Info on Pinnacle Direct Track, straight from the horse's mouth

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

thanks for the quick lesson. but who said anything about buying a job? you're buying your dream/goals in life. kinda like a trophy wife...

in the same way that kids that grow up getting everything paid for by their parents don't appreciate anything, you won't appreciate accomplishing your dream.....

have fun

Well, you're "buying" an interview, not a job. Gulfstream Training Academy is buying a job.

I had parents pay for college, and I appreciate that to this day, every day of my life! I am extremely greatful. Don't just dis and step over people who were fortunate enough to have things covered... some of them (like me) are very very appreciative!

My question is still, would you pay to work for a crappy regional where life will be miserable, and borderline unsafe in some situations, rather than building your experience and being able to work for better companies??????

The other route, become a CFI... then go where? No fractional will hire a CFI out of a C172 !!! You have to start off somewhere. A regional, or a part 135 cargo outfit. And I dont think flying all night long as a cargo pilot is something I find appealing (at least at this point in my life).

BTW, there are regionals that have NO junior manning

Sounds hard to believe! Like who ?

There have been places that have never furloughed...skywest being one of them. I'd like to see a 240 hour pilot apply...that would be a good laugh. In fact, they've told FSA over and over again that they want nothing to do with the direct track program.............

Yeah, Skywest sounds good... no furloughs. If you do go there, make sure you wave around to others while flying a 90 seat jet for 19.02 an hour.

Skywest Inc will give more deliveries to Skywest to pressure ASA in pilot contract negoatiations. Class whipsaw tactic, no surprise there.

The bottom line is that no matter what regional you look, at, there will always be something that "sucks."

But I would take commuting to a good company vs. living in base at a crappy company with an uncertain future...any day.

To each his own. If you can take the headaches of commuting, and the extra time spent away from home, then go for it. Frankly, to me, the idea that when you have a 1.5-2 hr reserve callout, and you sit at HOME on your sofa, instead of a crashpad, is unbeatable.

 

[launchpad]

Sounds hard to believe! Like who ?

Skywest and Chatauqua come to mind right away........

I think you should spend some more time *working* in the industry before deciding what you would or would not like. You also have formed many opinions without having any experience. Go ahead.....I encourage you to go and talk to people working at TSA, Pinnacle, ASA or Eagle. Ask them how they like it. The guys at TSA, Pinnacle, and ASA will say they get abused more than they deserve. The guys at eagle won't upgrade in the next 6 years (optimistic), unless something drastic changes. Most, in fact, are changing companies before their first year is up..........

You seem dead set on all of this....so I'm just gonna stop arguing..I have too many frosty adult beverages to enjoy on my 4 days off. Please, keep FlightSafety Academy in business by falling for their propoganda. Enjoy pinnacle for all it's worth.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Skywest and Chatauqua come to mind right away........

So Skywest and Chautauqua do NOT junior assign their pilots? Sounds pretty hard to believe considering that even legacy carriers junior assign as necessary to keep their operations going.

I think you should spend some more time *working* in the industry before deciding what you would or would not like. You also have formed many opinions without having any experience.

That's exactly what sets me apart. I want to get to know the industry I'm about to enter, so I've gotten to know and talked to pilots at Eagle, Pinnacle, ASA, and Comair. EVERYONE agreed that doing your research before hand is ciritical. I have heard about the upgrade times Eagle faces. I have heard about the contract fight that ASA is going through. That's education. It's much better than *not* knowing beforehand what you are getting into, and then start b*tching once on the line when you discover this isn't what you thought it was.

I have certain opinions... like I dont want to fly all night in small cargo prop planes. This isn't a matter of go work in the industry and then decide what I like or not like. This is me saying right now, from the schedules and the lifestyles I've heard of for cargo prop pilots, I don't want it. It's a process of elimination of what you don't want.

Go ahead.....I encourage you to go and talk to people working at TSA, Pinnacle, ASA or Eagle. Ask them how they like it. The guys at TSA, Pinnacle, and ASA will say they get abused more than they deserve. The guys at eagle won't upgrade in the next 6 years (optimistic), unless something drastic changes. Most, in fact, are changing companies before their first year is up..........

Again, I personally know at least one pilot at every regional you mentioned, except TSA (which I'm not interested in). Yes, I've gotten the scoop of how upgrade times are at Eagle. Yes, I know PNCL's flying is up for grabs due to the RFP Northwest put out. Yes, I know PNCL has been in pilot contract negotiations for more than a year now. Yes, I know their CRJ pay is among the lowest out there. Yes, I know about ASA's contract fight that they've been at since 2002.
I'm not ignorant going into the field of regionals. I think I've educated myself quite a bit with potential future employers.

You seem dead set on all of this....so I'm just gonna stop arguing..I have too many frosty adult beverages to enjoy on my 4 days off. Please, keep FlightSafety Academy in business by falling for their propoganda. Enjoy pinnacle for all it's worth.

Propoganda? Somebody had a miserable experience before at a flight academy, I take it?

I will visit FSA, and I will visit Farmington (PACE). I'll go from there.
Once I know for sure, and I'm in, I will post about it. But again, it won't be for about one year.

 

[wheelsup]

reading this thread I suddenly realized why hotels have full length mirrors in their rooms. it's so people like c-dawg here can look at themselves all dressed up and spiffy and feel good about themselves for 'accomplishing' their dream...

just think, one of us lucky ones will have this guy as an FO!!! sweet!!! (actually I won't because my airline doesn't participate in FSA's stuff...yet)

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

reading this thread I suddenly realized why hotels have full length mirrors in their rooms. it's so people like c-dawg here can look at themselves all dressed up and spiffy and feel good about themselves for 'accomplishing' their dream...

I don't need to look in a mirror with a uniform all dressed up to feel like I have accomplished my dream. Heck, if I wanted that, I could easily buy a uniform and get that over with in five minutes tops

just think, one of us lucky ones will have this guy as an FO!!! sweet!!! (actually I won't because my airline doesn't participate in FSA's stuff...yet)

No matter how anyone comes off on a web board, whether opinions differ or not, *everyone* is different in person. Just keep that in mind.



Who do you fly for again? AWAC ?

.

 

[DE727UPS]

"Well, you're "buying" an interview, not a job"

Man, that turned on a lightbulb in my head. New phrase alert. PFI. Pay For Interview.

Personally, I see PFI as less of a transgression as PFJ. But, really, we shouldn't be PFing anything in this business outside getting our ratings.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

"Well, you're "buying" an interview, not a job"

Man, that turned on a lightbulb in my head. New phrase alert. PFI. Pay For Interview.

Personally, I see PFI as less of a transgression as PFJ. But, really, we shouldn't be PFing anything in this business outside getting our ratings.

Don, I use that term loosely. Just about EVERY flight school out there nowadays advertises "guaranteed" interviews with a regional airline upon completion of their program of some type.

 

[DE727UPS]

Maybe the big academies do but it's a stretch to say "about every flight school". The vast majority of flight schools aren't targeting the SJS RJ crowd and don't need the marketing fluff of a "guaranteed interview".

 

[derg]

Oh hell, I can get you an interview. I'll even charge you 10% less.

No checks. Cash only.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Maybe the big academies do but it's a stretch to say "about every flight school". The vast majority of flight schools aren't targeting the SJS RJ crowd and don't need the marketing fluff of a "guaranteed interview".

My apologies, I meant to say just about every flight academy (not flight school like local FBOs and such). By flight academies, I meant ALLATP, Delta Connection Academy, FSA, and the likes.

Speaking of which, DCA being the biggest one of advertising guaranteed interviews. "Being owned by Delta means everything" slogan. What exactly does "everything" mean in this case?

Oh hell, I can get you an interview. I'll even charge you 10% less.

No checks. Cash only.

27,500 * .9 = $24,750 (with your 10% discount)

So with almost $25k in cash, what interview are you offering me?

 

[Flysher]

Hey Cherokee_Cruiser

Not to discount your plan, because its good that you have researched whats best for you, but I myself thought that i would hate several aspects of my career so far but I have proven myself wrong.

I really didnt want to instruct, but I did it anyway and I ended up loving it to the point where I would like to go back to it part time as a freelancer someday.

I NEVER thought Id be a freight dog, I had no desire to work at night either, but I tried it and now I love it! Im 21 now on track to make around 30,000 or so my first year here at Airnet.

What Im tryin to say is that so far, Ive been wrong about everything! Its amazing to look back and see where I have ended up versus where I thought I would end up.

Good luck with your career in flying.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Hey Cherokee_Cruiser

Not to discount your plan, because its good that you have researched whats best for you, but I myself thought that i would hate several aspects of my career so far but I have proven myself wrong.

I really didnt want to instruct, but I did it anyway and I ended up loving it to the point where I would like to go back to it part time as a freelancer someday.

I NEVER thought Id be a freight dog, I had no desire to work at night either, but I tried it and now I love it! Im 21 now on track to make around 30,000 or so my first year here at Airnet.

What Im tryin to say is that so far, Ive been wrong about everything! Its amazing to look back and see where I have ended up versus where I thought I would end up.

Good luck with your career in flying.

Thanks.


If you don't mind me asking, do you have a 4 year college degree? If so, in what, and from where?

 

[CLR4ILS]

"Badco will get a class date"

Last I heard, Badco is a cop and doesn't want to play the silly direct track game anymore. Did you notice he said he was "kinda kicking himself" (his words) for doing it in the first place? Besides, do you have any idea how parishable quickie direct track type training is? Highly parishable, and the less experience you have the more parishable. You don't just take a year off and hop back into the level D sim and everything is hunky dory.

"Pinnacle, like mentioned above, gives you a class date before you even begin your training"

I thought they all did that. That's the whole point. You are hired before you start. Why else bother....

Cherokee, since you're doing research, you need to call Jet U and check their program with Pinnacle. They are both ab initio. I'm dying to see a compairson of Jet U and FSA direct track with Pinnacle, since they both lead to exactly the same thing. Give them a call.

I think you should stop messing around and just do it. You can be the new direct track poster child and have you pic in a marketing promo. You could have a testimonial about how great it is.

Do it....

BADCO wouldn't be kicking himself "IF" ASA's hiring continued and he receieved his class date. He would be a happy First Officer flying the RJ. It didn't work out the way he planned. Some things in life don't.

I would be willing to bet he was on a very good high when he was going through his training at FSA though.

I hope things work out for him.....

ILS

 

[DE727UPS]

"It didn't work out the way he planned. Some things in life don't."

Maybe they should use this quote at the FSA direct track website.

 

[badco99]

I've been quiet because I think the arguement is pointless, but after seeing my name mentioned thought I'd speak up.

I think even if I was a "happy FO" at ASA I would still kick myself just a little. After doing the internship (even though only for a month) I could see the possibilities and pros of corporate flying. Seemed like several people had job offers and they got offers to just go fly for some of the clients. I think if I had done the internship when I finished up my CFI I would still be in aviation and not going back to law enforcement.

What really ticks me off is the fact that one guy has already quit ASA, and I wonder if he should have been hired in the first place. A few others have been having some problems, one being finding the centerline. I got it, flying the plane just clicked for me. And having done the direct track, I knew what was going to be required during training to get through it. One thing I didn't like about the internship was I was basically teaching myself and felt like I was blown off when I said I wanted help learning checklists/flows.

Like I've said, I thought the training was great. Does it make you gods gift to flying, absolutely not. But it does give you a basic foundation to start from. The problem is once FSA gets your money they wipe their hands and say it's up to the airline. I didn't feel they stepped up to do anything. And for anyone reading this planning on going to marketing saying "Badco is talking smack about the program again", this is FACT not just me complaining.

Anyway, if ASA should offer a class date before I get rehired by the PD I'd give it consideration. I spent a lot of money on training and love to fly. But if I'm already back with the PD, I'd probably turn it down. Hard to say no to $50k, benefits, etc. And if I do get back on I'm probably going to look into a CFI job to keep flying. I know several places at Leesburg and Manassas that were looking for CFI's. Just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[CLR4ILS]

I've been quiet because I think the arguement is pointless, but after seeing my name mentioned thought I'd speak up.

I think even if I was a "happy FO" at ASA I would still kick myself just a little. After doing the internship (even though only for a month) I could see the possibilities and pros of corporate flying. Seemed like several people had job offers and they got offers to just go fly for some of the clients. I think if I had done the internship when I finished up my CFI I would still be in aviation and not going back to law enforcement.

What really ticks me off is the fact that one guy has already quit ASA, and I wonder if he should have been hired in the first place. A few others have been having some problems, one being finding the centerline. I got it, flying the plane just clicked for me. And having done the direct track, I knew what was going to be required during training to get through it. One thing I didn't like about the internship was I was basically teaching myself and felt like I was blown off when I said I wanted help learning checklists/flows.

Like I've said, I thought the training was great. Does it make you gods gift to flying, absolutely not. But it does give you a basic foundation to start from. The problem is once FSA gets your money they wipe their hands and say it's up to the airline. I didn't feel they stepped up to do anything. And for anyone reading this planning on going to marketing saying "Badco is talking smack about the program again", this is FACT not just me complaining.

Anyway, if ASA should offer a class date before I get rehired by the PD I'd give it consideration. I spent a lot of money on training and love to fly. But if I'm already back with the PD, I'd probably turn it down. Hard to say no to $50k, benefits, etc. And if I do get back on I'm probably going to look into a CFI job to keep flying. I know several places at Leesburg and Manassas that were looking for CFI's. Just have to wait and see what happens.

A little advice... Don't turn down the class date even if you have gone back to the PD. I left aviation after all of my training and degree from Riddle. I am now a mortgage broker/remodel contractor (remodeling my own properties for resale). I think about going back to flying pretty much every day. It is my passion and I am good at it. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay the bills...

I may still return to flying but not until I finish my current remodel in progress. It's either return to flying, open my own mortgage brokerage, or like my wife says, do both.

If you do not stay with it, you will end up like me staring up at the sky while driving down the road wishing you were up there.....

ILS

 

[CLR4ILS]

"It didn't work out the way he planned. Some things in life don't."

Maybe they should use this quote at the FSA direct track website.

I do not think that educated people need to be told that crap happens. I do not regret any of my training or the money I spent. Had I spent the $22k, done the direct track like I was supposed to, and still continued down my finance path, I wouldn't regret it a bit. My flight training experience was the best thing I have ever done and I enjoyed every minute being at Flight Safety Academy. I wouldn't trade the experience even if someone offered me my $48K back.....

ILS

 

[badco99]

I think about going back to flying pretty much every day. It is my passion and I am good at it.

I feel exactly the same way, but...

Unfortunately, it doesn't pay the bills...

My flight training experience was the best thing I have ever done and I enjoyed every minute being at Flight Safety Academy. I wouldn't trade the experience even if someone offered me my $48K back.....

:yeahthat:


I just need to find a sugar momma to support me while I get my career off the ground. At least if I go back to the PD I'll be able to pay my bills and fly on my own every once in a while. And I'm sure flying in the DC area will be a great learning experience. But I hear ya about always looking up. The worst was last week when I flew out to VA for testing. Went through ATL on Delta, and seeing all the ASA planes on the ramp was kind of like a slap in the face. So close, yet so far. Just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[psalm91]

Can't put a price on doing what you have a passion for, can you? In my thinking, i'm willing to pay the price necessary (not necessarily speaking in strict monetary terms) so that 15 or 20 years from now, I'm NOT saying "If only I would have...."

I had a nice job that paid 120k per year, and hated every minute of it. Now I have no job, some student loan debt, i'm going through CFI, and I could care less about having to pay back student loans while I struggle for a few years; anything that's worth having is going to cost you something somewhere along the line.

Imho there's no amount of money that's going to compensate years down the line, when we have all the bills paid, all the toys, and we are still filled with regret over not fulfilling what we knew we were called and gifted to do.

I guess we all have to evaluate those things for ourselves. Badco, I hope that things work out for you - I think you belong in the sky my friend.

 

[CLR4ILS]

Can't put a price on doing what you have a passion for, can you? In my thinking, i'm willing to pay the price necessary (not necessarily speaking in strict monetary terms) so that 15 or 20 years from now, I'm NOT saying "If only I would have...."

I had a nice job that paid 120k per year, and hated every minute of it. Now I have no job, some student loan debt, i'm going through CFI, and I could care less about having to pay back student loans while I struggle for a few years; anything that's worth having is going to cost you something somewhere along the line.

Imho there's no amount of money that's going to compensate years down the line, when we have all the bills paid, all the toys, and we are still filled with regret over not fulfilling what we knew we were called and gifted to do.

I guess we all have to evaluate those things for ourselves. Badco, I hope that things work out for you - I think you belong in the sky my friend.

Good response, you are absolutley correct...

It has been a little harder lately. I recieved a call from a friend of mine with a regional. He said if you want back in, I have a class date for you Sept 5th. To top it off, I recieved a call from the Assistant Cheif Pilot from Southwest. As luck would have it, we have a mutual friend. He told me that if I wanted a mentor through the regionals, to the 737 type, and on to Southwest (at least an interview), all I have to do is give him a call. Here I thought he was calling me for a mortgage loan. His name and number is taped to my wall in my office...

I may have to pick up the phone and call him....soon..

ILS