Regional Jet Standards Certification

LucasM

Well-Known Member
So has anybody that's taken the RJ Course actually bettered themselves by doing it? Because with those LOAs that ATP has with some of the regionals, I would say like 6 months-1year ago it wouldv'e been a great program.

But the way things are now, and the reality of having to instruct for about a 1,000 hours or so before any airline is going to look at you, is paying the $2,500 really worth it? I've heard that it's the biggest joke in the world and blah blah blah, but if it's going to better your chances of getting hired, what would you do?

How did people learn to fly jets before the RJ Course? I guess what I mean by that is, is the training that you would receive at your ground school really that insufficient that you have to get outside help before you go in for your simulator checkride?
 
Honest questions, but let me help with a few misconceptions....

The RJ was not meant to supplement your airline INDOC training. It was meant to prepare you for your airline INDOC training. In the days of the regionals taking anyone with a pulse and wet CMEL, the RJ course was able to dramatically reduce washouts. Simply put, if you were able to pass the RJ program you had a much easier time in INDOC, regardless of what you trained on. The program made such a difference that the airlines began to lower mins for graduates of ATP's RJ program. For many, it landed them a job. It was also used to refresh people who had been out of the business a while, like prior military looking for a second career.

"How did people learn to fly jets before RJ courses?" The same way they do now- training. And the RJ course was meant to give you an edge and once again, for many it did.

How does it work out for these days with slow hiring? Well, the market has changed and ATP has changed with it ( a good business model in my opinion) allowing RJ dates to be deferred until a start date is confirmed. Besides, this market fluxes quite a bit- the day will come again when new hires might be low timers again, if so the program will help you. Until then, you have to decide if it is worthwhile or not.

Good Luck!:rawk:
 
You can listen to the ATP Fanboys, or you can do a forum search on this question and listen to the comments made by others with 1000's of more hours of experience in this industry. Let me bring up another question, did you ever think about what would happen if you did not pass this course? Thats right, not everyone makes it through. You just gave the interviewer more ammunition to not hire you. You need to do a cost / risk / benefit analysis.
 
I am not trying to be overly adversarial, but I have NEVER approached a training course/challenge/new rating with the question, "What if I dont pass?" This isnt the industry to entertain questions about your manhood.
 
You can listen to the ATP Fanboys, or you can do a forum search on this question and listen to the comments made by others with 1000's of more hours of experience in this industry. Let me bring up another question, did you ever think about what would happen if you did not pass this course? Thats right, not everyone makes it through. You just gave the interviewer more ammunition to not hire you. You need to do a cost / risk / benefit analysis.

Even if I didn't pass for whatever reason, why would I ever bring that up in an interview? It's not an official FAA checkride, it wouldn't go on anybodys record, and it's purely an educational course to have a competitive edge with the regionals.

Why do you think i'm on here asking questions about this topic in the first place if I wasn't doing a "cost / risk / benefit analysis"? Your right, I could go ask the other people on the forum with more time and experience, but what would they know? I'm asking the people who have done the RJ Course or who have some other type of affiliation with ATP that might have a little bit more insight.
 
Even if I didn't pass for whatever reason, why would I ever bring that up in an interview? It's not an official FAA checkride, it wouldn't go on anybodys record, and it's purely an educational course to have a competitive edge with the regionals.

Why do you think i'm on here asking questions about this topic in the first place if I wasn't doing a "cost / risk / benefit analysis"? Your right, I could go ask the other people on the forum with more time and experience, but what would they know? I'm asking the people who have done the RJ Course or who have some other type of affiliation with ATP that might have a little bit more insight.
Hey, you ask a question, too bad if you don't like the answer. How many hours do you have? Received 121 training? Under 500 hours, no 121 experience? What?? Oh you have a regional jet course... We'll keep you in mind, apply again in 6 months...
What would they know?? What would they know??? !!!! LOL
 
"This isnt the industry to entertain questions about your manhood."

Questioning your manhood? A good pilot always has a plan B if plan A doesn't work out. It's always going through your mind and I don't see a problem with it. Using terms like "questioning your manhood", in this context, is totally inappropriate. Many you've seen Top Gun one too many times....
 
"I'm asking the people who have done the RJ Course or who have some other type of affiliation with ATP that might have a little bit more insight"

I'd say you're limiting yourself to hearing what you want to hear with that statement.

Anyhow, as someone with only limited and dated experience with AllATP's, I'd tell you to save your money. By the time the regional industry gets back to giving a crap about an RJ course, you'll either have given up on the career or moved up the ladder based on your experience as a CFI.
 
"I'm asking the people who have done the RJ Course or who have some other type of affiliation with ATP that might have a little bit more insight"

I'd say you're limiting yourself to hearing what you want to hear with that statement.

Anyhow, as someone with only limited and dated experience with AllATP's, I'd tell you to save your money. By the time the regional industry gets back to giving a crap about an RJ course, you'll either have given up on the career or moved up the ladder based on your experience as a CFI.
:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:
 
The RJ course makes a huge difference. Yes, the main reason I took it was for the LOA and it did help me land a job as an FO. I got so much more out of the class then I expected. It put me so far ahead of the rest of my training class at the airlines. There were a few guys in my class with several thousand hours right seat in turboprops and they were way behind the curve. I would have been pretty lost without this course. I highly reccomend taking it before you head to the airlines.
 
The RJ course makes a huge difference. Yes, the main reason I took it was for the LOA and it did help me land a job as an FO. I got so much more out of the class then I expected. It put me so far ahead of the rest of my training class at the airlines. There were a few guys in my class with several thousand hours right seat in turboprops and they were way behind the curve. I would have been pretty lost without this course. I highly reccomend taking it before you head to the airlines.


Don't waste your money guys! Don't waste your money. That's all I have to say. If you study right in ground school you'll pass just fine. You're not in ground school to spend all the time partying then wonder why you didn't pass.

And sure, you might be able to get through sims, but we had a 50% fail rate on OE for JetU guys in my class (1 of 2 lol). I didn't go there, or any RJ prep course; I just studied what the airline gave me. I also utilized group study.

Don't spend your money on this. Think of how much you can get technology-wise for the money you'd spend on this course, and go for that instead.
 
So has anybody that's taken the RJ Course actually bettered themselves by doing it? Because with those LOAs that ATP has with some of the regionals, I would say like 6 months-1year ago it wouldv'e been a great program.

6 months to a year ago it was a great program....to get you a job. A lot of ATP grads did the program and got on with regionals well below their published mins.

But the way things are now, and the reality of having to instruct for about a 1,000 hours or so before any airline is going to look at you, is paying the $2,500 really worth it? I've heard that it's the biggest joke in the world and blah blah blah, but if it's going to better your chances of getting hired, what would you do?

Oh no!! the reality if having to instruct for 1000 hours? that is SOOOO ridiculous. haha. :sarcasm: There is nothing wrong with gaining a bit of experience before getting to an airline flying around 50 pax. If you look at flight instructing that way, do youself and possible students a favor and don't do it. Banner tow, traffic watch, pipeline patrol, to CAP to build your time.

How did people learn to fly jets before the RJ Course? I guess what I mean by that is, is the training that you would receive at your ground school really that insufficient that you have to get outside help before you go in for your simulator checkride?

People learn to fly RJs today as they did 5 years ago. Ground school alone is insufficient. Its so fast paced that you need to study on your own once you get back to you hotel. But keep in a mind only a very small percentage of people that have gone thru indoc at an airline has done the RJ course. Yet a very large percentage still make to the line. So what does taht tell you?

I have been preaching this for a while now...the sole purpose of the RJ course is to get you an interview. You dont need it to pass initial ground school. Who takes the RJ courses? 3-500 hour pilots. Not 2000 hour pilots who already having a standing offer from xyz airline.
 
Honest questions, but let me help with a few misconceptions....

The RJ was not meant to supplement your airline INDOC training. It was meant to prepare you for your airline INDOC training.

I wouldn't even give it that much credit. Like I mentioned above its only to get you an interviewed with lower mins, NOTHING ELSE.

In the days of the regionals taking anyone with a pulse and wet CMEL, the RJ course was able to dramatically reduce washouts. Simply put, if you were able to pass the RJ program you had a much easier time in INDOC, regardless of what you trained on.

Let me tell you what the RJ program was really built for. It was a way for an airline to fill classes by lowering the bar instead of raising compensation to find quality pilots. And the RJ course ( a week in an FTD) was all the justification the airlines needed to lower their mins.

How does it work out for these days with slow hiring? Well, the market has changed and ATP has changed with it ( a good business model in my opinion) allowing RJ dates to be deferred until a start date is confirmed.
Good Luck!:rawk:

What "start date"? Day you start the ACPP? the day you start an airline job? The day you start a job with ATP?
 
I have been preaching this for a while now...the sole purpose of the RJ course is to get you an interview. You dont need it to pass initial ground school. Who takes the RJ courses? 3-500 hour pilots. Not 2000 hour pilots who already having a standing offer from xyz airline.

I didn't do an RJ course.
 
Oh no!! the reality if having to instruct for 1000 hours? that is SOOOO ridiculous. haha. :sarcasm: There is nothing wrong with gaining a bit of experience before getting to an airline flying around 50 pax. If you look at flight instructing that way, do youself and possible students a favor and don't do it. Banner tow, traffic watch, pipeline patrol, to CAP to build your time.

Haha, I loved this comment. I am a recent ATP grad with currently around 320TT. I totally agree with your statement above. It is rediculous these days what people want out of airlines. People think they can have zero experience and wield around regional jets. I come from a family of airline pilots. My brother and dad are both captains. Let me just say that neither one of them got hired at an airline with 300+ TT and no flight instructing. My brother would laugh in my face if I said that I thought I could get on with an airline at such low time. He got on with Republic 6-7 years ago with around 1500-2000 TT. I faced reality even when I applied for allatps that I would instruct afterwards for at least a few months if not a year. That is just the way it is. Flight instruction experience is really valuable. I already saw the benefits of it after only a few hours of doing it.
 
i didnt do the rj course. then again i dont fly an rj and hopefully i never have to.

I don't know what those CJ guys are telling you, but the MegaWacker is an RJ. Now, if you get the SAAB... fair enough.

OP: It's not worth your time. If you have the experience and personality to make it, you'll do just fine with out it. If you don't have the experience and personality, the RJ course is just going to get you through training and then you are going to hit a brick wall once you get on the line and start dealing with real world stuff.
 
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