Posted on 02/02/2006 1:48:06 PM PST by Denver Ditdat
The instructors and students of Embry-Riddle's CAPT (Commercial Airline Pilot Training) Program are being informed today that their program is a lame duck. Those currently in the program will finish their training, lest Riddle have to refund their money -- refunds are the wolfsbane of Riddle administrators. But effective immediately, no new pilots are being recruited. As each segment of the remaining students' training is completed, the instructors will be offered other positions -- or let go.
A formal press release is supposed to be issued at three PM.
Ab-initio training for pilots who already have university degrees is a hot market, but it doesn't fit into the long term plans of the Board of Trustees, which can be encapsulated as:
The interim President selected by the Board of Trustees, Dr. John Johnson, is neither an aviator nor interested in aviation. His first act was to cancel the lease on the Citation jet that had shuttled administrators between the Daytona and Prescott, AZ campuses. The jet was viewed by faculty, especially business department and liberal- arts faculty, as a wasteful extravagance.
There is a possibility that CAPT or something very much like it may be reborn under another corporate or academic banner. CAPT has been under the hammer for some time, and was visited by Alteon, NetJets, CAE and other possible suitors. Riddle is known to have received letters of intent for the program as a whole, but has apparently decided to pull the plug rather than sell the program intact. It was a very expensive program that may never have achieved break-even; the initial Managing Director estimated that break-even was 100 pilots a year.
This is not a complete shock to the faculty and students. Johnson indicated shortly after being named that he was targeting CAPT, and some high-value personnel have already left for competing flight- training operations. Now that the program is officially in run-out mode, it will take an extremely free hand with retention-bonus money to keep the program from imploding before its scheduled windup date.
It will be a shock, however, to CAPT's partner airlines. A recent placement team visit to several airlines was successful, with several new airlines, including American Eagle, agreeing to accept CAPT graduates at reduced minimums. Of the lines which have hired CAPT graduates already, all have commented on their readiness for initial orientation and training, and most have asked for more graduates.
The secret to CAPT's success at producing superior pilots was its highly selective admissions standards. As a school, it can administer much more in-depth pre-admission tests than an employer can, under Federal laws. The preferred test scores at CAPT were normed to a sample of airlines' self-defined model employees, in a conscious attempt to produce crew members with the cognitive and personality traits most valued by the airlines.
The methodology is sound. It's just homeless, for now.
Business opportunity for someone...........
WTF? Terrorists denied entry to the US due to increased border restrictions (or simply won't come because they hate the Great Satan) can now learn in Qatar how to pilot an airliner into a building? Am I reading that right?
ERAU has been training Arabs from overseas for YEARS. Riddle has training over there as well as having middle eastern and arab students coming over here. Riddle CLAIMS to do checks on students but personally I do not think they care that much. They want money coming in.
It was no coincidence that Riddles name came up tied in to 9-11 although Riddle claims to have nothing to do with training terrorists.
The interim President selected by the Board of Trustees, Dr. John Johnson, is neither an aviator nor interested in aviation
Says it all, right there.
Yep. I wish that I had been around when the typical aviation executive was closer to Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, but Dr. John Johnson is more likely what we get these days.
Yup. I have a feeling that flying at ERAU is about over; going to engineering, computing and mgmt. programs. Not sure but my guess is they will axe the maintenance training and avionics stuff, too. At one time they had the latest, greatest and largest fleet of single engine prop planes of any school. Wonder what will become of that, too.
Allot of the guys at FlightSafety went to the CAPT when FSI closed it's ERAU contract. Now they are out again. Sucks.
I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with them setting up a branch in Qatar specifically to cater to those who are denied entry into the U.S. or who think the U.S. is so much of a "Great Satan" that they are unwilling to come here. The U.S. was willing to give Atta a student visa to come to the U.S. for flight training after all. We are talking about people who are such a risk that they don't even meet the standard under which Atta was allowed in!
"Hello, you say you want to hang us? We sell ropes for $20 each. Do you need instruction in how to make a hangman's knot? That's an additional $10. Here, let me show you ..."
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