New Hire Ground School @ MESA?
 

Just got hired at Mesa. Dont have a class date but most likely Early July. Would anyone that has completed Mesa's ground school and Sim training have any advice on prepping for this? Where should i invest my pre-ground school study time?
What is it like?
Thanks

If you already know what airplane, that would narrow it down a bit.

Otherwise read the Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual if you don't have previous turbine experience.

Also, if you have no FMS experience, it wouldn't hurt to get on MS Flight Sim and play with an FMS equiped airplane...just put it on autopilot and try to get the basics of the FMS programming and navigation down. Also there are FMS training software packages that run on a PC that are available for various FMS models. Most students buy or "acquire" a copy for the FMS they will be using.

Re:
 

Unfortunately, you dont get to know your aircraft assignment until two weeks into ground school!. Although from what a gather it's mostl likely Dash 8 or Beech 1900....

Don't sweat it too much. Too much pre studying can mean that you learn the wrong info or techniques. There's a reason why they teach you in indoc. Once you get your books, thats that time to learn and study. If you find out what plane you're going into, try to get a copy of the company limitations for that aircraft. Learn those and the memory items and you'll do fine.

In the mean time, start off by increasing your daily intake of cheap foods, such as rice and ramen noodles (the generic kind). Cuz, unfortunately that's what you'll most likely be eating for the next year or so on FO starting pay...

The 1900 has no FMS or autopilot, some D-8s have an FMS, but you will not use it in sim training so it sounds like raw data instrument navigation is in your future. MS flight sim could help with that if you're rusty; keep in mind that they will not train you to fly instruments, you need to arrive able to do that. Traffic watch and pipeline patrol pilots usually fail out...

The biggest problems I saw in 1900 class were in the sim. No your instrument rules, hold entrys, when you need to go missed. Use MS sim Rickair777 said and shoot lots of non precision approaches. Other than that its cake, grab a beer in the resturant and study with your other classmates, don't be a loner.

Drinking from the firehose
 

If you have never been through a 121 ground school, when you get your a/c assignment, see if you can get a hold of MESA's limitations (not Piedmont's for the Dash-8, for example... they may fly it differently) and memory items. Get that rote memorization done before you head to ground school. Once you get there, it will be like trying to drink from a firehose with all the info they are going to give you. If you have your memory items and limitations down, you will just have to review them, and not learn them on top of everything else in class.

Otherwise, the only other advise that I can give you is to find your top three regionals that you WANT to fly for (Horizon, SkyWest, Pinnacle, Express Jet, etc...) and as soon as you pass IOE, SEND THEM YOUR RESUME! Get your seniority where YOU want to be, not at the first airline to offer you a job.

Also, if they give you a flow study sheet along with a poster...that will help out TEN FOLD! That is where a lot of people fail out too. They can fly single pilot no problem, but stick them in the cockpit with someone else...and they don't know their head from their butt...

Good luck to you!
lax

Seems strange that they didn't give you a class date or tell you what airplane you'll be flying. They told me both when they called to tell me I was hired.

As far as studying goes, as some have already said, start memorizing the limitations as soon as you can. It can only help.

I just got done with ground school at Mesa in the CRJ. I was lucky, in that I already have a CRJ type, and that's what they gave me. So ground school was just like a big review for me. I've heard that they're hiring mostly for the Dash 8 right now, and a new class for that starts on Monday. Hopefully you get a class date soon and that it's for the CRJ so my seniority improves :)

Good luck!

Well, I know there has been quite a few vacancies coming up in the past 2 or 3 weeks in the 1900. However they cnx the last class for some reason but I see another one in the very near future as they are starting to dip into the reserves quite a bit.

XtremeF150