Careers

Extra training to make a r�sum� pop

In case you haven't heard, there are more than 600,000 folks out there who can fly airplanes. Granted, not all of them are searching for jobs at ExpressJet, Comair, or SkyWest. But, more than a few are in the hunt.

Think about it. The University of North Dakota, Embry-Riddle, Jacksonville University, Hesston College, Ohio University, Daniel Webster College, San Juan College, University of Illinois, Oklahoma State, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Purdue, FIT, and on and on and on and on are all pumping out quality aviators who typically own a commercial pilot certificate with ASEL/MEL ratings. Most, of course, also have all of their instructor credentials to boot. The last unofficial number of students enrolled in collegiate pilot programs around the nation was about 16,000. Add to that the unknown totals at academies and neighborhood flight schools, and you have some sense of who your competition is.

Competition? Absolutely! Every one of those bright-eyed future professionals is after the job that you want.

The word is out, of course, that the regional airlines are in the hiring mode big time. Another sign of the turnaround is the fact that one of the legacy major airlines will likely be hiring "off the street" by the time you read this. Yes, Virginia, there is hope! Continental Airlines appears to be on the verge of quietly opening its doors to new hires. All of the mainline pilots who were pushed back into Continental Express thanks to a flow-back agreement have been offered reemployment at Big Continental. Thus, "Express" and most of the regional jet operators will be recruiting in 2005 to fill those shoes. And, you know, there are young pilots being picked up by the regionals with fewer than 1,000 hours of total flight time.

But, before dancing in the street begins, take a sobering look at the realities. As always in the industry, many are called, but few are chosen. The numbers will never work out for everyone. Despite the propaganda put forth by some flight training enterprises, there just are not enough flight deck seats to go around for every starry-eyed jet jockey who wants to fly a turbine-powered aluminum tube. As a case in point, one of those regional airlines recently brought in 20 pilots to look them over but only hired eight.

For anyone with some marketing savvy, the term added value has meaning. What is "added value"? It is simply a process of making a product better. As an example, a computer is a computer. "Brand A" probably works as good as "Brand B." But, if the manufacturer of "Brand B" adds a full package of software, a five-year no-hassle warranty, free training, and a 30-day refund policy while "Brand A" merely offers a computer, which one would you purchase? It's those extra little features known as "added value" that bring home the sale. Do you see any similarities with the job hunt?

Ready for a shocker? You are a product! You need to differentiate yourself from the average Joe and Joan. You and all of those young CFIs scrambling for the job openings do the same thing: Fly airplanes.

Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. Take two pilots with the same 1,000 hours' total time and 100 hours of Piper Seminole experience, the same positive attitude, and the same educational background. If one of those aviators has had even limited training in airline procedures, advanced turbine systems, and crew resource management, while the other has nothing beyond light twin time, which pilot do you think might get the job?

So, how do you get that "added value" at prices that won't break the bank?

Certainly, the major academies and colleges are doing their part with jet trainers and systems courses. But, even for those who do not have access to regional jet flight training devices or airliner simulators, there are affordable opportunities that will enhance your r�sum� -- and your status in the interview process.

One of the best strategies is to do some thorough research on the airplane that you hope to fly. For most embarking on an airline career that means a Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). If you have spent any time reading trade magazines or surfing the Internet, the name Airline Transport Professionals Inc. -- or simply ATP -- will ring a bell. The company has been around for more than a couple of decades preparing future airline professionals for the flight deck. With 23 locations nationwide, ATP has developed a veritable smorgasbord of training options. Do you want a full blown ab initio course that takes you from the first hour right through the airline transport pilot certificate? ATP can do. Or you can get your training a la carte, and pick and choose the ratings you need.

ATP is in the business of developing talent for the air carriers. Two training products that are sure to dress up any r�sum� are the Regional Jet Standards Certificate and the CRJ Orientation and FMS Training programs.

At $4,995, the Regional Jet Standards Certificate course is not for everyone. But for anyone planning an RJ career, nearly two weeks of systems and procedures training plus 20 hours in ATP's state-of-the-art CRJ FTD will be pay off handsomely when showing up for an airline's new-hire class. While fellow classmates may be reeling from the pressures of "fire hose" training, the graduate of ATP's RJSC course will be ahead of the pack. Plus, a logbook that lists 20 hours of RJ time will look pretty darned impressive to the flight ops interviewers.

At $795, ATP's one-day CRJ Orientation and FMS Training course is probably within reach of almost anyone bound for an airline career. Offered at ATP's Jacksonville, Florida, corporate headquarters, the program is a quick and intense CRJ baptism.

Prior to class, the student receives a CRJ Flight Management System manual. It is a grand idea to spend a few hours reviewing its contents so as not to become instantly lost on class day.

At 8 a.m., you will be greeted by one of ATP's instructors, like Craig Cumbie. Cumbie, like other ATP instructors teaching the CRJ, is a regional jet pilot and airline instructor. He currently captains CRJs for Atlantic Southeast Airlines. With a gentle demeanor and helpful style, Cumbie guides the student through the complicated wizardry of the FMS.

As Cumbie explains, the FMS does everything that a student pilot used to do with a plotter, E6B, charts, and nav log. Once you understand that, it is a matter of inputting the right data in the correct sequence. Key in route, weight, temperature, elevations, and the FMS spits out power settings, takeoff speeds, flight plans, arrival and departure procedures, holding patterns and entries, ETAs, and precise location. The FMS is a GPS on steroids. Remember the first time you tried to program a GPS? Double the complexity for an idea of what to expect on your introduction to the FMS.

But after a morning of practicing FMS programming on laptop computers, the students are beginning to get the hang of it by lunchtime.

Enter James Hazard, ATP's regional jet program manager. Hazard, who has spent a good part of his career flying the CRJ's daddy, the Challenger business jet, throws you right out of the frying pan into the fire. He takes the RJ FTD's left seat first and directs the student to program a flight from Miami to Orlando. With some coaching, the flight is programmed into the FMS, and off you barrel down the active runway at MIA. Soon, you are flying -- or at least you think you are, thanks to the awesome visuals of the FTD.

But, just after liftoff, Hazard links the autopilot to the FMS and sits back to do some additional training on the FMS en route. He changes the routing and works through the navigation problems with the student. Before long, the RJ automation captures the ILS and flies it perfectly down to the flare.

Once landed, the student now takes the captain's chair, and Hazard assumes FO duties. He plugs in a flight plan for Orlando to Jacksonville, and off you go again. Here, too, the student ties the autopilot to the FMS and manages the systems right through descent, approach, and touchdown.

Phew! It is a workout! But, what a revelation. Candidly, stick flying is secondary to autoflight in today's sophisticated flying machines. True, any pilot needs to have the basic skills when a glitch causes the automation to fail. But, today's airline pilot must become a master of complicated flight computer systems. There's much more to flying a regional jet than keeping the ball centered and the wings level with feet and hands. Today's professional airman must become truly comfortable with those magnificent gadgets that adorn the cockpit.

Whether you take advantage of ATP's programs or courses offered by other resources, displaying such experience in a segment of your r�sum� titled Specialized Training may just be the "window dressing" required to trigger the attention you need from that airline interviewer sitting across the table.

Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot with a Boeing 737 type rating. He is a B-737 instructor and operates the Airline Training Orientation Program in association with Continental Airlines. He is an aviation safety consultant in Michigan and speaker for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.