Survivor

Hey kid:

No one is looking for steam gauge time. Good luck with that.

A DHC-8 400 is 100 kts faster than a 100/200/300. Good luck with the drug test.

Survivor

Yeah. You may be better, but you're not a marketable as the guy with glass time.

35 years in the business? Steam vs glass doesn't mean a damn thing but anything but your ego.

When you retire from your current job, you should apply at Piedmont.

flightmedic01

You guys crack me up. If anyone thinks that the majors consider glass time more important than steam gauges, they're smoking crack. Any idiot can fly using all the fancy $hit I have in the seven three. But with 14 years at ALG on the DHC8 and a few at Silver in the 1900, that is way harder than what I do now! Transitioning to automation was really no big deal because you always have that situational awareness gained from years of experience without it. The biggest safety problems in aviation right now can be summed up in these two points: an over-reliance on automation coupled with a lack of basic flying skills. Asiana is a prime example. Just as was stated in a previous post, I'll take the guy who has plenty of stick and rudder time flying steam gauges any day and twice on Sundays over someone who is a glorified button pusher. When the crap hits the fan and you have to do BAI flying, the steam gauges person will win every time. Hands down.

Survivor

Yes. Given a choice, every pilot new in the business should apply to Piedmont so that they may build a solid foundation. A six pack scan will set you free.

A spotless PRIA record is overrated. Best to take a chance at PDT and have your record harmed now, then wait until later. In PDT we trust!!!

Survivor

Nice sentiment. Especially if you're recruiting for Riddle.

wrxpilot

Regardless of glass or steam gauge time, one thing that will definitely make things challenging to get on with a major is a 121 bust. If things really are that loopy in the PDT training department, I'd stay far away.

BaronRouge380

Thanks for all the info about PDT. Any other regional with crappy training?

frmrdashtrash

Kid..... I wish, but thanks for the compliment.

I'm one of those guys that somehow managed to escape from Piedmont with nothing but steam gage time. Well, a little EFIS thrown in from the -200s that were there at the time and the -300s. Save for a small period around the 2006 timeframe, I've never heard of anyone having trouble getting picked up anywhere after they flew for Piedmont.

What's the speed limit below 10K? Last time I checked it was 250. That's 40 kts faster than a Dash 8. Under 10K is where most of the workload and required thinking occurs.

Your only valid point is PRIA, and my experience showed (admittedly it's dated) that is you avoid acting as if you know everything in training, prepare yourself, and can fly a six pack that successfully passing the checkride is not impossible. Take a look at the seniority list sometime. All those names on it represent someone who successfully completed newhire training.

FlyingBoiler

Well I certainly have, especially lately. Why would Airlines ask for you to break down the time and put it on your application if it didn't matter. It may not count for a lot, and you certainly can move on from PDT, but they do ask for it. Why wouldn't you go somewhere you can check that box (if you are a twenty something year old looking to make a career out of this). No one hiring is drooling over guys with turboprop experience. Sure you and I and most pilots know that flying the dash is workload intensive and requires a lot of situational awareness. But does the computer program filter that rejects any online application that has <xyz hrs of EFIS time know? I don't really want to get in a fight over this or belittle my fellow turboprop pilots AT ALL but if they ask for the time on the application, it must count for something.

Cruz5350

Maybe I'm the odd ball but I found the transition from steam to glass much much harder. I started in a King Air 90 no glass > 1900 > Saab 340 > DHC 8 Q400 > CRJ. For me that was the greatest transition and one I think most people should have. I learned how to fly steam gauges in primary training where it should be learned and from there it was just a transition to the increasing speed and complexity of the aircraft. That "whiz bang fancy crap" the RJ has gets in the way at times as I'm learning in the RJ now and it would be just so much easier to go green needles auto pilot off FD off, but that's me others may find that way harder. To this day I'll still say the Q was the hardest plane I've flown but the most rewarding. As an aside at a NIFA competition I made friends with guys on the hiring board at JetBlue and they all said they value the Jet/FMS over not having it.... Doesn't mean you won't get an interview or hired without it they just prefer it. I told them about my time in the Q and they said that they hold it on the same level as a jet due to it's speed/glass and FMS.