Yeah she did! Duh?

Dude, the first time you push back in ATL your gyros are going to tilt. From a fellow retiree, I'd start brushing up on the CRM right about now.

Thunderpig,

Do not know that I agree that any group has an advantage over another in training. For starters, some of the express carriers had training programs specifically designed to replicate Delta's. Others had very tough, high wash out, programs due to the fact they desperately needed Captains and were upgrading people very early. The FAA and the Program Designees were very cautious and would rather hand out a pink slip than get debriefed post accident.

Don't know why, exactly, but when we went through the A-10 drivers are the guys who had a hard time in training. Mostly it was not making friends with the Flight Management Computer. Both went to SWA and things turned out fine for them.

The wake - up for the military guys is that the regional guys have already been through a very Delta like school 4 times (on average) and have flown a very Delta like profile for thousands and thousands of hours before they set foot in the door. In 2007 the first week (or so) of aircraft training was the FMC. In our group the regional guys had the entire week's work done by 10:00am the first day and were released while the instructors focused on the former military guys who were a feeling very below the power curve after seeing the rest of the class finish the task perfectly within 5 minutes of getting the assignment. (but realize the military guys were exactly where they were expected to be on schedule ... the others had been playing with the FMC for nearly a decade and were relying on training they walked in the door with and had been using for thousands of hours).

Other differences are the radios are run on line. Often you're getting a four instruction taxi clearance while slowing through 80 knots and performing an after landing checklist, talking to the Company about a gate change and coordinating with ramp. It is very easy to get distracted (and there's been times where a guy just has to say ... "let me get caught up over here" ... which beats pulling into the gate and seeing the Captains weather radar is still on, or the flaps are half down). I joke with my Captains that I'm placarded with a "four instruction limitation" ... more than that an a data dump is possible during a three minute taxi ....

I think everyone that shows up for training has the right stuff to be trainable. There are enormous differences in experience. Most regional pilots will be most challenged by just learning their way around the training center ... for them it is going to be like an airplane change... same stuff, different jet. For some military guys it is going to be a whole new way of flying airplanes and a new mission.

Delta knows this. They've trained thousands of pilots and it works.

Absolutely true. Prepare to wonder if you really are a pilot. I was hanging onto the tail (barely) with all the acronyms alone. Huh? What's going on, um what was that? er what did that mean?

Another way to think about it is that you are going through a USAF instructor upgrade in an aircraft you never flew before. A lot of talking and flying in a strange system. Fortunately, once you cement everything in the first aircraft, its all easy after that.

That was a damn fine post Bar. Forgive me for taking the liberty of a slight edit/expansion;

The logic/rationale being used is something probably overheard from a "bubba", a "bro", or a squadron commander from over 20 years ago that never transitioned to an airline job them self.

When I was a new hire, my sim partner was a former F14 carrier pilot.

While I was at the 727 Engineer panel learning to do my thing, he was the "Captain", then after two hours, we would swap seats, so he could learn the panel, while I played Captain.

The funniest thing I've ever seen was watching him try to taxi, while also copying a takeoff clearance, talking to ground, tower, setting dept. freq, setting the flaps, run the checklist himself, etc.

Then he turns to me and says, "Where the hell is CAE? We don't use VOR's on the Boat!"

When we got to the line, we had the luxury of learning the ropes on the line from the back seat. Today, there is no back seat, so you have to be ready to jump into the frying pan on day one on the line.

The Commuter guys already know how to do run at that pace. The Millitary only guys will have to pick up their pace, but they are all capable of learning how, they have proven they can and will adapt quickly, as the slower individuals have already been weeded out in flight school.

And that's simply how it all evens out in the end. Repeating what I said previous, doesn't matter where the individual came from. If they can't adapt/learn to use their already proven skill set in a new and different fashion/on a new platform and can't let go of a previous life, it won't matter.

Probably 15 yrs ago flying with a guy that had spent 20 yrs in fighters. A-10, F-16, A-10 tours. All flying, no staff assignments. Hired into the right seat of the 767. It was interesting asking him his impressions -

School - only 2 weeks of GS? Military packs 2 months into 5-7 months.
Size - walk arounds and I can't reach most of the stuff I'm looking at?
- ducking under the wing? I can't reach it with a ladder.
- there's stuff in the cockpit I can't even reach?
- I can stand in the cockpit?
Checklists - how long are they? Especially QRH's for flight control/flap issues?
- the other guy has to do stuff because I can't reach them or need help during emergencies)
Ground operations - length, speed and complexity of taxi clearances. Additional duties, beyond just taxiing, while on the ground and the plane is moving.
Amount of radio chatter, especially at major airports, on the ground.

He said the flying was simple(he flew very well) but the other stuff was a mind twisting experience because it was completely different from what he was used to.

Man, you guys make it sound like we can't walk and chew gum at the same time........ Try being in a stack with half a dozen different assets in the middle of Afghanistan during a TIC with multiple dudes screaming into different radios......just saying...... Though, so true, the military does love to pack a 2 month program into 6 months.....lol

I think it's safe to say, that no matter what your background once you get to the big guys most have the experience (whatever that may be), to adapt.

Funny, I flew with a former Navy "Hoover" Capt. (no pun intended ) who said it is not the Navy guys you have to worry about dropping the soap! It is the F15 Air force guys in Japan. The Air Force jumpseater that was with us almost spit his coffee all over the place while laughing....

I didnt get it, but I assume it was some huge inside joke.. I just went back to the radios... I guess I dont want to know....