CAE Oxford vs. Transpac

[Daytonav8r]

For those of you familiar with the Phoenix valley foreign student gigs, given the opportunity to instruct at either CAE Oxford at FFZ or Transpac at DVT, which would you choose? Lots of info on JC about both of these operations, so I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse.
My objective is to reach ATP mins for a regional as quickly as possible while maintaining some modicum of QOL in the process. It seems that both have their pros and cons so I'm interested in the feedback of those in the JC community that have experience with either one or both.
Thanks!

 

[The_Duke182]

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/TransPac-Aviation-Academy-Reviews-E342137.htm

The 5 star reviews were written by management so you can disregard those, others are pretty accurate.

 

[Adebord13]

If you want hours Transpac is it. Get in, fly, get out. I have heard they recently brought back incentive pay.

I don't know much about CAE but I have heard their indoc process is long and you spend alot of time sitting around waiting.

 

[The_Duke182]

If you want hours Transpac is it. Get in, fly, get out. I have heard they recently brought back incentive pay.

I don't know much about CAE but I have heard their indoc process is long and you spend alot of time sitting around waiting.

You have to go through standarization at Transpac and that will take time too because you do PPL and then IR so it's not going to be quick. After that you will teach private for a while, last I heard they were flying 30 hours a month because of restriction on the amount of hours they have for the PPL course.

I could speak wonders of the place and possibly take a referal bonus of $2000 but I'd rather give you honest feedback.

 

[A150K]

When did it get so bad at Transpac? Back when I was instructing, it was generally regarded as a decent place to work.

 

[The_Duke182]

When did it get so bad at Transpac? Back when I was instructing, it was generally regarded as a decent place to work.

When they sold it back in August, they fired Curtis and made all kinds of changes in January 2017. Kicked out ALL airlines that used to visit every month, now its just skywest.

 

[kryan11]

I really like Transpac. Any school is going to require you to go through some type of stanz training. I've personally averaged about 60 hours a month in PPL. If you have new students, the first couple of months you'll be flying non-stop with them. I was doing about 80 hours a month. Once they reach their solos though, it slows down to about 40 hours a month. The good news is they don't really need PPL instructors right now, if you have your CFI-I they're going to move you into instrument training pretty quick and you can easily average 100-160 hours a month. I know people who are flying 8 hours a day in instrument right now.

It really is a good place to work. The bad reviews on Glassdoor are by a few disgruntled pilots who have a sense of entitlement, I'm not sure they'd be happy anywhere they went. What I find really encouraging is I've talked to quite a few people at Transpac who were told to go there by DPEs. DPEs that work all over the valley and see Transpac as the number one place to work and build hours. They have a lot of referrals. A lot of new hires now are coming exclusively from referrals of friends and family members. I think that says a lot in itself.

Whatever you decide to do good luck!.

 

[Adebord13]

What's the salary at CAE? I thought it was less than Tpac.

 

[n156499000]

What's the salary at CAE? I thought it was less than Tpac.

Negotiable, depending on your experience, CFI ratings held, and what program you teach in. I've been gone almost a year but it varried between 32k to 42k.

 

[TomcatG]

Is CAE accepting local, US born, non-foreign pilots and turning them into CFIs? Excluding JetBlue Gateway 7 program. Thank you.

 

[tcco94]

When did it get so bad at Transpac? Back when I was instructing, it was generally regarded as a decent place to work.

Duke roams the threads and complains about QOL at TransPac, like he expected a kush job and 100 hrs a month at the same time.

TransPac is the place to go for hours. You get paid badly and work a lot of hours. First 4 months will be around 40-50 hours. After that in IFR it's about 100-130 hours. If you're an MEI it'll drop back to 40 hours, if you aren't GREAT you'll stay in IFR.

950 hrs in 11 months in 2016. Filled taxes for $30,000 after it was all said and done. Any other questions you can message me. If you want a better lifestyle and don't care so much about the hour grind than CAE for sure. More money, better schedule, less hours. Pretty simple decision between the two depending on what you want.

It was not a bad place to work. It sucked most days but we all knew it would. It's a place for hours not a place to become a career instructor.

 

[tcco94]

Also, don't read the glassdoor reviews. Garbage way to get a perspective on the company and even worse to say the only 5 stars are management. Like the company doesn't have people who would give it good ratings?

I'd give it 4/5. Don't come in entitled or expecting to change the place. You will work 50 hours a week for $28k salary. That's that. The guys who have a rough time are ones thinking they can get an airine pilot QOL/pay and TransPac flight hours.

 

[The_Duke182]

Also, don't read the glassdoor reviews. Garbage way to get a perspective on the company and even worse to say the only 5 stars are management. Like the company doesn't have people who would give it good ratings?

I'd give it 4/5. Don't come in entitled or expecting to change the place. You will work 50 hours a week for $28k salary. That's that. The guys who have a rough time are ones thinking they can get an airine pilot QOL/pay and TransPac flight hours.

This is the type of thinking that makes management think it is okay to abuse their own people and will continue to do so because of guys like him.

I bet someone used to talk that way about regionals and look how far FO's have come by refusing to work for penuts.

Try again..

 

[tcco94]

This is the type of thinking that makes management think it is okay to abuse their own people and will continue to do so because of guys like him.

I bet someone used to talk that way about regionals and look how far FO's have come by refusing to work for penuts.

Try again..

Lol. You didn't do your own research and then got upset after you signed your contract. You're right I don't storm into a company and start demanding the place to be changed. I did my work how they wanted and went home. I research my future companies to make sure I can handle the job.

Seriously, your entitlement is ridiculous. Especially if you think comparing TransPac to a regional is logical. Just call Mom and Dad and have them pay off the contract so you can be free to complain about your next job. Too many guys like you in this world who think your life is just so rough. Such a bad way to be an employee.

 

[The_Duke182]

Lol. You didn't do your own research and then got upset after you signed your contract. You're right I don't storm into a company and start demanding the place to be changed. I did my work how they wanted and went home. I research my future companies to make sure I can handle the job.

Seriously, your entitlement is ridiculous. Especially if you think comparing TransPac to a regional is logical. Just call Mom and Dad and have them pay off the contract so you can be free to complain about your next job. Too many guys like you in this world who think your life is just so rough. Such a bad way to be an employee.

You realize things changed when new owners took over? So I did do my research but it was more of a bait - switch type of deal for me.

Let me ask you one thing only.

Did you experience the changes they made under new management?

Yes

No

If you selected "No" then you cant really have an honest opinion of what things are like now at this flight school.

Also, the chief flight instructor didnt just quit after 10 years because he felt the company was headed in the right direction. Hmmm Morse left about a week ago..

 

[tcco94]

Over half my time on property was with the new management/ownership team. Yes I had my complaints about the company but I knew that going in. Any change was really for the better and there wasn't much of it. I was patient, got through PPL and got my hours in IFR. Just like everyone else.

Didn't they return all the pay incentives they briefly removed that you were complaining about? My favorite was instructors who first complained why work a 6th day if I'm not paid for it, then they pay for it, and same instructors say that's too much work???! So what is it? Same people are the ones who complain their hours are low but cancel for a cell the size of the airport at Mesa or think Stanfield is too dangerous at noon. Which is fine, but don't blame the company. That's your own fault while I'm ramping out and you're filling out cancellation forms and then wonder how I leap flogged you to the airlines. It never ceased to amaze me hearing those guys complain. It was comical.

 

[A150K]

Duke roams the threads and complains about QOL at TransPac, like he expected a kush job and 100 hrs a month at the same time.

TransPac is the place to go for hours. You get paid badly and work a lot of hours. First 4 months will be around 40-50 hours. After that in IFR it's about 100-130 hours. If you're an MEI it'll drop back to 40 hours, if you aren't GREAT you'll stay in IFR.

950 hrs in 11 months in 2016. Filled taxes for $30,000 after it was all said and done. Any other questions you can message me. If you want a better lifestyle and don't care so much about the hour grind than CAE for sure. More money, better schedule, less hours. Pretty simple decision between the two depending on what you want.

It was not a bad place to work. It sucked most days but we all knew it would. It's a place for hours not a place to become a career instructor.

Lol. There's nothing cushy about instructing at a big name school like that. It sucks, you do it to build time, you move on...easy as that.

 

[kryan11]

You realize things changed when new owners took over? So I did do my research but it was more of a bait - switch type of deal for me.

Also, the chief flight instructor didn't just quit after 10 years because he felt the company was headed in the right direction. Hmmm Morse left about a week ago..

Transpac never advertised paid 6th days, or checkride bonuses. Most people in my class who I talked to, were hired and had no clue about those incentives in the first place. As far as the Chief Flight Instructor leaving, 10 years is a long time to work at a flight school as a Chief Flight Instructor, he put in his time. It doesn't matter which direction the company is going, there's a pilot shortage, a lot of opportunity, and there's no better time to take advantage of it. So don't read too much into that.

 

[throwaway11]

I personally worked at Transpac too. I completely agree with @tcco94
If you want hours just go for it. I truly enjoyed teaching Chinese student. Yes, there was a time they put me in dangerous situations but all student pilots do that type of stuff.
Personally, I didn't even bother 6 days. I won't do 6 days instruction, especially in Transpac because they will make you fly 6 days if you choose to do it. If you can handle that much flight hours, go for it.
One thing I would like to point out is, even though you will be exhausted by long schedule, Please take care your students in Transpac then they will respect you a lot more.

 

[T-Swift]

Is CAE accepting local, US born, non-foreign pilots and turning them into CFIs? Excluding JetBlue Gateway 7 program. Thank you.

Yes as of a few months ago. They have done a little restructuring as I know though. PM me and I can put you in touch with the US Cfi's I know there (that we're trained to CFI via CAE)