Sorry if I ticked anyone off, but I will always rather have someone with 1500 hours in a Cessna then 80 hours in a sim flying the right seat of a jet with me.

Buying the 737 type is a joke too. These places advertise a super high pass rate. Why? Because people pay $8000 to have a 737 type rating on their ticket after a week of training so they can go to SWA. Do you honestly think they are ready to be a captain on a 737 after 5 sim sessions at Higher Power? I know a ton of guys and girls at SWA and they push you through the training at these places and the students don't learn a thing except that $8000 will pretty much guarantee you a type. These places would be out of business if SWA didn't require the type.

I didn't really have to "sweat blood" but I also didn't waste money at Jet U either so I guess I really lucked out.

Agreed, Freightpuppy. I wonder if BWJ is willing to post the full contract on here, I'm pretty sure management has some loophole to screw you out of your money.

... and people wonder why our wages at the regionals are below the poverty level.

I've read through the contract quite a few times (it's not exactly some confidential document), and yes, of course there are a few clauses in there that allow Jet U to quickly void the guarantee should you screw up one too many times. Everybody in their right mind should know you can't guarantee a job like this to any shmuck off the street.

Despite what many of you think, and actually...... what quite a few people HERE think..... this place is not a joke program. If you're not up to par, you will not be graduated, and can even be kicked out. The program is tough; and it should be. There have been people who have been stuck here for close to a year because they can't pass certain parts of the program. And they're bitter as hell since they thought they'd cough up the money and walk away with a job. That's not how it works.

Like I said, it is far, FAR from a walk in the park, and you have to put your all into the training.

In the words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?" There are good 200, 500 and over 1,000 hour pilots. There are also bad 200, 500 and 1,000 hour pilots. I think too many are too quick to jump all over someone who didn't "pay his dues" by buzzing around VFR in the pattern at an uncontrolled field. I have no problem with someone who wants to learn CRM from day one, Loft, complex systems, etc. Some of these schools have great programs and the students end up logging some serious actual IFR time in a twin on cross countries, with an instructor in the back telling you that you just lost an engine, weather has just gone down at your destination, etc. Learning the crew way from day one, with checklists being pounded into your head is a great way to learn. The military has been training their low time students in a similar way for years. Another thing, don't assume that everyone in these schools is a rich kid. There are plenty older guys and gals who sweated blood in other professions to earn their money, gain valuable life experiences, and "pay their dues" in order to afford such programs.

Yeah, I know, but first of all, the 737 type rating is a fraction of the cost of JetU. You can get a type rating for $4000-$7000 or so. And YOU ARE GETTING A TYPE RATING (plus an ATP if you need it). You are actually earning a real world QUALIFICATION, recognized around our fine globe. When you walk out the door of Higher Power, you could hop in a 737 under pt 91 and fly where you like, because you are now legally QUALIFIED.

Do you get a proper CRJ type rating from JetU? You absolutely should, for $27,000. However, really, you should get it for about $6000. If you don't even get the type rating, after laying down that kind of cash, you are being taken for a ride.

"I get tired of the animosity directed at those who didn't walk in your footsteps. Get over it; times have changed."

You might as well get used to it. This animosity will not go away.

And the only thing that has changed is the standard held by a few regionals to get the job. The bar has gone quite low. It honestly boggles my mind how little is expected in newhire experience. And it's for no other reason than to keep fresh bodies in the seats rather than raise pay to attract a more well rounded candidate.

I'm just happy that I'm not a regional Captain having to deal with these guys.

All I hear from the Jet U guys is "The minimal experience to get in the seat is all I want/need to put out". It's a shame that these people don't care about reaching a higher personal level before becoming airline pilots.

It's a shame that a job as an airline pilot has become an acceptable way to enter this career.

couldn't agree more...thats one of the biggest problems with the profession is the lack pride has gone away. Now it's the lets cut as many corners as possible to get there without enjoying the process or taking into consideration the gravity of what the job entails and the value of true experience before taking the next step. It doesn't make any sense to have someone with 200 hours flying a jet. The captain is basically baby sitting but what happens when that guy that got hired with 200 hours upgrades to captain? He never learned to think for himself in an airplane. I have not seen any drawback whatsoever to my choice of waiting to start at a regional until I had an acceptable level of experience (2000TT, 600MEL, most of it's PIC) and I still consider that low time. And I did all that at a local fbo while attending a university that does not have a flight program so it just goes to show that you don't have to go to somewhere that will put you in debt to get a job. I don't owe a dime towards aviation but the experience I gained through instructing and corporate flying from the local fbo while I was in college was invaluable. Another point to consider is that when you get into a cockpit with a captain and you eventually start talking about what you did before the airlines, this route is respected. Its cool when you actually have some stories to tell rather than......I went to Jet U/gulfstream and flew the crj simulator until pinnacle/mesa/another dump hired me. But hey, you are trained in a crew environment so you must be good.

Met a guy over summer who interviewed with AE. He said the talking went fine but when it came to his check sim he blew it (2 hours of sleep is what it came down to)...AE apparently told him that instead of waiting the 6 months to reinterview, all he needed was a jet transition course and he could come right back.

So he did that. Knocked out a Citation SIC in one week with a company I worked with and went to redo the check sim. All of this was in one month.

I feel they serve a purpose for the airlines, but more as a boomerang instead of a flowthrough.