Originally Posted by Cruz5350

Maybe I'm the odd ball but I found the transition from steam to glass much much harder. I started in a King Air 90 no glass > 1900 > Saab 340 > DHC 8 Q400 > CRJ. For me that was the greatest transition and one I think most people should have. I learned how to fly steam gauges in primary training where it should be learned and from there it was just a transition to the increasing speed and complexity of the aircraft. That "whiz bang fancy crap" the RJ has gets in the way at times as I'm learning in the RJ now and it would be just so much easier to go green needles auto pilot off FD off, but that's me others may find that way harder. To this day I'll still say the Q was the hardest plane I've flown but the most rewarding. As an aside at a NIFA competition I made friends with guys on the hiring board at JetBlue and they all said they value the Jet/FMS over not having it.... Doesn't mean you won't get an interview or hired without it they just prefer it. I told them about my time in the Q and they said that they hold it on the same level as a jet due to it's speed/glass and FMS.

Originally Posted by frmrdashtrash

Your only valid point is PRIA, and my experience showed (admittedly it's dated) that is you avoid acting as if you know everything in training, prepare yourself, and can fly a six pack that successfully passing the checkride is not impossible.

Originally Posted by package puppy

Starting out at Piedmont will build one's skills and provide for a strong foundation to build a career. Too many young aviators are trained by and become "Children of the Magenta Line". It's easier to build a good scan using basic 6 pack gauges first before moving onto FMC's and glass rather than the other way around.

Originally Posted by frmrdashtrash

Kid..... I wish, but thanks for the compliment.

I'm one of those guys that somehow managed to escape from Piedmont with nothing but steam gage time. Well, a little EFIS thrown in from the -200s that were there at the time and the -300s. Save for a small period around the 2006 timeframe, I've never heard of anyone having trouble getting picked up anywhere after they flew for Piedmont.

What's the speed limit below 10K? Last time I checked it was 250. That's 40 kts faster than a Dash 8. Under 10K is where most of the workload and required thinking occurs.

Your only valid point is PRIA, and my experience showed (admittedly it's dated) that is you avoid acting as if you know everything in training, prepare yourself, and can fly a six pack that successfully passing the checkride is not impossible. Take a look at the seniority list sometime. All those names on it represent someone who successfully completed newhire training.

Originally Posted by Survivor

The mere fact that someone worked for Piedmont would not be a disqualifier.

You're right about under 10K. It is also true that compared to dealing with the northeast in bad weather down low, you could get a monkey to fly a jet on autopilot from LGA to LAX.

The testing department has been harassing senior pilots at a greater frequency these days. Stellar aviators with spotless records have been "special tracked." Multiple failures in the simulator out of DCA is commonplace.

Numerous senior pilots have retired early because they were tired of the abuse.

Piedmont's reputation for testing abuse didn't appear out of thin air. No idealistic references to being professional, studying hard, and the "six pack" is going to change that.

Best bet: Steer clear of Piedmont.

Originally Posted by Survivor

Yeah. You may be better, but you're not a marketable as the guy with glass time.

35 years in the business? Steam vs glass doesn't mean a damn thing but anything but your ego.

When you retire from your current job, you should apply at Piedmont.

Originally Posted by NCC 906

For the sake of discussion, let's say you're right about the value of steam time. So what? How could you possibly recommend someone come here if even a quarter of these stories about rampant misconduct and unprofessionalism on the part of the PDT training department are true?

Originally Posted by CBreezy

Your statement is ridiculous. Perhaps people rely on autopilot too much but saying flying round dials makes you better when thing start going wrong is incredibly silly. I bet flying with an airplane with an open cockpit makes you a better pilot too.