Oh please, you can call it whatever you want but if:
1) You paid more money
B) You got an interview, and
IV) You weren't otherwise qualified to be interviewed
then:
F) You paid for your job.
It doesn't matter that some people didn't pass the "interview," because the entire scenario was a <expletive> shortcut to avoid actually earning the chance to get the job. But hey, whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night. It's also funny to hear Todd defending this in this thread. Soft spot for the other shortcutters even though you proclaim to be born again hard?
Come on guys, WTF? This all helps no one. The last few pages are just more of the perfect example of why for at least a decade or more we have been and continue to be our own worst enemies. This all needs to stop. No PFT, no PFJ, no PFI. Build your time, earn your interviews, earn and actually be qualified for your job. The shortcuts are why tons of us sit flying a "regional" jet across the freaking country for slave wages dreaming of mainline while the CEOs and executive vice presidents collect fatter paychecks. IT NEEDS TO STOP SOMEWHERE! Stop defending this crap. Get on the soapbox all you want, but if age 65 didn't slow the transitions to a worthwhile job, there would have been something else anyway. Maybe more codesharing or more "wonderful" TAs like Delta's last summer or more selling out scop for a miniscule payraise or something similarly ridiculous. Enough is enough.
Aren't you a Colgan guy, and an original Colgan (pre-ALPA days)? If so, your second paragraph is pot calling the kettle black.
As for the first part, back in 2007, Pinnacle's website had the minimums listed with 1000 total and 200 ME with astericks for both times. At the bottom of the page, the astericks listed 'lower flight time requirements for approved bridge program pilots.' To dissect your points one by one, first up is 'you paid more money.' But how so? With only a Comm-ME, the CFI route would have cost me getting the Comm-SE, then the CFI, double I, and MEI. Then working as a CFI would be great experience, but at an opportunity cost of not working at an airline. Those are all serious costs, and in the end of the day, I think my wallet would have lost what I spent at JetU anyway. Second, the "you weren't qualified otherwise to interview." But I was, under the bridge program requirements. As already written, Pinnacle in 2007 published the normal hiring requirements of 1000/200, and with an asterick, at the bottom listed that inidividual bridge programs had lower requirements. There were several programs. IIRC, Flight Safety Academy had a Pinnacle program that required 350 total time and 50 ME. JetU required no total time requirement, just a Comm/Inst/ME ratings. So under each different bridge program, you qualified based on the individual program requirements. It isn't really accurate to say that one was unqualified to interview and didn't have the time. You have to look at the individual program. Remember, despite your personal belief, 9E advertised two ways of getting an interview. Either get 1000/200 somehow on your own, or go through one of their approved bridge programs to get interviewed with lower hours. Their rationale was the bridge program guys would have almost no problems getting through the training program, as opposed to street hires. I'm not the one to make a case for equating more flight experience with RJ ground school/sim bridge training, but Pinnacle did that. All pilots were free to chose that path. Last point, "you paid for your job" is a big no. Gulfstream Academy was a true pay for a job, because when you paid for that program, you were basically buying 250 hrs in a Gulfstream Part 121 right seat as a first officer. No personal/HR interview with Gulfstream. You sat there and earned $8/hr, while regular FOs got double that at Gulfstream. That was a true PFJ program. The RJ bridge programs, like JetU, ALLATPs, etc, are not pay for a job. You aren't getting any actual airline flight time. What these programs are doing is hiring pilots with lower time agreements (that the reigonal airline agreed to) because with the specific airplane training, these airlines are willing to take lower flight hour experience in exchange for airplane-specific ground/sim school. It is not buying a job! I will agree it's buying airplane-specific ground and sim training, instead of CFIing or traffic work. 9E advertised both street-route and bridge program routes, and gave the requirements for both, on their own nwairlink.com career website. All pilots, in 2007, were free to choose from any method listed to get to Pinnacle. None of them were pay for job.
