Regional Airline Academy
- Thread starter Polar742
- Start date
Crockrocket94
Well-Known Member
I wonder what happened to the students who deposited the 50k in RAA's accounts and are now most likely unable to retreive it.
I knew that place was bad news 4 years ago when I visited.
I knew that place was bad news 4 years ago when I visited.
that's what i recall....
Gonzo
Well-Known Member
Ed?
Yup
Maurus
The Great Gazoo
It could be a good sign if they were all flying at the time.
Good point, although the only traffic in the area was skydivers :laff:
BajtheJino
I'm looking at you.
Whats wrong with that?
ERfly
Well-Known Member
They're not the same people. All 3 places had different, yet very corrupt, owners.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
I know TAB had a lot of the same people working for them. When I requested info from them back when I was looking at schools, the recruitment letter was signed by the same guy that gave me the tour at ATA.
ERfly
Well-Known Member
Yeah, TAB did hire the "Sales" department from ATA. However, the scumbag behind the operation was a different person.
moxiepilot
Well-Known Member
LOL. Come on now, they gotta get paid too, even if it means shearing the legs off of one of your cameramen...
mattp1803
Well-Known Member
If you all are talking about the same Ed I know, he is the reason I had an interview at Eagle back in May 2008... a few days later hiring ceased.
joshismycaptain
Active Member
* I know this is an old and irrelevant post, but I'm looking for a friend, Andrew Hanson, who was at RAA with me in 2005. He's a MN guy who had moved to AZ, if anyone has any info, much appreciated.
While I'm here, after reading the thread, I thought I would share my story, including RAA, for those reminiscing as well as those in the struggle.
I went to St. Cloud State in MN from Jan 2001 - Dec 2004, got A's on every aviation class, and so so on the others. I was multi-private with about 3XX hours when I left. Didn't graduate. The Calc held me up. When I saw the writing on the wall and student loans were coming due (I was a poor kid), I knew I needed a new angle. We were in the wake of 911 and things were getting weird, the recession wasnt for 4 more years, but any other pursuit was simply not an option for me. I didn't care what I flew. In fact, I always admired medivac ops. I just wanted to fly.
I must say, although my parents were supportive, it was based on very little knowledge or direction. I was a young punk who didn't really know what to do. I found RAA online, chose Mesa, AZ, and headed down from MN in my 2004 Geo Tracker named BILL. I had signed up for whatever loans I thought I needed with little concept of how or if I would pay any of it back.
I walked in to RAA early March of 2005. I had done instrument and comercial ground schools at SCSU. I did my instrument rating in around a month or two, while taking RAA's comercial ground school, which apparently I was still required to take. It was then that I met my friends Ryan, Aaron, Andrew, Pete, and several others.
We had NO IDEA that RAA was primed to blow.
That Summer of 2005 was the craziest of my life. We flew late evening (due to temperature limitations), hung in the pool all night, slept all day, ate, studied, and repeated.
We heard rumors of RAA's admin and housing finances being messed up. With a few thousand left in our accounts, Ryan and I decided to go fly our accounts to zero. Cadet adventures in the southwest! Good times...
We've all heard (or now you have), most of aviation is lucky timing. The journey will forever ebb and flow. At this time, requirements for regionals were 250 & multi-comercial-instrument, 2nd class medicals, and no type.
I had no interest in comercial, CFI, etc. It was a risky move, but I went straight to the Seneca and started my multi-comercial. In the fall of 2005 I went back to MN, did some Duchess flying around Crystal, and realized I had no one to sign me off.
RAA called to inform me I would be starting FOS (flight officer school) and prep for my type rating. This is not a joke. I DID NOT KNOW I had signed up for that, or for the loans! So I went to Sheble Aviation in Kingman, AZ, flew a handful of hours in a Travelair, took my multi-comercial-instument ride, passed, then back to Mesa for FOS. Two days before class, my friend Aaron asked what I got on my ATP written (a requirement for FOS). I hadn't taken it! I had no idea. The following day I went to ATP, studied half the day, took the test, and passed.
FOS was 40 classroom hours of CRJ 200 and 40 hours in the AJT (advanced jet trainer; a non-motion 737 sim with cardboard CRJ panels velcroed overhead). FOS went well for Aaron and I. Then I drove to Denver to go to CAE for the CL65 (CRJ) type rating.
We spent two weeks studying the CRJ 200, when they informed us they overbooked the 200 sims in Denver and would be paying airfare and hotels for us to go to the Horizon 700 sim in Seattle. We had 200 information memorized and knew very little about the 700. Of course they're very similar, but your first type rating is the moment aviation first kicks your butt. We were not prepared.
YOU DON'T KNOW how hard a type rating is, until you've done one without any support or protection from an airline. These instructors didn't care if we passed or failed. They had our money either way. We were young brats who thought we could "cooperate and graduate". Nope! We had 27 memory items, and pass rate was about 50%. Thankfully I made it through. I now had an unrestricted, PIC, CL65 type rating. I went home to MN.
RAA was supposed to be coordinating a guaranteed regional airline interview for us, with no timeframe. So I went to throw bags at Northwest Airlines. It was something to do, but I quit after a few months. It was that Summer of 2006 I met my to be wife. I was unemployed, broke, in collections and homeless, living out of BILL. She was a teacher with summer off in MN. We had no clue what was happening, but fell in love, despite all the uncertainty.
RAA called. They asked if I wanted to go to Pinnacle. I said I wanted to go to Mesaba to be MSP based. I had never heard of Pinnacle. They told me Pinnacle had a MSP base, so I agreed. Flew back to RAA for my interview. The sim went well. They looked across the table and asked, "You have an unrestricted, PIC, CL65 type rating?" I confirmed. "Welcome to Pinnacle Airlines."
I'll spare you the details, but I was at Pinnacle from Sept 11th of 2006 until I resigned from Endeavor in July 2022. We started at $16,000/year pay, but that's not the crazy number. My 7th year,,,, yes 7,,, I made $35,000. I was barely keeping up with student loan interest, had two daughters, and couldn't have been happier in my lil RJ. Eventually, of course, I upgraded after 10 years FO, and we went on to make ok money. I left as a 200 CA around $135,000 (before retension bonuses).
I never went to the SSP (guaranteed) interviews at Delta. All my friends at 9E, some of both the greatest pilots and people I have ever known came back with no after no after no. I would joke, "I'll just wait for the flow." That got a lot of laughs, until the flow was announced.
2025 : MSP 737 FO for Delta Airlines. Debt free. Amazing teen daughters. No degree, no single comercial, no CFI, no real clue how I got here. EVERY DAY, I look out that window and am grateful. I don't take a moment for granted. I was in the dark ages for years with no money trying to afford diapers for babies and figure out what I should be doing. I know the requirements now are tougher. As I said before, it ebbs and flows; a forever sine wave of dark ages and vast opportunities. Most details don't matter. The bottom line is - people who achieve are merely those who endure.
So that's my RAA (and extended) story.
Hopefully some read and reminisce.
Others learn something.
Above all though, DON'T GIVE UP!
See ya in the skies!
~ Josh
While I'm here, after reading the thread, I thought I would share my story, including RAA, for those reminiscing as well as those in the struggle.
I went to St. Cloud State in MN from Jan 2001 - Dec 2004, got A's on every aviation class, and so so on the others. I was multi-private with about 3XX hours when I left. Didn't graduate. The Calc held me up. When I saw the writing on the wall and student loans were coming due (I was a poor kid), I knew I needed a new angle. We were in the wake of 911 and things were getting weird, the recession wasnt for 4 more years, but any other pursuit was simply not an option for me. I didn't care what I flew. In fact, I always admired medivac ops. I just wanted to fly.
I must say, although my parents were supportive, it was based on very little knowledge or direction. I was a young punk who didn't really know what to do. I found RAA online, chose Mesa, AZ, and headed down from MN in my 2004 Geo Tracker named BILL. I had signed up for whatever loans I thought I needed with little concept of how or if I would pay any of it back.
I walked in to RAA early March of 2005. I had done instrument and comercial ground schools at SCSU. I did my instrument rating in around a month or two, while taking RAA's comercial ground school, which apparently I was still required to take. It was then that I met my friends Ryan, Aaron, Andrew, Pete, and several others.
We had NO IDEA that RAA was primed to blow.
That Summer of 2005 was the craziest of my life. We flew late evening (due to temperature limitations), hung in the pool all night, slept all day, ate, studied, and repeated.
We heard rumors of RAA's admin and housing finances being messed up. With a few thousand left in our accounts, Ryan and I decided to go fly our accounts to zero. Cadet adventures in the southwest! Good times...
We've all heard (or now you have), most of aviation is lucky timing. The journey will forever ebb and flow. At this time, requirements for regionals were 250 & multi-comercial-instrument, 2nd class medicals, and no type.
I had no interest in comercial, CFI, etc. It was a risky move, but I went straight to the Seneca and started my multi-comercial. In the fall of 2005 I went back to MN, did some Duchess flying around Crystal, and realized I had no one to sign me off.
RAA called to inform me I would be starting FOS (flight officer school) and prep for my type rating. This is not a joke. I DID NOT KNOW I had signed up for that, or for the loans! So I went to Sheble Aviation in Kingman, AZ, flew a handful of hours in a Travelair, took my multi-comercial-instument ride, passed, then back to Mesa for FOS. Two days before class, my friend Aaron asked what I got on my ATP written (a requirement for FOS). I hadn't taken it! I had no idea. The following day I went to ATP, studied half the day, took the test, and passed.
FOS was 40 classroom hours of CRJ 200 and 40 hours in the AJT (advanced jet trainer; a non-motion 737 sim with cardboard CRJ panels velcroed overhead). FOS went well for Aaron and I. Then I drove to Denver to go to CAE for the CL65 (CRJ) type rating.
We spent two weeks studying the CRJ 200, when they informed us they overbooked the 200 sims in Denver and would be paying airfare and hotels for us to go to the Horizon 700 sim in Seattle. We had 200 information memorized and knew very little about the 700. Of course they're very similar, but your first type rating is the moment aviation first kicks your butt. We were not prepared.
YOU DON'T KNOW how hard a type rating is, until you've done one without any support or protection from an airline. These instructors didn't care if we passed or failed. They had our money either way. We were young brats who thought we could "cooperate and graduate". Nope! We had 27 memory items, and pass rate was about 50%. Thankfully I made it through. I now had an unrestricted, PIC, CL65 type rating. I went home to MN.
RAA was supposed to be coordinating a guaranteed regional airline interview for us, with no timeframe. So I went to throw bags at Northwest Airlines. It was something to do, but I quit after a few months. It was that Summer of 2006 I met my to be wife. I was unemployed, broke, in collections and homeless, living out of BILL. She was a teacher with summer off in MN. We had no clue what was happening, but fell in love, despite all the uncertainty.
RAA called. They asked if I wanted to go to Pinnacle. I said I wanted to go to Mesaba to be MSP based. I had never heard of Pinnacle. They told me Pinnacle had a MSP base, so I agreed. Flew back to RAA for my interview. The sim went well. They looked across the table and asked, "You have an unrestricted, PIC, CL65 type rating?" I confirmed. "Welcome to Pinnacle Airlines."
I'll spare you the details, but I was at Pinnacle from Sept 11th of 2006 until I resigned from Endeavor in July 2022. We started at $16,000/year pay, but that's not the crazy number. My 7th year,,,, yes 7,,, I made $35,000. I was barely keeping up with student loan interest, had two daughters, and couldn't have been happier in my lil RJ. Eventually, of course, I upgraded after 10 years FO, and we went on to make ok money. I left as a 200 CA around $135,000 (before retension bonuses).
I never went to the SSP (guaranteed) interviews at Delta. All my friends at 9E, some of both the greatest pilots and people I have ever known came back with no after no after no. I would joke, "I'll just wait for the flow." That got a lot of laughs, until the flow was announced.
2025 : MSP 737 FO for Delta Airlines. Debt free. Amazing teen daughters. No degree, no single comercial, no CFI, no real clue how I got here. EVERY DAY, I look out that window and am grateful. I don't take a moment for granted. I was in the dark ages for years with no money trying to afford diapers for babies and figure out what I should be doing. I know the requirements now are tougher. As I said before, it ebbs and flows; a forever sine wave of dark ages and vast opportunities. Most details don't matter. The bottom line is - people who achieve are merely those who endure.
So that's my RAA (and extended) story.
Hopefully some read and reminisce.
Others learn something.
Above all though, DON'T GIVE UP!
See ya in the skies!
~ Josh