United Airlines opens pilot academy at GYR

[Pilawt]

GYR (Phoenix-Goodyear Airport, Arizona) is my home field. The press releases and media hoopla make it sound like United has invented a new concept. But in reality United just moved in and took over the facility and trainer fleet that Lufthansa vacated a few months ago.

The fleet is mostly SR20s, along with a few SR22s and some F33A Bonanzas. Lufthansa was in the process of phasing out the last of their many F33As in favor of Cirri when they closed their school here. A couple of the sporty Grob G.120TPs, that LH was using for German Air Force training, are still around as well.

Here's a photo from a couple of years ago, when F33As still dominated the fleet, and the Grobs and the new Cirri were being given the protection of the shadeports.



With United's school open, GYR's pattern is busy again as it was in the LH days. (The school's Cirri all have callsigns that end in 'EF')

 

[Zeldman]

that Lufthansa vacated a few months ago

I used to get 2 emails a month from the Lufthansa flight school asking me to instruct there. I was wondering why that stopped.

 

[luvflyin]

GYR (Phoenix-Goodyear Airport, Arizona) is my home field. The press releases and media hoopla make it sound like United has invented a new concept. But in reality United just moved in and took over the facility and trainer fleet that Lufthansa vacated a few months ago.

The fleet is mostly SR20s, along with a few SR22s and some F33A Bonanzas. Lufthansa was in the process of phasing out the last of their many F33As in favor of Cirri when they closed their school here. A couple of the sporty Grob G.120TPs, that LH was using for German Air Force training, are still around as well.

Here's a photo from a couple of years ago, when F33As still dominated the fleet, and the Grobs and the new Cirri were being given the protection of the shadeports.

View attachment 104357

With United's school open, GYR's pattern is busy again as it was in the LH days. (The school's Cirri all have callsigns that end in 'EF')

View attachment 104358

Was there some significance to the two different colors of Bonanzas?

 

[RyanB]

Was there some significance to the two different colors of Bonanzas?

The yellow ones are Bonooney’s, the white ones are just plain old boring Bonanza’s.

 

[Daleandee]

https://onemileatatime.com/united-airlines-diversity-goal-pilots/

EEOE

 

[NoHeat]

I know a Lufthansa pilot who trained there. He became a FO on an Airbus 320 soon thereafter.

I wonder what Luhthansa is doing now.

 

[hindsight2020]

I know a Lufthansa pilot who trained there. He became a FO on an Airbus 320 soon thereafter.

I wonder what Luhthansa is doing now.

Probably MPL'ing it. You don't need to know how to "fly" airplanes to tongue-punch an FMS for a living. At least that's the conclusion Europe and Asia have come to. caveat emptor. We're all innocent in Shawshank to be clear (Colgan 3407).

 

[sourdough44]

https://www.ttownmedia.com/tracy_press/united-recruited-tracy-aces-for-1940-s-training/article_8c3984da-8558-11ec-a9bd-235a74207efc.html

What’s old is new again?

 

[luvflyin]

https://www.ttownmedia.com/tracy_pr...cle_8c3984da-8558-11ec-a9bd-235a74207efc.html

What’s old is new again?

Driving through Tracy, which I often do a couple times a year, will never be the same again. Now what about a name for these new ones from Goodyear? I'm coming up with a blank. @Pilawt , you know the area, come up with something.

 

[Pilawt]

Now what about a name for these new ones from Goodyear? I'm coming up with a blank. @Pilawt , you know the area, come up with something.

I just call them "The Marvins," a reference to United's old unofficial nickname "Marvin Mainliner".

 

[luvflyin]

I just call them "The Marvins," a reference to United's old unofficial nickname "Marvin Mainliner".

Googled it. This came up. Marvin Mainliner is a few scrolls down. But it doesn't say anything about where the nickname came from. What's the story?

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=236467

 

[Pilawt]

Googled it. This came up. Marvin Mainliner is a few scrolls down. But it doesn't say anything about where the nickname came from. What's the story?

Back in the day, UA named each of its airplanes "Mainliner Something-or-other", as Pan Am did with its "Clippers" and AA's "Flagships". Herewith, Mainliner San Francisco. "Marvin" is just an alliterative add-on to "Mainliner".

 

[luvflyin]

Back in the day, UA named each of its airplanes "Mainliner Something-or-other", as Pan Am did with its "Clippers" and AA's "Flagships". Herewith, Mainliner San Francisco. "Marvin" is just an alliterative add-on to "Mainliner".

View attachment 104426

They'll need a Mascot

 

[Spinka]

I wonder what Luhthansa is doing now.

All recruitment stopped and they don't ecpect it to pick up for a long time. Airlines in Europe are in a completely different spot than airlines in the US these days.

 

[Morgan3820]

Airlines in Europe are in a completely different spot than airlines in the US these days.

If I may ask, how so? I am guessing by your message that they are in not to good a shape. I would like to resume visiting Europe in 2023 and I am curious as to the impact on that goal.

 

[Greg Bockelman]

I think he means that their pool of pilots to draw from is minimal to nonexistent therefore they do a lot of ab initio training.

 

[Oldmanb777]

WAY back in the day. when ALPA helped mgt break the PFE union. There was a pilot shortage. early 60's. They took people who might want to be pilots and had good math skills and paid for them to get their licenses. Some progressed into aviation roles as pilots. Some of the PFE's stayed and crossed. They became seniority list pilots. Some were outstanding. Anyway, many were called (behind their backs) Zero's. They progressed through the seats, but did they gain the skills needed to command in the demands of an airline environment?
Then there was the Western DC-10 in MEX. If you only knew the whole story???????????????????????

 

[luvflyin]

WAY back in the day. when ALPA helped mgt break the PFE union. There was a pilot shortage. early 60's. They took people who might want to be pilots and had good math skills and paid for them to get their licenses. Some progressed into aviation roles as pilots. Some of the PFE's stayed and crossed. They became seniority list pilots. Some were outstanding. Anyway, many were called (behind their backs) Zero's. They progressed through the seats, but did they gain the skills needed to command in the demands of an airline environment?
Then there was the Western DC-10 in MEX. If you only knew the whole story???????????????????????

I found this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Airlines_Flight_2605

So what was the whole story?

EDIT: Is this pretty much it? https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=776453

 

[Oldmanb777]

The list of Fo's and SO's who refused to fly with him was long.

 

[Oldmanb777]

You only need to look further and find the "unexplained" crashes. How about starting with COS. Was that caused by the EEOC. United hiring by race, gender etc instead of by qualifications. If you cannot hire the most qualified and capable people for ANY organization, your going to fall behind those that do.

 

[Greg Bockelman]

You only need to look further and find the "unexplained" crashes. How about starting with COS. Was that caused by the EEOC. United hiring by race, gender etc instead of by qualifications. If you cannot hire the most qualified and capable people for ANY organization, your going to fall behind those that do.

And yet United has not had a pilot error fatality since 1978.

 

[luvflyin]

And yet United has not had a pilot error fatality since 1978.

Which one was that?

EDIT: 173?

 

[Greg Bockelman]

The DC-8 in Portland Oregon

 

[Spinka]

I think he means that their pool of pilots to draw from is minimal to nonexistent therefore they do a lot of ab initio training.

Well, at the moment the pool is huge, because the market hasn't recovered nearly as much as in the States. There are lots of pilots still laid off and conditions for those still employed have been deteriorating for years...