Copperhed51

Do they at least set you up with your own room or do you get a roommate? I suppose having a roommate to study with constantly wouldn't be such a bad thing. They'll just have to learn to accept me sleeping in the nude

Purpleanga

Call head of training and tell them that. That's how you get out of having a roommate.

Anttler

We were told back in 1995 that all ILS approaches would be phased out by 2005 in place of altitude GPS approaches. Seems to be a lot of ILS's left. NDB's are being phased our mopst that break down are not replaced unless they are used for an approach or are a marker on an ILS. They are being phased out the number of NBDs in use are minimal compared to 20 years ago. That will be to bad NDBs are cheap, reliable, and easy to use.

mooney

Let's not forget the approach of the future 20 years ago, the almighty MLS!

Anttler

One of the MLS test sites was 20 miles from the airport I trained at. I think there still is an inner marker on the runway.

Trogdor

On average 2-3 people per newbie class find themselves going home.

It is simply amazing to me that so many people want to work for the worst airline in the US. You all have no idea what you're getting yourself into.

FlyingPirate

I see you are a CA in a 1900!! Does that mean that you are working for the worst airline?

Trogdor

Yes I am. We cancel more and more flights every day due to understaffing or maintenance, and those that aren't cancelled are delayed for hours.

The feds are swarming all over ZK right now. Horrible pay and no movement means that anyone looking to start at ZK now is going to be stuck in the right seat for ever, or if you're a furloughed 121 cat, stuck on the bottom of the seniority list for your entire time there.

Crew scheduling doesn't care if they cancel trips or delay you up to the 16-hour duty day. It doesn't cost them anything and at the end of the day, you've just worked longer and lost more money.

Lakes has to be the most frustratingly tiresome place to work. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy.

A few years ago, this place wasn't that bad, but this is the last place you want to get stuck for more than 2-3 years.

FlyingPirate

Is not the understaffing problem easily solved with this tough economy. It seems to me that they are hiring a lot of pilots for some reason. They could not only hire pilots but other employees fairly easily, right? Wouldn't this help the understaffing problem?

Can I ask how many hours you fly a month?

1900luxuryliner

It seems as though a few really hate their experiences with Lakes, a very slim few really love their experiences with Lakes, and most say that it really wasn't that bad, and was totally worth it for the experience. I have only seen 16 hours of duty one time in over a year-and-a-half. I would say the average duty day is 8-10 hours, with one day out of your average 4-5 day trip pushing 14 hours. No one has been stuck in the right seat since I've been here. The only ones who stay in the right seat are the ones who choose to, for better schedules. Those types usually have a significant other with a significant income. Movement on the captain side is virtually non-existent, so I believe upgrades will slow down significantly. When this will happen, I don't know. We still don't have enough captains or airplanes to service all of the cities we've been awarded, so the upgrade slowdown may be awhile. I don't see Lakes as being a bad option for those just getting their start in 121. If you are coming from the 121 world (ie.-other regionals, or a major), and feel as though Lakes is your only option, this place may be miserable for you. Lakes is good for those who are using it as a means to a better end (a quick shot of 1000 PIC-turbine). For them, the experience is usually tolerable, sometimes a lot of fun, and provides great aviation experience. It's not the place you want to be forced to go to, just so you can maintain proficiency, pay the bills, have a job, etc., waiting for a major or another regional to call back. That would just make the entire experience incredibly frustrating, I would think. Frustration from a furlough would only amplify any bad experience at Lakes, and make it seem really, really bad. Just my take on things... Oh yeah, just to keep this post on topic; failures are not 50%, or 80% like some have said. Some classes have experienced those high failure rates, but I don't think it is average, by any means. I would say the average is somewhere around the 20-30% range.