UA to Hire 4000 Pilots Between Now and 2022
11-01-2019, 03:13 AM
#52
Line Holder
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Position: Adjust seat, pitot heat, what's to eat?
Posts: 76
There was a spike in the retrain rate on the 737 fleet last year, but its dropped off to a more "normal" rate since. There have been a lot of changes too, new PI's (mix of both legacies and post merger) , new syllabus, fleet management, sim mods/upgrades, etc. with more in the pipeline. Whenever the MAX debacle is resolved I'm sure the powers that be will run that training pipeline at full throttle, but I think 1500 a year is easily doable, if not more. Don't forget multiple fleets will lease sims off campus to add capacity as needed as well.
11-01-2019, 03:52 AM
#53
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2008
Position: Airbus 320 Right Seat
Posts: 1,440
I have had 3 guys all DEN lifetime TK guys . Matter of fact none of my PI’s were even IAH guys . (Obvi cause it’s Airbus) either way I think most of the IAH guys have gone to the line as their positive space gig is done .
11-01-2019, 03:55 AM
#54
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Posts: 376
There was a spike in the retrain rate on the 737 fleet last year, but its dropped off to a more "normal" rate since. There have been a lot of changes too, new PI's (mix of both legacies and post merger) , new syllabus, fleet management, sim mods/upgrades, etc. with more in the pipeline. Whenever the MAX debacle is resolved I'm sure the powers that be will run that training pipeline at full throttle, but I think 1500 a year is easily doable, if not more. Don't forget multiple fleets will lease sims off campus to add capacity as needed as well.
11-01-2019, 04:16 AM
#56
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2019
Position: B737 CA
Posts: 114
The biggest change that I have seen has been in the consistency. When I first went through training with CAL each instructor taught their technique as if it was in the book. When you got to the next session a new instructor would lecture you on how it should actually be done and proceed to teach his technique. The same was true of the line check airmen. A complete lack of consistency. The instructors now are interchangeable parts. Each one teaches the book and the message doesn’t change unless the book does. The culture has also gotten better. Most of the scabs have decided that TK isn’t the protected safe space that they enjoyed in IAH and have gone back to the line. It’s much easier listening to an instructor talk about core 4 and professionalism when you can actually respect the individual. The down side is that we now get to deal with them every day on the line instead of once every training cycle.
11-01-2019, 04:39 AM
#57
Banned
Joined APC: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,358
Complete all CBT’s before going to Denver. There are 3 or 4 days in the footprint to get that done and you can do them at the hotel in Denver, or at home. Most do it at home. When class starts you get a 3-4 hour systems review with an instructor followed by a FTD session. That last 4 days then the SV. It’s basically a self taught program on your iPad and the class portion just clears up any questions. That is followed by more FTD’s and then sim. The sim portion is the normal stuff followed by several international loft sessions. The flying part is done well, the systems part needs more time due to all of the differences in the fleet.
11-01-2019, 04:53 AM
#58
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,639
It's all over the map depending on aircraft, base, and phase of the moon.
Expect 2 days to 2 weeks and you won't be disappointed, with the point being the "average" means nothing as scheduling will do whatever works that day.
Expect 2 days to 2 weeks and you won't be disappointed, with the point being the "average" means nothing as scheduling will do whatever works that day.
11-01-2019, 05:36 AM
#59
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2009
Posts: 1,860
Agreed, the other drawback is we also now have these training bubble guys having us putting in landing altitude on an ILS, only to have to dial in the missed app alt a minute later because another fleet does it that way....And expecting a debrief on every leg, briefing in the weather room before a EWR BOS flight, and other nonsense. I’m curious if some of the TK managers and instructors have EVER flown a line for a couple months. Whoever came up with the card to extensively debrief after every leg needs a serious reality check.
11-01-2019, 05:57 AM
#60
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 403
Agreed, the other drawback is we also now have these training bubble guys having us putting in landing altitude on an ILS, only to have to dial in the missed app alt a minute later because another fleet does it that way....And expecting a debrief on every leg, briefing in the weather room before a EWR BOS flight, and other nonsense. I’m curious if some of the TK managers and instructors have EVER flown a line for a couple months. Whoever came up with the card to extensively debrief after every leg needs a serious reality check.
I know you've never been a TK instructor because it seems you don't really understand how things work there.
Your average TK instructor has pretty much zero control over policy and FM changes, just like your average LCA or line CA. Do you think that management brings in instructors and evaluators to have exhaustive discussion on what they are changing?
Nope.
These fleet decisions are made by 1-2 people in a fleet of 5000 737 pilots. There is no discussion, no debate, etc. When the line pilots see the change, that's when the instructor/evaluators see the change as well.
Do you honestly think TK instructors want all of these "harmonization" changes? That means they have to teach all of these changes during CQ to some guys who have been on the aircraft for 10-30 years and listen to everyone ***** about it.
Please get some perspective. The instructors/sim check airmen/ LCAs are your fellow brothers and sisters just trying to keep their heads above water will all these ridiculous changes as well. Basically, your on your soapbox preaching to the choir here.
