correct.

Commutair's training is 3 weeks ground in PLB, then 8 sims in LGA or Orlando @ Flight Saftety. All training conducted by Commutair's Training Department, which i've heard nothing but good things about from past/present employees.

XJT training is easy, as long as you pay attention, apply yourself and take responsibility for your own screw ups. I went through CRJ ground at 9E, which was a complete joke. None of our systems instructors have ever touched a CRJ before. I understand you can teach a monkey to fly this thing easily (just look at SAAB!.. :p kidding, bro!! :D ), but come on!

On the flip side, XJT was a class act for training. No complaints about them. Our instructors had their $hit together when I went through, and that really made things easy. Two people didn't make it through my class of 16, one failed out of sim 3, kept blaming his instructor for his mistakes. And another guy made it all the way to sim 6 and ran out of steam... ATR'd 3 times on that, and they just let him go.


... and the training center is really nice too!! :D

"ATR'd" what is it?

"Additional Training Required"

TSA was a pill, the class before us had 60% or so fail out. We did allittle better. I am thinking 30 - 45%ish. I can't remember exactly. However, I found it very fair. and strait forward. Unfortunatly, some people just are not qualified...

I'd say it was more like 45-50% dude, for at least three classes straight!! I think it's come down some now...

Still it boggles my mind...sure the training was severely sub-par, but if I could make it through LoL, anybody can - even you ;-)

Nevertheless, it was the WORST three months of my life!! Hehe...

I've done both SAAB and EMB training at Eagle. The SAAB wasn't too hard but I had the best SAAB instructor, ever. He is now retired though but had been teaching on the thing since just after it hit the market. Needless to say, he knew his sh!t. The only hard part of the SAAB is the systems. The d@mn swedes like to make things hard by building an electronic airplane that doesn't have any computers. Spend some extra time studying systems (especially electrical) and you will have no problem. As far as flying it the thing handles just like a big PA-44 or BE-56 so it is no problem.

The EMB, systems wise, is extremely simple. They did a good job laying that one out as all the systems schematics are right there on the panel. Coming from a GA background you may have a little more trouble flying it but remember to get slowed down early and configured early and you wont have as much of a problem.

When I was a new hire only one person failed out. Well, he was right up to the point of failing out but still had the option to try again. He chose to leave. He was on the EMB. Everyone I have run into at the training center has been very helpful. I do know of one new SAAB ground instructor who has a maintenance background that the students didn't like. I think his main problem is he comes at things like a mechanic instead of a pilot. Overall, AE is not too difficult to get through.

I did CRJ training at PSA and found it a breeze. The syllabus was well designed, the instructors knowledgeable, and able to teach. Ground was 'on your own' CBT, followed by non-motion sim with your partner and the instuctor going over that day's systems, including abnormals and emergencies - actually using the QRH to troubleshoot. It prepared you very well for the sim. Sim was easy after ground, just get the feel of the plane flows, calls and systems were well esablished after ground school. The training dept at PSA was the best part of thier operation.

EMJ school at Eagle was a different story. They gave you everthing you needed to succeed, but did not appear to care if you were successfull or not. I found the sim preperation at Eagle especially lacking. Poorly designed, and executed worse. Of 8 new hires, one quit after 1 sim session, and five or six of us needed additional sim sessions to meet standards.

AWAC's training is about 7 weeks.. Really good training... Everyone is really nice and very helpful..

Pinnacle?
 

Would someone describe the training at Pinnacle, pros & cons.

The real question is:

Which airlines give you your own hotel room in training?!

As much as I'd like my own room during training, having a roommate is EXTREMELY beneficial, both to the company and the new-hire. The company benefits by saving $$, while the new-hire not only has somebody else to bounce questions off of, but also has less of a chance of hermitting himself in his room. Those guys have the toughest time in training!

Tough? In addition to being the only one not having a roommate to bounce things off of, try being the 3rd person with 2 sim partners who are roommates. This is not a good scenario for success unless the 3rd person is already good enough that they don't need really need training. My advice is to avoid this situation.

Comair provides single occupancy hotel rooms!

im sure alpa had nothing to do with that :) you guys are a good bunch

Pros...pay, lodging

cons...low pay, You're in MEM (NOT working for FedEx)

If you pay attention in class and work with your classmates to get everyone thru, groundschool and sim training will be a breeze.

Pinnacle's is terrible. Hotel is terrible. THey are way cheap and try to save costs. Manuals are all printed wrong so you spend a few days updating them. All the computers look like donations from 1987. Pass rate in initial is 80%. Pass rate in upgrade is 30%. 4 hour lunch breaks in groundschool and forget about having any questions answered. No standards and lots of technique in the sims.

I went to Eagle after this embarrasement and the training was great.

No standards? I've never busted any phase of training at 9E, my IOE students all did well and I had 100% pass rate for CA Fed rides. So sometimes it may be the individual. SOP was very important to me. Of course there are some bad apples, but to lump everyone in the same category?

Glad you're enjoying American Eagle. I know that their trng dept is great.

If you get CVG based, you only get 7 days in the hotel. Then your on your own.

Sharing hotel rooms blows my mind......... How akward would that be? Would males have to share with females? So weird? I am the only girl in my class, how would that work at say Eagle?

You'll get you own room if you are the only girl.

Do you really think they would risk THAT lawsuit LoL.

Of course you'd get your own room.