47 Grads of Gulfstream hired by Pinnacle

[ChadCRJ]

Recently 47 conduates from the Gulfstream Academy have been hired by Pinnacle Airlines (NWairlink) to fly the CRJ. So for all you out there that complain about this place gulfstream must be doing something right. Also Pinnalces future plans of hiring are to hire 300 more pilots next year in 03'. 75% will be made of of NWA furloughs an the other 25% perfect will be Gulfstream grads. Once all the NWA guys are gone Pinnacle will exclusively hire only from Gulfstream.

Chad

 

[ChadCRJ]

Yes they are qualified.

These guys are either just as qualified as you or even more qualified. These grads still have to go up to Daytona to fly an pass the B1900 checkride by an FAA examiner like everyone else. So whats the deal? Have you ever heard of an accident involving a Gulfstream Grad.? An how come guys at Pinnacle are saying how they like the GIA grads? I just think a lot people need to think before they throw stuff on this board just bc they see the name GULFSTREAM. Bc half the time you have no clue what your even saying..

 

[Loafman]

That's pretty narrow minded, only hiring from one bridge program. I'm not against hiring from bridge programs, all of my sim students from them did exceptionally well, however there are a lot of qualified guys out there on their own looking for a job.

Do you think Peanuckle gets a kickback out of GS?

Don't get me wrong on this opinion, and please realize that I know nothing of the school in question, but the students I've trained from these accelerated schools were usually committed to the task at hand and had a vested interest in their training over the average CFI we hired off the street. They seemed to be very organized and used to the "drinking from the fire hose" method of training we used. Just comparing apples and oranges, I had several 400 hour students from a bridge programs breeze through the ATR without a hiccup, and a 1500 hour guy with supposed "Lear Experience" that washed out after me having to spoon feed him the whole time.

It's all about aptitude AND attitude in training that makes a qualified new hire. In the first 1000 hours "experience" is a term used way too loosely to prove who is more qualified. "Experience" is the term that should be used to describe the single-pilot freight dog that flew light twins IFR at night to pay his dues. (Not describing me, I'm just naturally gifted. : )

 

[tk855]

Sounds to me like a Gulfstream saleswo(man) gave ChadCRJ one hell of a pitch!!!!!! I will give you some free advice buddy, but I will only do it this once and then I will charge you for it. Once I feel that you can give advice, I will pay you $7 per advice hour until you have administered 300 hours of advice.

Here is your advice young one:

Don't believe a thing you hear and only believe half of what you see!!!

By the way, what is a conduate??

 

[ChadCRJ]

where did you gain all the insight into the hiring practices of Pinnacle, and the opinions of line pilots flying with Gulfstream grads?

I got all my info from reliable sources.. Im not here to bullsh*t neone. I'm just basically stating whats going on. Yes I have talked to line captains that fly for Pinnacle and yes I just got all this hiring info from a 19yr old that just got hired by Pinnacle. So to answer ur questions... what im telling ya is the real deal man. And you asked... Am I training at Gulfstream? Nope. I'm looking at and going down to tour many academies.. Comair Academy.. Flight Safety.. Pan Am... and I'm gonna take a look at Gulfstream. I know there is a lot of bad mouth about that school but I want to check out first hand and see what its all about. And from there the beat goes on...

 

[toneal]

I wil speel itt four u

*G*U*L*L*I*B*L*E*

 

[AZaviator]

Pinnacle is the airline that doesn't pay you a cent during the entire training process, nor do they pay for your hotel.
Gulfstream is the airline that pays you $8/hr to fly, after you pay them. How is it possible to afford working for these companies?

So whats the deal? Have you ever heard of an accident involving a Gulfstream Grad.?

Yep, here's one. Its not an accident, but an incident that you can tell is most likely because of a very inexperienced low time Gulfstream FO. Pay special attention to the very last sentence from the NTSB report:

The 'fwd cabin door' annunciator light was inoperative and MEL'd; it was scheduled to be examined later that evening. Six discrepancies in the previous year pertaining to the forward airstair door annunciator were recorded; the latest discrepancy was 2 days earlier. The captain briefed the MEL item with the first officer (F/O), who reported closing and locking the forward airstair door, and verifying such. The F/O reported only verbally briefing the passenger adjacent to the door about the door opening procedures but did not demonstrate. After takeoff at 800 feet 800 feet msl, the forward airstair door opened. An emergency was declared, the flight returned and landed uneventfully. The propeller blades and aft cables of the forward airstair door were damaged; the door latching mechanism operated normally. The company F/O's are taught to verbally discuss with passengers the door opening procedure without demonstrating. Several of the company F/O's reported partially opening the forward airstair door to demonstrate the procedure to the passenger; accomplishing this after closing and locking the door. Post incident, the F/O was vague about how to verify that the forward airstair door is locked.

 

[bobbysamd]

Gulfstream and Pinnacle whatever

Pay for training, sell your soul, sell out other pilots. That's one way to look at P-F-T.

I don't quite understand CRJ's point about (low-time) Gulfstream grads being able to pass a 1900 checkride. MAPD grads at 300 hours pass 1900 rides before going on the line. For that matter, they fly 1900s for ten hours during their school training. It used to be that they got 135 letters as well. So that point seems immaterial. For that matter, I knew a 250-hour FSI grad, linguistically-challenged, who got a Citation type rating.

The issue at discussion, as always, is you-know-what. We've discussed ad infinitum, ad nauseum the careers dangers one might face via P-F-T. The moral and ethical implications might be abstract. Getting hired with the hours you have after your Gulfstream hitch is more concrete. Sure, you end up with, say, 500 hours total, 250 turbine and 250 SIC. You cannot count on upgrading to Pinnacle because you can't count on anything in the current job market. Therefore, you are short on time, short on multi and short on PIC for most other commuters and other jobs, such as 135. So, you need to build up time for them. Which just could mean that you'll have to circle back and get your CFI because you won't find other jobs with your hours.

I view P-F-T something like the salary cap in pro football. Teams spend their pocketbooks to buy a championship team. A few years down the road the cap hits them and they have to unload their high-priced players for less expensive talent of lesser quality. All of a sudden, the team is mediocre and a loser. And, the fans bitch. To make this more clear, you buy your job at Gulstream, you're turned loose, and no other regional wants you because you're low time (never mind that they've ferreted out that you P-F-T'd). You thought you were a winner. Now, you're losing and unhappy.

Just some food for thought.

CRJ, please, please give careful consideration to the non-P-F-T schools you're evaluating. Take the "career consultants'" sales pitches with a big grain of salt. Good luck with your decision.

 

[B52GUNNER]

They just hired 47 of 50some that interviewed. Some screwed up the interview.

Rumor has it that they will be going back in Feb for 50 more.


No pay for 2-3 months in training...........Jet job

No ID until done training.........................Jet job

No pay for hotel......................................Jet job

Debt........yes...............Jet job.................Maybe


$10 per hour...........................................Flight Inst

3-4 Years of $10.00 per hour..................Flight Inst

Flying circles round patch in 172.............Flight Inst

People trying to kill you all day...............Flight Inst

1500 hrs in 172.............Interview..........Maybe

Hmmmmmmmm.......Let me see looks like you PAY your dues either way you look at it. Just what kind of dues you pay seems to be the question. Either way you are not guaranteed anything.

I am not saying GIA is the way to go. For some it might be

 

[Timebuilder]

Perhaps it is the way to go for some.

The wealthy. The jet job seems appropriately glamorous (ha) to them, and learning aviation from the inside, as an instructor, looks boring, and possibly beneath them.

Those with co-signers for a Big Loan. Usually, mom and dad. This is different from paying for college, which leads to a job becuase of qualifications.

Those who are unconcerned that they will have no chance at another job with their current experience if they aren't hired out of the bridge program.

Those who want the jet job as opposed to those who love flying.

Those who have no clue of the PFT stigma among pilots.


B52 and Chad probably never saw my posts on PFT over the past couple of years. They never talked with the high time captains I met as a young man. They never talked with the Continental captain who sits on their hiring board, who explained how he feels about PFT, and how he NEVER hires PFT pilots.

They never were faced with trying to find a job when they weren't hired by the company where they were "guaranteed to interview" because they didn't have the hours or experience to get another job, or the instructor certificates they needed to build enough time and experience to become qualified for another job.

They may not know that they have demonstrated to Pinnacle just how little they value themselves as pilots and as people. With the shrinkage at the so-called major airlines, they will probably be at Pinnacle for a very long time, making about what I made as an instructor, but without the ability to instruct if they are furloughed.

Not a happy prospect for a young person.


A better, more valuable approach might be a school where you are thoroughly taught, must then thoroughly teach, and are well prepared for a career in aviation, no matter where it takes you.

Now that's a plan.