Training Committee Update - Quarterly Meeting Notes 3/13/14 |
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Training Committee Update - Quarterly Meeting Notes 3/13/14
Last Thursday was the first Quarterly Meeting of the year between your Training Committee and the Training Department. I wanted to take a minute to fill you in on what was discussed. In all honesty, what the Training Department comes to me with has much in common with what I bring to the table from you. We are on the same page when it comes to what we would like the training to consist of within our company. Of course, as with anywhere else, we too have the same issues of time, money, and the FAA to deal with when making any changes to how we currently train. While it might not be overnight, be assured that changes will come and I believe they will be for the better.
So without further a-do, here are some of the items we covered (and no, I don’t get paid either)...
Review of Logcan by First Officers:
As new-hire applicants, all First Officers are “trained” in how to review the Logcan. If you remember, there was a slide or two about it. Before you knew what the slide said, it was time to move on. To be quite honest, this training is insufficient for any new-hire, considering everything else they must learn as well. I think that most Captains would agree that they have at very few times, if ever, been asked by an FO to review the Can. Personally, I usually only get asked by an FO about the Can when they are nearing upgrade. There will be a change coming to the GOM requiring FOs to review the Can, however, to “unaccustomed” eyes, this will be an ineffective means for catching items missed by Captains. The Training Department is aware of these issues and new training will be created to better prepare an FO for reviewing the Can. This will of course require FAA approval, etc., and will take time. There is also the possibility of creating new online-based training. Before you go to the issues related to that, however, let me express that the reason for the coming change to the GOM, is due to a stack of Logcan sheets with incorrect deferrals that had been missed by the Captain. Technically, Captains are responsible for everything in that Can, even if it was incorrectly filled out by a mechanic (which is why it is so important to maintain an ASAP program, might I add). Until new training is developed, as an FO, please ask your Captains to review the Logcan with you. For the Captains out there, please take the time to involve the FOs so that they can better understand the Can. We have lots of time in the air to cover it. I have been told that there will soon be a memo regarding this.
Ugrades:
I know this is what most of you have been anxious to read and I wish I had better news, but the news is not all bad. I don’t want to give out exact numbers as they may change, but the Training Department has been pretty accurate when determining how many pilots to upgrade each month. The number month-over-month varies much more than that for new-hire FOs. The good news is that there will be some upgrading a bit sooner than anticipated. As we move on through the year, I see upgrades being a bit more steady, with an increase more toward the end of the year. The hiring wave which will deplete our Captain “stock” hasn’t hit, yet. The majority of those leaving are still sitting in the right seat which makes the Training Department focus on the new-hires. I wish I had something more concrete to for you to hold on to. This week I will be at the STC, so I will get the latest and be sure to pass it along. There will also be an updated Upgrade List provided shortly, so you can see where you sit.
AQP for Upgrades:
In all honesty, I don’t see this happening for at least a year. Like anything else, it requires a change to the current method of operation and additional FAA approval. The earliest clue of when it might be applicable to upgrades is when it is applied to new-hires. Once the program has been established for new-hires, hopefully soon thereafter it will be applied to upgrades.
Command Leadership:
Captains, please be sure you take a "command leadership" position of your flight. Be the boss without being “bossy.” Be sure to brief the Flight Attendants on everything they will need to know to be effective in their duties, such as applicable MELs, etc. We can all be friends, but even friends have bosses. Don’t let your affinity for your crew detract from your capacity as the Captain. It is the intent of the Training Department to have more “get-togethers” during training classes so that pilots and flight attendants know how to better interact in order to make a more effective flight crew.
Online Training:
I know that for some of you, it still seems like the online training is taking much longer than it would had you just gone to class. Soon I will be posting the times for each section, as I have done them. I am hoping this will provide you with three things: First it will allow you to see how long each video will take so you can better plan your time; Second it will allow you to compare the time it takes with the published times; and Third, you will see your corresponding pay for training. The Training Department has been addressing inaccurate answers to questions, so I hope you have seen fewer of these. Also, please remember, we are dealing with multiple companies that provide this training and getting it all to work correctly can be difficult. This is not an excuse, but be aware that aside from any technical issue you may have, bandwidth is crucial. I have used my laptop at hotels and at home with no issues. The crew room (STL) might be a little slow, but I have not noticed that it took any more time there than anywhere else. Using airport WiFi, will most likely lag. Tablets will be slower too and using Explorer or Firefox will be your best bet, although I use Safari without problems. Firewalls can also create problems. Email Brian Emmett in Training if you have any technical issues: bemmett@gojetairlines.com. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will be getting free access to WiFi while deadheading to complete online training. Make sure you get your online training done early enough so you have time to address any issues.
SOP & Manual Revision Suggestions:
Any suggestions to changes to the SOP or GOM can be submitted to Randy Houseman via email with a cc to Brian Emmett.
shouseman@gojetairlines.com
bemmett@gojetairlines.com
PRIA Checks for New Hires:
There have been fewer issues with background checks, which is good news. This is in part due to a change in the way the Training Department receives them and better awareness of the necessity to disclose prior checkride failures. If you recommend anyone or know of someone who will apply, please reiterate to them the necessity to disclose training failures and that it is NOT a disqualifying event.
I took all the questions I received to the Quarterly, so I hope this answers them. If it did not, send me an email at gojettraining@yahoo.com and I will look into it.
Two items brought to me after the meeting and that I will be looking into are:
1.) How many new-hires for the remainder of the year, and
2.) Why it is taking so long for Captains to get scheduled for OE .
I’ll let you know what I find out.
Tyler Cottam
Training Committee Head
gojettraining@yahoo.com
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