By ANN Senior Contributing Correspondent Kevin "Hognose"
O'Brien
Well, we can rag on Mayor Daley, beat the world on space-travel
stories, and insult the TSA practically daily. And what do our
readers write about? Our story about a milestone at Embry-Riddle's CAPT
ab-initio program. Some of you do NOT like
Embry-Riddle, or its graduates. We'll get to that, but first, let's
look at recent graduate Chuck Allen and his class.
I've been in email contact with Chuck himself, and email and
phone contact with one of his instructors. Chuck generously agreed
to an interview-by-email.
First, Chuck is only important, as it were, as a representative
of the program. Since I wrote the original story, the instructor
tells me, his class have also been typed in the MD-90 sim, one
after the other. At nine o'clock Florida time this morning, only
one remained, and he is scheduled for the ride soon.
Second, as mentioned above, there are some non-fans of ERAU,
CAPT, and ab-initio programs in general out there. Can we agree on
a few simple points?
- We at Aero-News are in favor of any program which spreads the
good word and gets people flying. More on this anon.
- The quality of an individual pilot is more dependent on the
individual than it is on the school.
With those two opinions of ours out of the way, let's see what
Chuck Allen thinks of his flight school experience.
Chuck Allen Speaks
After dropping Chuck a congratulatory email, I got the following
note from him:
I'd love to say a few wonderful words about the CAPT
program. I really feel as though the group of people that ERAU
has assembled for this program is truly second to none. I was told
when I first came to the program that the year that I would spend
working towards graduation would probably be the toughest of my
life. Boy, were they right.
What I now know after finishing the program, is that it has also
been the most rewarding. I feel so lucky to have been trained by
the "Professionals" who work for this program. The
individuals who work for this program truly care about the success
of each cadet, and If it weren't for their hard work, I never would
have succeeded. I would encourage anyone who is considering a
career in aviation to make the CAPT program their top
consideration. The use of their brand new fleet of aircraft, state
of the art aircraft simulators, and airline immersion training
makes this program the training standard of the future.
I could not have been happier with my experience, and my guess
is that anyone accepted into the program will be as well. ... I'd
like to do anything I can to get the word out about how great this
program truly is.
Well, this just made me want to know more about
Chuck's experience with CAPT, so I sent him a bunch of nosy
questions, and asked an instructor what kind of guy Chuck was.
"He's a great big fella, something like 6'5" tall, and just a kind
of a cheerful powerhouse of a guy," my contact said. So -- with
that in mind, here are my questions and Chuck's answers.
Aero-Newsmaker Interview: Chuck Allen
Aero-News: What are your plans now? (I guess,
interview and fly... duh. But anything you want to say...).
Chuck Allen: Like you said, interview and
fly. I would also like to pursue some additional ratings (i.e.
CFI) that I could use to continue flying GA throughout
my career.
Aero-News: What made you decide you wanted to
change careers and fly? Have you always wanted to
fly?
Chuck Allen: I have always wanted to be a
pilot. My original career path was to fly in the Navy after
graduating from college, but a small medical problem closed that
door for me. After graduation I took a management job with a
national distribution company, but it was clear from day one that
my passion lie in aviation. Within a year of my college graduation
I had selected a flight school and was eagerly waiting to
start.
Aero-News: What is your career ambition or
dream? Any particular airplane you want to fly, or dream
assignment?
Chuck Allen: I would eventually like to fly for
an organization that flies some overseas routes. It has always been
a dream of mine to see the world, and this the perfect
career for that. I can't imagine anything better than
combining my love of flying with my curiosity of seeing the
world.
Aero-News: Is there any historical aircraft you
would like to fly?
Chuck Allen: I can't think of a historical
aircraft that I've been dying to fly, but I do think that it would
be pretty neat to break the sound barrier (on purpose of
course).
Aero-News: Do you plan to fly recreationally,
or is this basically a professional gig for you?
Chuck Allen: I would like to instruct in my
spare time, and continue to fly GA. Owning my own plane probably
won't be financially possible for many years, (I see many years of
student loan payments in my immediate future) but I would
definitely love to be an aircraft owner one day.
Aero-News: Big one -- what made you choose
CAPT? It was new -- do you feel like a classical "early
adopter?"
Chuck Allen: I chose the CAPT program because
it was 'new' and they were taking a totally different approach to
training low time pilots than other flight schools. When you talked
to the program's administrators, you could tell that they knew
something that others didn't. They were taking the very best
candidates from around the country and training them to a higher
standard. It was something that I wanted to be in on the ground
floor of.
Aero-News: CAPT is not a cheap program. Were
you concerned over the expense, and how did you justify
it?
Chuck Allen: I really didn't know any better. I
shopped the program around and even though it was more expensive
than other programs, it appeared to suit my career goals better
than other programs. Also there weren't any hidden costs with
the CAPT program. Other schools with show a minimum price, but
if there is any delay or problem in training the price starts
creeping up very quickly. Finally I showed the program to
a few professional pilots that I knew, and they told me that you
can put a price on ratings, but not on great training. If its was I
wanted then I should go for it.
Aero-News: Let's close with a softball that
hangs over the plate: What is YOUR advice for someone who is where
you were in early 03... someone who is thinking about learning to
fly but that has taken no steps towards it?
Chuck Allen: There are many ways to go about
learning to fly. For me the best method was to totally immerse
myself in training that would eventually lead me to a career in the
airlines. For others, that drastic of a life change isn't
possible. Maybe they need to go at a slower pace to make time
for work, college, etc. Either way the only way to start
flying, is to start flying. I would encourage anyone
that is considering flight training to drive down to their
local airport and take a discovery flight. You won't belive
what you've been missing.