Haha, im gunna resurrect this thread! You know, with whole 250 hr pilot "experience" thing, is it not true that many foreign airlines around the world train their pilots to this point and then put them into the right seat of their heavy jets? Luftansa comes to mind and so does the chinese airlines. Am I wrong? I knew you would say I was so...
[FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]Lufthansa, one of the pioneers of the ab initio concept, is actively recruiting candidates for its ab initio training program through the German media. The basic requirements for consideration by Lufthansa are: [/SIZE][/FONT]
- [FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]
- No previous flight time required.
- Between 19 and 29 years of age.
- German bachelor's degree.
- Military service completed.
- Comply with physical and eyesight minimums.
- Permanent German work status.
- Speak both German and English fluently.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]The ab initio applicant is subjected to four days of psychological, coordination, scholarly aptitude, and technical evaluation in Germany. If successful, the candidate will enter a two-year training program covering all aspects of basic flight and advanced airline flying, including meteorology, flight procedures, European licensing, systems, aerodynamics, and so on. If an aspiring pilot fails evaluation testing the first time, there is no re-test -ever! [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]Primary flight training is conducted at Lufthansa's Arizona facility near Phoenix. There, the new pilot learns the elements of aviating in airplanes ranging from Beechcraft Bonanzas to Barons. Advanced flight and ground training takes place in Germany where the student will be exposed to European airspace, weather, and regulations in Piper Cheyennes. Cockpit resource management and crew coordination are emphasized throughout. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]At the end of the two-year training routine, the new Lufthansa pilot will be assigned to a Boeing or Airbus with all of about 200 hours of actual flight time and several hundred hours of simulator experience. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=VERDANA,HELVETICA,ARIAL][SIZE=-1]This, then, marks a real ab initio program. The aspiring cockpit professional is groomed from the beginning for a specific airline. The airline sponsors the candidate by absorbing the training costs! In the case of Lufthansa, the airline foots the bill in the amount of slightly more than $100,000. Once hired, the pilot is expected to reimburse the company about 15 percent of the total tab over time. It should be noted that there is no absolute guarantee that the trainee will be picked up by Lufthansa once he has completed the course. If the ab initio graduate is left standing in the unemployment line, then Lufthansa receives no reimbursement for the training costs. [/SIZE][/FONT]
http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=132
Moreover,
"A new-hire who passes Indoc, Ground, Oral, Sim, Check-ride, and IOE, has every right to be in the right sight of an airline, no matter how many hours they have"-MESA ERJ-145 Captain
Gotcha:nana2:
