I could not agree more. We had the FAA at our place all day yesterday, and got in a long talk with our POI regarding the state of the industry. The short, unfortunate answer is that the FAA does not have the manpower to babysit the flight training industry. As long as you're not crashing planes, their eyes are off you.
It really saddens me when I hear of a student who has had the misfortune of being involved with the "less professional" institutions (yes, I'm being PC), and to some degree it does highlight the value in doing homework before enrolling wherever you are going to do your training. On the flip side, those places that operate like this should not be allowed to take money from those who really don't have it (which is all too often the case).
I would like to think that the at the current level of professional pilot hiring, with the ensuing increase in the gross number of flight students preparing for those jobs, will cause the FAA to step in a have a bit more oversight as to who will become the next generation of professional pilots. Only time will tell.
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Originally Posted by B767Driver  I've posted my thoughts previously that the piloting profession needs to change the way it brings pilots into the profession. The posts in this thread highlight my concerns.
If programs are being run like the posters are illustrating, I don't think the program is becoming of an educational institution capable of bringing quality people into the profession.
The piloting profession is in desperate need of cleaning up training institutions. There would be no better way, IMO, than for an accreditation agency composed of industry players to certify and decertify each institution that trains pilots for professional employment and certification.
I think the University Aviation Association does a very good job in this respect. Outside of the universities I am very suspect of the quality of training and applicants.
It sure doesn't seem as though the FAA is interested in this. As members of the professional pilot community...we should be extremely concerned about this. |