Are flight schools worth the $$$

Mesa owns the flight school at Farmington.

You get a guaranteed interview for a FO position with Mesa on completion of the program; they hire about 95% of those they interview.

http://www.flightcareers.com/paceweb.htm

Very sparse website but if you give them your contact info they'll get in touch. Call their number too... they're hurting for students so they'll be especially nice to you.
 
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Anyone disagree?

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Yes. Strongly. Instructing is the way to go. I rather enjoy seeing a student that started with me from the very beginning go on to do his first solo, for example, and knowing that I got him to that point. And not only is instructing fun (most of the time), but you learn so much.

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With your time, I'd say go PACE at MAPD in FMN. Expensive... but the only school that can hook you up with a very high probability of actually obtaining a right seat job in a regional. You might have to wait a year to 18 months or more after finishing the program to get a ground school date, but that sure beats any other path to regionals I've read of lately.

Sure, Mesa is not the greatest place to work, but turbine time is golden. Beats single pistons, unless you really are looking forward to instructing for 5 plus years.


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So, get your ratings, then sit around for 18 months and do what? Give me a break. If you tried hard enough, you could EASILY get 1000 hrs. in 18 months of instructing...probably more! People who buy into this PFT crap (or whatever PACE is) are missing out. I have little to no respect for anyone who goes that route, sorry. Why shortchange yourself? Its a proven fact that instructing makes you a better pilot, and airlines would rather hire someone who paid their dues and got great experience as an instructor. My opinion, your choice. Good luck.

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I agree. Couldn't have said it any better myself. Basically, there's a lot of money handed around with flight training. So be very careful about any school that promises you anything. Also, this career is way too competative to be able to buy anything. Besides, if you really were able to buy your way through something, would you really feel as good about this as they guy who earned his hours and got a lot of learning experiences in the meantime?

Lastly, if you've found a way to save thousands of dollars to do flight training than do so! Especially, since the bottom line is that employers don't care where you've done your training at. They just want to see that you've got the certificates and the hours. They might ask how you got the hours, but they really don't care where you took those checkrides 2000 hours ago to enable yourself to get those hours.

So save your money! Anybody that is telling you to pay more for any reason is full of it!!!
 
It'll be cheaper to go MAPD PACE and wait 18 months then go instructing for 5 years and MAYBE get the ME time you need for an interview... when you have an awesome chance at RJ time with the Mesa MAPD interview.

I typed a much longer post / response but it got deleted, do'h!

Basically... I think it is crazy to say "if you didn't work for XXX years doing XXX job, then you're not a respectable pilot; you must not have learned enough and no one will hire you otherwise."

Instructing is highly laudable. But that doesn't mean no other possible route is valid.

In the MAPD program you'll pay a lot for training, but you'll pay it back over time. At least you'll be working from an RJ or 1900 front seat. Instructing will prove just as expensive (long time of low wages and no multi time) but without turbine experience.

I do respect both your opinions a great deal though!! Thanks for contributing your ongoing viewpoints.
 
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In the MAPD program you'll pay a lot for training, but you'll pay it back over time. At least you'll be working from an RJ or 1900 front seat. Instructing will prove just as expensive (long time of low wages and no multi time) but without turbine experience.


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Hahahahahahahahahahahhaha...thats the funniest thing I've heard so far today. You must be kidding. Hasn't anyone explained to you yet the evil that is PFT?

Instructing just as expensive? I think not. I haven't spent one penny to fly an airplane since I started instructing. In fact....I'm MAKING money. Oh yeah, thats why its called a job (where you get experience). Whereas PFT is called an "experience" where poor suckers pay to see what a job is really like. Don't like being called a sucker? Well, if you BUY time in anything that burns Jet-A, you are one, and I have a bridge you might be interested in buying.

Don't get me wrong, I've got no problems with alternatives to instructing- as long as you get PAID to perform them, not vice versa. Unfortunately, other than these scams, there are very few of them that can provide you with the hours and valuable experience that instructing can.

Thanks for the laugh.
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"if you didn't work for XXX years doing XXX job..."

Working for xxx hours doing yyy job is called gaining flight experience and it's the way the system has worked for years. There is nothing crazy about it. What's crazy is putting 300 hour pilots in the right seat of an RJ.

Cointryo...you are very entitled to your opinion as I am mine. My opinions and experiences are based on being a 42 year old 727 F/O for a major airline and having been chasing the career since I was 17.

In case anyone says, "Well, the military does it..."

The military takes the creme of the crop and trains to a much higher standard than MAPD. You don't pay cash to become an air force pilot...they pick you based on a pretty tough screening program. Anyone with the cash can get into the MAPD.

For the record. I don't think MAPD is really PFT. Once you get on the line you are a paid crewmember. What I think MAPD is, is J.O.'s idea of how to make a buck and have as much control over his pilot group as possible. If push came to shove, how many MAPD guys would tell J.O. to stick it?
 
Hey eatsleefly, MAPD is not PFT. I agree with you that PFT is the wrong choice, but MAPD is not a PFT program, so don't be laughing at me with the wrong impression. Also I clearly stated that instructing for 5 years is more expensive than Mesa wages for 5 years since instructing is lower earnings... I'm not taking issue with your statement that "instructing hasn't cost me a dime"... but the opportunity costs of lower wages (of instructing versus FO pay) are just as much an "expense" as shelling out dollar bills.

DE727UPS, you're at the top of my Most Respected list (with Doug) so I'm going to reconsider my words in light of your comments. Thanks for having patience with all of use youngin's stumbling through.
 
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