I am debating on going to the regionals and was curious where do folks go after they wash out of a regional training program. Go back to cfi? Another regional? I certainly don’t want to go back to a lousy 135 outfit. Just never hear about what happens next in those cases.
Thanks for your responses.

I won’t even answer that question. Instead, try this way of thinking on for size:

You’re good at what you do.
You know (not think, but know) you’ll pass training.
You are ready to put in the work.
You’ll seek out help if you get stuck.
You’re going to pass your checkride.
You’re going to be successful on the line.

This is the mindset you need to have in order to be successful. Study what they tell you, when they tell you to (no studying ahead or falling behind), seek out help (either your instructors or even an ALPA Training committee volunteer if your airline has one), and see yourself succeeding in each training event. This “I wonder what happens to guys who fail because it might happen to me” kind of thinking....don’t even let yourself go there. One day, one lesson, one sim session at a time. And never stop visualizing success. Not trying to give you an ego here, just trying to show the kind of mindset you need in order to be successful in this job.

I agree, if you are into being a pilot 100% it's easy. If not find something else to do right now!

My new hire class at CommutAir had six washouts from other regionals, so I guess they go there.

Also, as others have said, very few don’t make it through, if that is your mindset already, either you are not a very good pilot (and you know it), or you have horrible self-confidence. Sorry if that’s direct, but that’s how it comes across.

Be confident. Study. Ask questions. Pass.

I had a class of 30 last year at 9E. Only one washed out, and that was after he was on the line anyway. It took some guys many several months to get through, but they got through.

Follow the other advice on here: show up ready, take it all in, study hard, and pass. 121 training is not easy, but it's very passable if you put in the effort, and most airlines want you to succeed.

There are a number of reasons that people don't make it through training. It may be that the training program was too difficult, but it may be that other factors precipitated the separation from the training program.

Notice that I didn't say failure.

If you separated from the program because you were getting everything wrong, couldn't memorize or learn, and couldn't follow the procedures or understand what was going on, that's one thing. If there were other reasons, I wouldn't call it a failure.

Even if it is a failure, it's a an opportunity to learn. View it and use it accordingly.

I've been in classes (not regional) in which multiple pilots left. One of my classmates was an experienced captain elsewhere. She was undergoing a divorce, and had too many irons in the fire because of that process. She dropped out. Another for health reasons. Another with a family emergency. One because a previous employer called with an urgent need, and it was coordinated with the new employer. There are numerous reasons, but the most important one is personal. How does it affect you, and can you do it again?

If you don't want to fly for an airline, then there's no reason to subject yourself to the training. If you do want to fly for an airline, then approach the training with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot of information in a relatively short period, and possibly at a greater complexity than you're accustomed to seeing. Dive in with both feet.

My last training hotel room had walls plastered with posters and papers and notes. Cockpit posters, procedures posters, systems notes, memory items, etc. I seldom left my room but for class and sim. We had others who went golfing, to see shows, etc, and one of them didn't make it, because he didn't put in the effort. Airline training isn't necessarily difficult, but does require dedication and a lot of repetition. It also requires arranging your study efforts and time. Many find it useful to organize into study groups, and some things like checklists and procedures work best if bouncing off of other classmates, crew-fashion, as well as quizzing back and forth. Not for everyone, but at a minimum you should be doing quite a bit of it with your sim partner.

If you want to go somewhere else, do that. If someone asks what happened to your job, tell them it wasn't for you, and focus on your new efforts. Learn from what happened, move on. What else can you do?

If you know you're weak in an area, or several areas, get additional training NOW. Pay for it yourself. Bad at engine failures in a twin? Do more of them. Weak on instruments? Fly IMC and with a hood.

I wouldn't go into a training environment with a known weakness hoping that they can teach me. I'd fix that beforehand.

What happens to them?
They go to another regional and probably lie about why they washed out.
- Divorce
- Death of a family member
- Illness
Fake it till you make it.
Then you end up being the guy who shouldn’t be there.

The biggest issue unsuccessful new hires have involves attitude.

If you show up prepared, act professional, put in the work, mentor others, ask others to mentor you, forget what you did at your last company, work hard, and study, you will do fine. Even if you are slow to grasp some things, the company will be more willing to work with you with tutoring, extra sims, etc if you have a good attitude.

You'd be shocked how many show up to class with attitudes like:

* well at my last airline we did it this way..or
* this is a stepping stone to the majors so I'm only here temporarily..or
* dude we're airline pilots now let's blow off studying and just go to the bar...or
* I want to post pics of my ground school books on instagram rather than pay attention...or
* I don't need to study because I have the gouge...or
* My dad is a Delta Captain so my ticket is punched...or
* hey let's spend our sim times doing selfies or go-pro-ing .

You get the idea. Be humble and listen. You're there to learn.

Your walls in your hotel room should be plastered with cockpit posters (of the plane you're actually flying), notecards, limits, etc..

You should have a stack of flashcards in the bathroom for reading. Also on your nightstand to read before bed.

Download Quizlet and make electronic flashcards that you can use over all your devices.

Stuff like that is what will make training less stressful for you.


You get the idea.

What he said.

If you approach it professionally and with work ethic, you'll maximize your odds. If you do struggle with something, the instructors (and managers who authorize additional training $$$$) will be far more willing to bend over backwards to help a guy who's taking it seriously.