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"I could care less how somebody else accomplishes their goals. If it works for them and makes them happy then I say great!"
So....paying for a job, like the way Gulfstream does it, is okay with you?
If a guy want's to spend 50K to have a shot at ASA with 300 hours, then that's his business. Personally, I don't think he has the experience to be in the right seat of an RJ, but that's just me talking, not ASA recruiting (thank Gawd I won't ever have to fly with them).
Other than my Mesa buddy that I recommended and later got hired at UPS, airline recruiters have never asked my opinion. ASA seems to be happy with hiring CFI's, FSI grads, and even CAPT grads. I hear they are hiring at 600/100 these days, anyhow, so it's sort of a moot point, as a guy could easily get his CFI ratings for a lot less money and spend half a year instructing to meet the higher mins. If your point is that CAPT and ASA put out a better product than a guy who has some CFI time, then why is ASA still hiring from the CFI ranks? Personally, I think ASA is so desperate for pilots they are looking for warm bodies at this point.
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What exactly is Gulfstream? Is that one of those Pay for jobs (or training) that everybody talks about (I have heard of TAB from reading here..that is very unfortunate for their students
)? I don't think that is ok, but at the same time, that is somebody elses decision to follow that path, not mine. If somebody else chooses to go that route instead of other methods that is up to them. I have always been a firm believer that you reap what you sow.
I never said that they put out a better product. I said they are trained to do exactly what the job entails. They have to meet the same standards as everyone else. It isn't as if they tell people, "well, since you are from FSA you don't have to pass the CRJ checkride". Don't they have to meet the same standards as everybody else? That is how I read it. I don't really see any special treatment besides not requiring as many hours. Ultimately, that can only be a detriment to ones chances with regards to meeting the airlines "standards". Obviously, less hours = less expereince, therefore being a CFI, IMO, can be nothing but beneficial.
If a low time pilot such as this can in no way really be as qualified as a higher time CFI then why are people upset here? Is it because these guys are taking jobs that the CFIs had to work longer for or is it because people are worried about safety? Or a combination of both? I understand both sides of the argument (but it is more difficult since I am not a CFI or a person in the ASA program).
What I don't understand is if they both have to undergo the same training and meet the same standards then how can one really be upset at all? If a low time guy from FSA can compete with a high time CFI in the same environment, maybe the standards themselves are what should be in question (testing, interviews, etc..)?
The arguement mentioned earlier in this thread (I think it was this thread, lol) about "only having experience flying around Florida" doesn't really hold any water since most CFIs fly around the same areas native to their airports as well. Taking into account Florida's wack weather, it would seem to me that flying around there would yield more variety in training then being a CFI in Phoenix, Texas, etc......and if so, are the CFIs from these areas less qualified then CFIs from areas which have a more diverse weather and traffic systems?
Your thoughts?
P.S. Sorry if I am writing to much. I find everything about flying fascinating and I am always interested in good discussions and hearing people's opinions (I am still learning about this stuff...of course, in flying, one is always learning something new. I guess you could say that the training never really ends).
