ASA direct track checkride PASSED!

I just hope, for your sake, the ASA pilot group doesn't decide to go on strike after being jacked around for years with their contract. Hope you're willing to walk the line, if need be.

That's one reason I don't like ab initio. You're stuck at one airline with low time. One's options are limited which could result in one feeling that crossing the line is necessary. Not a good thing. That's one reason management loves these kinds of programs.
 
DE727UPS....I agree with you that real world experience is extremely valuable. But it must be RELEVENT experience. BY FAR the most dangerous people I have flown with are the ATR transition captains. These are all folks with thousands of hours of turbine 121 experience, but dudn't have a clue what they were doing in the jet. Why? Because their previous experience what not relevent to their current environment. That is the same reason why the straight CFI's usually struggle. Their experience in 172's does little to prepare them for the ailrine/jet experience. It is also the same reason why the ASA Dirct Track graduate does well. Before you blast away, I did instruct for 1 year and did not go in as a 200 hour pilot.

And for those of you who think the interview process is watered down....you have no idea what you are talking about. I had to have my application selected by FSI and ASA from a LARGE pile of applicants, pass an FSI interview, then go to ATL for the ASA interview given by the same hiring captains as the regular interviews on the same days. I was asked all the 121 reg's questions, all the "What if your captain" type questions, all the HR questions etc...that all the "regular" applicants had to answer. How do I know this? We all went out for lunch afterwords to talk it over. And trust me....it was a "pressure cooker" in there. They expect you to convinve them that you deserve the opportunity.

As far as the checkride, yes it is after the training, but it is a MUCH more difficult ride. It is not your standard fly this heading and airspeed. Climb and descend, 1 ILS etc... It is a full type ride to ATP standards to pass. It includes full approaches, both single and double engine, engine fires, single-engine hand flown non-precicion appraoch, holds, missed approaches, rejected landings, 20kt crosswind ldgs, emergency evac, visuals, etc...It is very thorough. You mess up on any of it and you fail. Is it easier having flown the sim previously....yes, but by no means is it easy. Oh, did I mention the ASA director of standards is the guy giving you the checkride and operating the sim.....No pressure!!!

This was my experience with the program. Maybe it's different now but it is excellent training. Prepares you very well for Indoc and beyond. And as others have said, you will find almost nobody at our airline who has anything negative to say about it.
 
Lots of reasons....mostly the timing of everything in the industry and the way things were shaping up in my life.
 
Timing in the industry? As in, you couldn't wait around for the one regional you trained for to give you a class date for a year?

Not knocking it, as some CFI time expands your horizons as a professional pilot. Just wondering if you are proving one of my points that a negative of direct track is the lack of options the program leaves you with. As in, if you hook up with ASA and they don't hire for a year, you're outta luck.
 
Update on classes

Just found out that classes should be starting up again either the end of March or the first part of April. This is no rumor, but straight from the lady that schedules the class dates. So with a little luck we should be starting in April or May.
 
Good luck badco,

I hope you get into class sooner rather than later. My advice, start studying the company stuff if you can get your hands on it, and get your CFI while you wait. You'll be glad you did!
 
cime_sp said:
DE727UPS....I agree with you that real world experience is extremely valuable. But it must be RELEVENT experience. BY FAR the most dangerous people I have flown with are the ATR transition captains. These are all folks with thousands of hours of turbine 121 experience, but dudn't have a clue what they were doing in the jet. Why? Because their previous experience what not relevent to their current environment. That is the same reason why the straight CFI's usually struggle. Their experience in 172's does little to prepare them for the ailrine/jet experience. It is also the same reason why the ASA Dirct Track graduate does well. Before you blast away, I did instruct for 1 year and did not go in as a 200 hour pilot.

And for those of you who think the interview process is watered down....you have no idea what you are talking about. I had to have my application selected by FSI and ASA from a LARGE pile of applicants, pass an FSI interview, then go to ATL for the ASA interview given by the same hiring captains as the regular interviews on the same days. I was asked all the 121 reg's questions, all the "What if your captain" type questions, all the HR questions etc...that all the "regular" applicants had to answer. How do I know this? We all went out for lunch afterwords to talk it over. And trust me....it was a "pressure cooker" in there. They expect you to convinve them that you deserve the opportunity.

As far as the checkride, yes it is after the training, but it is a MUCH more difficult ride. It is not your standard fly this heading and airspeed. Climb and descend, 1 ILS etc... It is a full type ride to ATP standards to pass. It includes full approaches, both single and double engine, engine fires, single-engine hand flown non-precicion appraoch, holds, missed approaches, rejected landings, 20kt crosswind ldgs, emergency evac, visuals, etc...It is very thorough. You mess up on any of it and you fail. Is it easier having flown the sim previously....yes, but by no means is it easy. Oh, did I mention the ASA director of standards is the guy giving you the checkride and operating the sim.....No pressure!!!

This was my experience with the program. Maybe it's different now but it is excellent training. Prepares you very well for Indoc and beyond. And as others have said, you will find almost nobody at our airline who has anything negative to say about it.
Click to expand...



Very well said....


First of all, congrats to Badco99 and CIME_SP for passing the interview, training, and sim ride. It is a big accomplishment and you should be proud of your hard work.

Second, I would rather fly with an FSA trained 300 hour pilot that went through the Direct track than a 1200 hour CFI that has trained 90% pre-privates. Look at the "averages" with respect to CFI's and the hours logged in the book (mostly PPL time). This is EXACTLY why the direct track program works and ASA likes it. The students are very current, proficient, knowledgable, and do FAR better than the CFI recruits that come through the ranks.

ILS
 
"This is EXACTLY why the direct track program works and ASA likes it."

Yeah. Well, Skywest doesn't like it and I heard at another board that it's days were numbered at ASA because of that. We'll see...
 
DE727UPS said:
"This is EXACTLY why the direct track program works and ASA likes it."

Yeah. Well, Skywest doesn't like it and I heard at another board that it's days were numbered at ASA because of that. We'll see...
Click to expand...


OK..... so Jack likes apples and Mike doesn't. Mike buys Jacks General Store and quits carrying apples. Does it mean that the apples were bad, or Mike just didn't like them?

You're not going to make me spell that scenario out any clearer for you, are you DE?

ILS
 
"You're not going to make me spell that scenario out any clearer for you, are you DE?"

I think what you are trying to say is if Skywest/ASA stops hiring direct track guys, it's no reflection on the quality of pilot direct track puts out but it's simply Skywest making a statement that they don't feel direct track guys are qualified to be pilots for them. How's that?
 
Yeah. Well, Skywest doesn't like it and I heard at another board that it's days were numbered at ASA because of that. We'll see...
Click to expand...

it's simply Skywest making a statement that they don't feel direct track guys are qualified to be pilots for them.
Click to expand...


Well, it certainly is nice of Skywest Inc to get their priorities straight !

Concentrating on abolishing the ASA Direct Track program, where really, Skywest Inc should focus on *serious* stuff like an ongoing 3+ year old negotiation with ASA pilots?
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Well, it certainly is nice of Skywest Inc to get their priorities straight !

Concentrating on abolishing the ASA Direct Track program, where really, Skywest Inc should focus on *serious* stuff like an ongoing 3+ year old negotiation with ASA pilots?
Click to expand...

False option...

Thankfully, they can axe the direct track and put pressure on ASA management to complete the contract at the same time.
 
"Concentrating on abolishing the ASA Direct Track program"

I think Skywest could care less about the direct track program. That's the whole point. They just don't see those guys as qualified to apply at their airline for a pilot job. No big deal.
 
DE727UPS said:
"Concentrating on abolishing the ASA Direct Track program"

I think Skywest could care less about the direct track program. That's the whole point. They just don't see those guys as qualified to apply at their airline for a pilot job. No big deal.
Click to expand...


Wait, I'm confused.

"Skywest Inc" is the parent company. "Skywest Airlines" and "Atlantic Southeast Airlines" are two companies operating under the parent company, "Skywest Inc."

So when you say "Skywest could care less" do you mean the Skywest airline itself or the holding parent company "Skywest Inc" ?
 
CLR4ILS and Cruiser,

Thanks for the congrats.

As for agruing whether the program is good or bad, I'd just do this :banghead: Probably just as effective.
 
How the hell can you guys afford to pay for these programs. I got through flight training and college cheap, $55,000 in loans, and a $5000 in credit card debt. (The worst thing is I had zero cc debt throughout college, it didn't kick in till I went to flight school). I even was lucky enough to have my parents pay for my apartment and pick up the slack that the loans wouldn't pay for during school. Still my monthly loan payments are going to be around $400 a month (hopefully I can pay off the credit card before they kick in). If you have over 70,000 in loans like most of these guys from fsi, how do you make $1000 a month loan payments on a sub $1500 a month paycheck?
 
Badco,

Congrats again! Best of luck. Lemme know when you get a class. Hopefully it's March like rumors have it.

I hope the contract negotiations come to a successful end soon. ASA seems like a great airline to work for, and is my #1 choice.
 
greaper007 said:
How the hell can you guys afford to pay for these programs. I got through flight training and college cheap, $55,000 in loans, and a $5000 in credit card debt. (The worst thing is I had zero cc debt throughout college, it didn't kick in till I went to flight school). I even was lucky enough to have my parents pay for my apartment and pick up the slack that the loans wouldn't pay for during school. Still my monthly loan payments are going to be around $400 a month (hopefully I can pay off the credit card before they kick in). If you have over 70,000 in loans like most of these guys from fsi, how do you make $1000 a month loan payments on a sub $1500 a month paycheck?
Click to expand...


I borrowed $40,000 for PPL thru MEI at FSA. My payment was $312.56 a month with keybank till two months ago when I paid it all off. I think my rate was 5.7% over a twenty year term. "IF" i would have done the ASA program when I was supposed to, I would have absorbed the extra $22,000 without a problem and that too would now be paid off.

The key here is....... Find a way to make the cash to pay them off quickly. How you ask? Try realestate... Buy the distressed sale homes or pre-forclosure homes, and fix and flip them. POOF..... your student loans are gone and you are several hundred thousand dollars ahead.

Just two pennies worth...

ILS
 
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