I was talking with friend this weekend who mentioned that the washout rate for new hires at his regional is on the order of 20% or so. Is this typical across regionals? What are some typical reasons?

I was suprised to hear it if only because it would seem to indicate that either the interview process was flawed or or that they are taking anyone who meets the mins and figuring it out during training/OE. I'm guessing the latter, as a 20% washout rate in any other industry would be seen as wasteful and point to an interview process in dire need of overhaul.

There is really no interview process per say anymore because the situation is getting so despetate. Kind of a "throw it on the wall and see what sticks" hiring attitude. Some airlines are interviewing over Skype.

When I went through training two years ago, everyone in our class passed-all 20. Only one guy had issues, and they ended up pulling him out and slowing down the pace so he could get some one on one...granted he was going through a divorce, and some other major things.

While my company has a good pass rate, I know of two airlines that are over 50% washout..I don't want to call them out on a public forum but all training programs are not created equal-but you know that by now.

20% washout rate probably isn't so outrageous when you consider it's probably the first formalized screening/training process different types of individuals have encountered.

I can tell you at TSA, the training department does what it can to get you through training. Many take additional sims and the union is very involved in mentoring. On the other side, if you can't fly an ILS or perform basic maneuvers or refuse to memorize your SOP, there isn't much anyone can do.

There's often one or two guys in a given class at a given airline that just aren't quite up to par for one reason or another. Maybe they've been dinking around in a 152 when it's clear and a million all their lives, or maybe they've been dropping parachuters the last few years and IFR skills have degraded significantly.

At the regional im at. Our pass rates were excellent. They use AQP, I think most regional/contract airlines do now as well. I do know of a few that failed the checkride but passed on the second time. Just looking at the surrounding 60 guys near my hire date. A few others had training issues like what someone said above, just a slow down/extra review and then back on track. Basically, they just had a few days delay since the had the issues during training in either the clasroom or a sim session. (For example, first couple V1 cuts were unsatisfactory in Sim 1, or a poorly exectued Go around etc.) and not during a jeopardy event. (usually thats just the checkride and maneuvers validation with AQP. every airline calls them something different though) So they had to come back and redo a sim session or two before they could proceed.
From what I witnessed (im sure others witnessed differently) those guys/gals who had issues were low experienced(not time, just little IFR time and little if any turbine or Multi engine time). But not all who had that kind of experience had issues either. Many times people got delayed was due to simulator time, after one unstisfactory item. If the student had a few rough V1 cuts first time around, or a bad approach in the sim and there was no extra time left in that sim session (4 hours for two newhire FOs, approx 2 hrs each) they had to default to "incomplete" which throws a wrench in the training timeline as now you are a full sim session behind. From what I can tell, all of the 2 or 3 folks I know of with training hiccups or a checkride failure and redo, all came from VFR single engine flying. (keep in mind, everyone is different and this info is just what I witnessed) No recent time in anything as a CFII, IFR flying, ME, or turbine. Some had atp mins, some had 3000+ with 10+ years. Those with recent multi engine or turbine time, and IFR time appeared to have an easier time. Those who didnt, just appeared to have a slightly higher rate of training issues. Many VFR, single engine CFI/non CFI only guys did just fine. Just maximize your study habits with your sim partner and class mates. You will do just fine.

I don't remember the exact number my class at PSA started with, something like 25 or maybe 28? Anyway... We didn't lose anyone during Indoc or during Ground/Systems that I can recall. But we did lose 3 or 4 during sims, and 1 on IOE. Not horrible attrition.

So does AA. Its only the preliminary interview but they do use it.

2/14 washed out of my class this summer at MESA.