Below is my schedule for October:
So 3 days for a checkride? Is that ground, sim, flight or a combination?
Just wondering.
Thanks
Ryan
Ryan,
At United we do all of our ground school online, so that is three days in the simulator. That being said, each day begins with a two hour briefing where we discuss various items, think of it as a classroom with only two students in it.
Chris
Hey Chris,
How often do airline pilots do checkrides? I’ve seen it on I think all of your schedules in the past, so am curious if it is a regular thing. Also does the amount of checkrides pilots must do get reduced with seniority?
-Brandon
Brandon,
I’m sure Chris will chime in as well but most pilots have Recurrent training once a year however some airlines use a 9 mos cycle. This is usually a combination of Sim, online and actual classroom depending on the airline. As Chris said at UA they now have all their ground school online and many airlines are going this way. At Hawaiian we have online (CBT, computer based training) but we also still have classroom days which I personally like since some classes like CRM (Crew Resource Mgmt, the class I facilitate) require interaction. Capts also receive a line check (during an actual flight) once a year.
All pilots require the same recurrent training regardless of seniority. Why wouldn’t they?
Adam
Brandon,
It was on my schedule twice because one event ended up being cancelled due to a simulator issue. At United we have historically taken check rides once per year, although we are now transitioning to a nine month cycle. Check rides are the same, regardless of seniority.
Chris
Chris,
What is the rationale for the 9 month cycle when the FAA only requires a check ride every 12?
Ryan
Ryan,
The FAA requires 12 mos cycle for traditional training programs but most airlines have (or are) transitioning to what’s called AQP (Advanced Qualification Program). This is actually an excellent (and exciting) evolution as it gives airlines the ability to “customize” their training to address the needs or deficiencies the individual airline observes in it’s operation in real world scenarios vs conventional cookie cutter recurrent training where every year the pilots run through the standard maneuvers (stalls, steep turns, etc). While the pilots have to return to sim every 9mos they’re actually on an 18mos cycle which is actually less restrictive and allows the airline to only have to train the FAA requirements every 18mos vs every 12. It’s not simply a matter of what’s required by regulation but more what’s BEST to maintain the safest pilot group.
Adam
Thanks Adam,
Makes sense to me. I just had not heard the explanation before.
Ryan
Hence why we’re here 
Adam
Ryan,
United believes that more training is a good thing and has decided to have us come back a little more often. To be technical about it, the FAA actually requires Captains to take a check ride every six months, unless the airline is part of an Advanced Qualifications Program (AQP) like United is. Under AQP airlines have some latitude to change the rules a bit, this is one area where United has. So under our AQP Captains are taking checkrides a little less often than otherwise required whereas First Officers are taking them a little more often.
Chris
Thanks again for the clarification.
Ryan