I am going to get my 737 type in DEN later this month.

Is there anyone who could give me any pointers on what to expect. I would like to talk to someone who has recently been through their program.

Thanks in advance.

X

I was there last Sep after I got the call from SWA.
The short version is that "you get what you pay for". Not as good as I understand Higher Power and K&S are but gets you a type. I went there because I already had been interviewed at SWA and once they called me I figured I would get the cheapest type I could find.
The biggest problem I had was that they took forever to send me the material, it finally arrived only a couple of days before I left for DEN. I had to cram everything as quickly as I could. Make sure they have your correct address and call them EVERY DAY to make sure they sent you your stuff, it has happened often I was told later.
The ground portion was straight forward and the instructor did a good job in the short time we had to highlight the important stuff.
The sim part was not too bad but the -200 United sim has a Sperry 77 autopilot: it's the oldest piece of crap ever. You'll see what I mean.
The sim instructor was a Continental captain who lives in the area. Good guy but didn't care too much about the whole thing, was on the phone the whole time we were flying.
The great thing is that UAL does not use that sim anymore and FTI is the only outfit which uses it. On your off time, like in the evening and at night, you can just go there and practice. My sim partner didn't care much but I still managed to convince him to go a couple of times. I thought it was great, free sim hours = free money in my book.
The oral and type ride were just as we expected, no curve balls. Overall an ok experience exept for the office ladies who are a bit challenged in the admin side of things.
Good luck.

P.S. If you stay at the Crown Plaza (or whatever is the hotel they have the office in) be very careful where you walk to. I think it was a United pilot who got mugged just a few months ago, if I remember correctly he got beat up or even worse.

Great gouge. I am going there too (24 JUL). The CBT covers only system stuff. How much should we be diving into the Boeing Flight Ops Man? In other words, will they be expecting we know all the callouts the first day?

I went there about two years ago. It was great, exactly what it should be if you are writing a check for your type. Remember SWA will train you all over again. Have fun and don't stress.

How much does the program cost to get your type?

I did the 8 day course last year and it was 4995 plus the hotel and the cost to get there. Great experience overall with no curve balls. Study the systems stuff for the oral and don't worry about anything else; they'll teach you what you need to know for the check ride and SWA will retrain you when you get to Dallas. FTI worked a deal with the Radisson which is where the FTI office is located and there are plenty of places to eat so you won't need a rental car. The Sim is directly across the street in the United facility which makes it easy to put some extra time in the "box" running checklists or flows. We had two instructors who flew for United and moonlighted for FTI; both were very professional and provided great instruction. The same check airman gave us our oral and sim check and was equally as professional and laid back. Be sure to study hard for the oral as it makes a big difference if the same guy gives you the sim check; he knows your taking the training seriously from the get-go. Hopefully things haven't changed much and you'll have the same great experience! Good luck!!

We stay near the Stapleton on our DEN overnights. I can vouch for the comments of "There is line". I dont' have a problem walking around during the day. There are a few decent places to eat nearby however I wouldn't be out for an evening stroll.

I guess I should have explained better about the neighborhood. As long as you are on the "front" side of the Radisson you are pretty much safe. That's where the restaurants, mall, United Training Center are. Just stay away from the neighborhood behind the hotel.