Stalker_
Please do not take this too personally, as I wish to address a question you posted for cptjns. I felt compelled to put in perspective a few key notes for the P2Fs, since presently I'm hired in the capacity to assess/hire low hours pilots.
its new pilots paying a fee to gain experience on an aircraft type in order to advance there careers, is that so terrible?
Yes it is.
The Airlines and Aircraft manufacturers could hardly believe their luck, when the dream and glamour to fly could be converted into P2F scheme, thanks to the oversupply of ambitious young chaps with either wealthy parents, or stupidity to take the first financial plunge in believing that they stand an equal chance by paying their way through.
The cost reduction in this aspect is astounding. No longer do they need to spend on assessment and training investment. This is huge, so huge that some start ups had literally written this part off their initial cost.
Many of you P2Fs do not know nor care why it is important for the Airlines to be in charge of both costings and administrative role in taking the fresh pilots. Some are just not meant to fly, they do not possess any quality that will assure that they can be further trained or improved upon. By going P2Fs, you have foolishly taken upon yourself unnecessary risk, let alone diluting the T & Cs of the rest who went through the industry the more conventional way. Some of you are right to say that it's your right to do so, so please do not complain later on and ask WHY?
No P2F will bother to listen to anything else other than the occasional kind souls who yell "keep it up", "hang in there", and "believe in yourself" bull crap.
The situation is a lot tougher than you thought. The market is now conditioned to believe that well trained and CHEAP pilots are a given. My role as a key recruiter in assessing a few dozens of newbies yielded almost no satisfactory result. I could not believe my eyes for the first couple of days in the quality of the young pilots who do not possess the basic skills of leadership, team work, CRM, general aviation knowledge, nor technically proficient. I feel sorry for them that thousands were wasted as I do not foresee anyone in my similar capacity will hire them. On the 3rd day, I had to insist to my boss that a manager from HR accompanied me as I will be demonstrating exactly what I'm looking for, for the Airlines, and exactly why I had to fail them.
I did not have to try too hard to avoid recruiting P2F chaps, all except for one that stood out. Perhaps thanks to his strong aviation related family background and personal interest. The rest who made it are those who went through flight instruction or GA flying.