Had anyone else noticed the irony behind this thread? The same 6-8 people come on here and rag on AMF, while the same 3 people defend it.
You guys all seem so enjoy talking about perspective; for those of you who haven't been through a training event in the past year to 6 months at the actual "mothership," I would encourage you to look at the changes being implemented.
New hires are now being given an extra week of training for IFR/TERPS training, CPTs, and fundamentals. Additional sims have also been built into the program (since January). A real director of safety is being implemented, as is a new director of training.
Like any flight school or other 135 I've ever trained at, AMF has different instructors with different training approaches and personalities. As a student, I knew which style of instruction worked best for me, which the better instructors were keen on understanding/identifying.... All of the current AMF instructors seem to be adept at identifying /implimenting this, and seem to show a lot of patience/coaching.
As of the last few classes, the balance has tipped towards more students resigning on their own, as opposed to being "washed" out of training. The company (and the training dept) understands that the company isn't for everyone, no one is pushed out the door.
As for the chest thumping egomaniacs in the dept, well, I have yet to really see that. The instructors do expect a lot out of the trainees by the end of their sims, but not anything that isn't unreasonable. The trainees have to posssess the beginnings of a captain mentality prior to being sent out for line training, where as a regional FO trainee has years to observe and learn. That being said, the dept does a good job at presenting (and coaching new hires through) scenarios they may face. They test it too, to see if
Learning and comprehension has occured.
Instructors ragging on students... that is a whole different can of worms: the instructors make fun of themselves and behaviors of EVERYONE in the same way any human would make light of a situation. They discuss the progress and training of all students (being both the strong areas and those that need improvement). If a student/trainee walks into the instructor/training office, they won't talk about that student, or name names as to who they're debriefing another instructor on. As for making fun of anyone, it's generally towards a behavior, but in a satirical manner that doesn't describe any individual in particular. If a student walKS in and misunderstands this, then low and behold, "the instructors were talking sh##t." I could go on and on about this, but I think this is something that isn't even worth refuting, as things will be taken out of context and twisted. That being said, I think it's highly unprofessional to discuss the progress/nature of others training in front of others that aren't relevant to the training event (i.e. other instructors, and not in the vicinity of students or other line pilots).
Lastly, your time at AMF is what you make of it: Wanna spend all day crying about your schedule sucking ass, about f'd up airplanes, or about not being ATP/type rated after being in the cheiftain for 3 months? Fine, that is completely your right as an American citizen, but do something about it - bid for a different airplane/run, ask to go tdy, request to be a training captain, hell, email the chief pilot with your concerns. What's the point of complaining for the sake of complaining?
All of this being said, there are things here I would like to see changed, but I also have a limited perspective, and I try not to let it anchor me down. Take it for what it is, if you want to hone in on your fundamental instrument and flying skills, PIC mentality, have a great learning experience, and get paid decently (for your first few years at a professional company), then come to AMF.
If there are any typos in here, I apologize, as my hands have not been calibrated for this tablet.. fingers are probably too slippery from all of the Kool aid residue

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