Mesa terminates pilot training program

Mesa Air Group is discontinuing its pilot training program at San Juan College, ending a 20-year partnership.

[John Hayward]

Thank God. Let's hope more of these pilot mills offering a fast track for the inexperienced pilots who currently inhabit the cockpits of regional jets, go under. US House bill HR 3471 spells the death knell for programs such as this, making an Air Transport Pilot license (which requires 1500 hours of flight time) mandatory to fly an airliner. Mesa's Jonathon Ornstein should be unceremoniously ridden out of the airline industry on a rail, as was Frank Lorenzo. Ornstein, the king of el-cheapo, has done more to threaten airline safety by promoting the use of inexperienced pilots, than anyone since Lorenzo started hiring the dregs of aviation Continental. Good riddance to this program and condolences to the students. Go get yourself a real 4 year degree and get your ATP. We'll all be safer because of it.

[Prospective Pax]

THE LIST OF SHAME

Frank Lorenzo
Jonathon Ornstein

[Damian Dames]

Prospective Pax wrote:

THE LIST OF SHAME
Frank Lorenzo
Jonathon Ornstein

Colby Crawford
Lemuel Martinez

Please add on...

[Pro Pilot]

How's that Hope & Change workin' out for you? Had enough yet?

[What the French Toast]

How many Mesa pilots have crashed and burned? Just wundering.

[stone]

"It was not expected" , maybe C.Spencer should keep her eye on the ball and quit playing politics in Farmington.
Good riddance.

[ATP Pilot]

John Hayward are you a pilot? If so you're the dumbest one I've ever heard from. "Go get yourself a real 4 year degree and get your ATP. We'll all be safer because of it." Where do you propose "inexperienced" pilots get their experience? And what the hell is a "real" 4 year degree in your opinion? I've got a 4 year degree in mathematics, didn't make me any safer when I started flying. Inexperienced pilots have accidents when either paired with inexperienced pilots or allowed to make their own risk decisions. I guess in your opinion military flight training school(where I used to teach) is just a REALLY BIG pilot mill. Get real dude and argue something you know something about.

[JustWondering]

How many pilots does one company have to train anyway - 3 flight schools ?

[Agatha]

God, some of you guys are so negative...I think if all problems were solved and a news story came out saying, "peace has finally settled on the planet, no more wars exist, all people are fed and healthy, birds are singing in the trees and angelic choirs are bursting through the clouds," you'd be qvetching about how it was all a conspiracy and a democratic money-grab. Poor pilots who were halfway through the program, which, by the way, was a good program providing a chance for a successful career. Let's quit being so cynical and see this for what it is: another unfortunate and sad by-product of the recession. Period.

[Scope Clause]

You can add to this list of shame: Glenn Tilton, United Airlines CEO

Anyways, tough deal for the staff at the college, but it's not a big surprise is it ? UAL didn't renew Mesa Air Groups contract for the DHC-8 operation in DEN and they also let the CRJ-200 contract expire as well. That's roughly 35-40% of their contract flying.

I am surprised that they stayed open this long as it is, being that Mesa Airlines already has pilots on furlough with no plans for recall. Apparently some of the students haven't done their own research into this failing company and were still willing to fork over $70-75,000(!) dollars for 250 hours of flight training and training in a simulator that didn't count toward anything.

As far as the comments made regarding the legislation in the works, there IS a vast difference in the pilot that has only 300 hrs. and has only trained to interview proficency vs. the 1500 hr. flight instructor, BUT not enough to make as big of a deal as people are making about it. The big thing here is perhaps with the end of these pilot mills, perhaps there will be some pride growing back in this industry because the people that make it will have actually had to work to get into the right seat of that airliners.

The mainline guys can complain all we want, but let's remember that it was US that sold out on scope and allowed the regionals to take what was traditional flying because a lot of us didn't want to have anything to do with "replacement jets"...

Overall, this loss of the school might have an effect on the local economy (albeit a small one now that the school has been getting smaller and smaller) but it's going to be a win for the airline/pilots as far as trying to raise the bar again and restore some pride to this profession.

[WWW]

JustWondering wrote:

How many pilots does one company have to train anyway - 3 flight schools ?

The article said they (Mesa) has 145 aircraft and fly into 124 cities. I would imagine that Mesa's turnover rate is high since a lot of pilots move on to the majors after gaining experience.

[Scope Clause]

WWW wrote:

<quoted text>
The article said they (Mesa) has 145 aircraft and fly into 124 cities. I would imagine that Mesa's turnover rate is high since a lot of pilots move on to the majors after gaining experience.

No one has moved to ANY major in about 2 years now. Hiring has stopped and furloughs abound. Yes, they used to move from Mesa to other airlines (up or lateral to other regionals) but not recently.

[Scope Clause]

I don't think Mesa has run a new hire class in about a year now at least.

[John Smith]

Pro Pilot wrote:

How's that Hope & Change workin' out for you? Had enough yet?

How's that union workin for you. If you didn't have one you'd be making just a little bit more than regular bus drivers earn

[ornstien]

good riddance to any shyster business of his, he always hated podunk San Juan County and couldn't move a landmark business out of here fast enough to suit his taste. Arizona deserves the little twerp.

[oneeyedjack]

Pro Pilot wrote:

How's that Hope & Change workin' out for you? Had enough yet?

I wondered how long it would take. You're not a record but #4 ain't bad.
Just curious, were you flyin' left seat when you wrote that?

[WonderOr]

oneeyedjack wrote:

<quoted text>I wondered how long it would take. You're not a record but #4 ain't bad.
Just curious, were you flyin' left seat when you wrote that?

Just a coincidence or planned trip - Mesa and Standley leaving at once ?
The old Farmington airport has gone downhill ever since Standley took over !
We are back to no contract flight to Albuquerque each day.
Bill Standley sure needs to add this airport experience to his resume.

[Scope Clause]

Ha! That above has got to be one of the best conspiracy theories I've seen. WHOP WHOP WHOP...listen it's the counds of Black Helicopters!(And not landing at SJC afterall!)

Maybe if people would follow what is going on with the industry they'd see that Mesa Air Group has been working itself TANGO UNIFORM for the past 2 years.

[oneeyedjack]

WonderOr wrote:

<quoted text>
Just a coincidence or planned trip - Mesa and Standley leaving at once ?
The old Farmington airport has gone downhill ever since Standley took over !

Damn, and here I thought it was Obama's fault.
Can't you weave that tale? You do so good at weaving tales so please give it a shot.The cons would love it and I can check the block for Obama shutting down college programs.

[XOXO]

Stranded in Farmington. Durango is a good alternative.