It seems this Pan Am forum has become a place where student’s and instructors from other schools come to talk trash about Pan Am. They say their here just answering questions, but I haven’t see any questions their answering, just a constant barrage of garbage. The garbage barrage if you will.
The following is a post from a current avid complainer of Pan Am while he was going there. While he was there he thought his instruction was excellent. But now that’s he somewhere else, the extra training time required at Pan Am is a rip off because you can get the ratings faster and cheaper at an FBO. Read on gentle reader and be amazed.
POST FROM PERPETUAL DATED JUNE 30:
Anyway, to the point as many have pointed.
THE AMOUNT YOU PUT INTO IT = THE AMOUNT YOU GET OUT.
The only problems I have seen thus far, are scheduling descrepencies, and INSTRUCTOR PREFERENCES.
You see I have learned a great Deal from pan am,(knowledge via text book studies) and from my first intstructors.In addition, the students' (environment) are all great, everyone has been willing to help out anytime someone has a question. Its a good place to learn in a complete aviation environment.
prior to starting at Pan Am, I had been attending a Local FBO.
To make a comparison:
The FBO is very laid back, flying once maybe 2 times a week, and limited study. (instructor has multiple students, and only a few(3 instructors) of which to teach.
Pan Am is Flying 2wice a Day, along with a Ground School at night. An intracate level of knowledge is required here, as to set above the standard. (makes a better, (read more knowledgeable pilot) IMO of course.
With more knowledge, comes more safety awareness in my opionion.
END POST
Oh how the contradictions fly while your grounded.
Keephope and Mav: I won’t argue you can get ratings faster and cheaper at FBO’s. We have all read the FBO classified ads in the back of flying magazines guaranteeing ratings in minimum time for minimum money. And we’re all very proud of you for pointing that out here. But don’t tell me you get the same knowledge level as someone who puts in over twice as much time, busting their butt in an intense Pan Am program as the guy with the quick, in no-time rating. If your opinion is different than this, I’ll respect it, but frankly am not interested in hearing it here. Go to the FBO forum and pat yourself on the back for your rating acquiring accomplishment.
My argument is this: So now you have your ratings, but how are you going to get hired by an airline? After all, this is JetCareers, not Career CFI’s. I don’t see the FBO’s producing career airline pilots like the academies are. Pan Am is, that is a fact you cannot dispute. It takes you longer to get your ratings yes, an investment to be a better pilot. Then you go online as an instructor and build an average of 85 hours a month instructing. At the FBO’s, if you are lucky enough to get hired as a CFI, the national average is 25 hours a month (if you are averaging more than this at an FBO congratulations are in order. You make up for the other FBO’s doing less). And yes, the Pan Am students and CFI’s do know this is the place to be.
So the Pan Am grad is ready for the airlines after 8 months of instructing, while the FBO needs to instruct for over 2 years to get that amount of time. This more than offsets the amount of time in which you got your FBO pilot ratings, and you get a better education. And you actually end up airline ready at least a year earlier, again with academy training (where the airlines are hiring from). That one year faster could potentially lead to an extra year as a senior captain at a major. This could potentially lead to an extra $200,000 in your bank account. Now answer yourselves this, because you are here to answer questions. Is your cheaper and faster rating, actually cheaper and faster in the long run?
And Chunk: Why are you always coming in the Pan Am forum and starting trouble? You have enough trouble of your own over in your Flight Safety forum. A two year wait after completing the program before going online as a CFI? And yes, I think the Flight Safety program, like Pan Am’s, is top notch. But do you realize you could finish the program at FSI and a guy could come in to Pan Am with no previous flight experience, complete the program, go online as a CFI right away, build the hours, and be hired by an airline, and all before the FSI guy even started building hours as a CFI. This is fine if you are not in a hurry to start your airline career, and a perfectly acceptable sacrifice in order to attend your first school of choice. But you have other options besides putting down the Pan Am program (a program you have no first hand experience with) to try and build up Flight Safety.
Jeeerry! Jeeerry! Jeeerry!