Have you ever been to Gulfstream Academy?

Question

I am looking to become a commercial airline pilot and wondered if Gulfstream Academy was a good way to go? I really don't have a ambition to be a flight instructor and I also don't want to fly banners around. I love flying single engine piston but don't think instructing is for me. I have talked to a few pilots that have gone through the program and they have said they loved it.

http://www.gulfstreamacademy.com/

Answer 1

Dont do it! People have realize that a big pilot factory is not always a good thing. Go check out your local airport and maybe even a community collage. and you ll save money, stay away from the pilot factory's. I as a professional pilot cringe when I find out someone went to these places, they produce scary pilots cause the have scary instructors (not all of course). Check your options. I dont like where I work but I do it cause  I have too. Until NETJETS wants me. Being a CFI will make you a better for pilot cause you will know the books inside out. BUT for gods sake do it for as little time as possible then go do something. The problem with CFI's is they dont have there hands on the yoke. Go fly traffic or pipeline or jumpers like someone else said before me.

Answer 2

Sorry but when a resume comes across my desk that say's 'Gulfstream Academy' I file it in the trash.  Paying money to sit right seat in a 1900 shows very little effort... and adds no credibility to a resume with low time.

But if a fast-track is what you want, Gulfstream will be happy to take your money.  Hey if you pay me $30,000 I'll let you be my copilot too.

Answer 3

A lot of people in this industry, myself included, hate the idea of Gulfstream. The reason that a lot of people dislike this program is because you are essentially buying a job. You pay a lot of money for airline training- the same training that every other company in the industry pays you to take. They get around this by giving you some certificates in the process... your Commercial AMEL, etc. But the simple truth is this: You're paying for a job. You pay gulstream an insane amount of money to sit right seat in a 1900 (where they make money flying passengers) just so you can skip the normal route of instructing or whatever. This brings the industry down. If everybody did this there would be no paying jobs in the industry. People would pay to sit right seat in 737's for Southwest if they could, or pay to sit right seat in any other airline out there if the option would arise- and every time people do this they would be taking work away from a qualified pilot who could be sitting in that seat making legitimate money.

If you don't want to instruct don't instruct... you'll be hurting more people than yourself. But, get a job flying. There are a lot of people out there that take flying jobs they don't necessarily like or want to get the necessary experience to get better jobs. It's called paying your dues. Fly skydivers, fly pipeline patrol, fly traffic watch-- do something that pays you. This day in age if you have a commercial and 500tt you'll get a job with a regional-- and you'll only have to fly one of these jobs a few months to get that experience under your belt.

You can get your ratings for half the cost of gulfstream, find a job that pays you after, and you'll be ahead probably 40k. Doing it this way you'll have less debt and will also not make so many people mad.

The simple truth: Gulfstream is hated by many many many pilots. I wouldn't want to risk a career by going there. Don't do it