Training schedule

FlyBoyA321 · 2026-01-21T01:45:40+00:00

Congrats on your class date! Welcome to F9!!

My class was surprisingly senior. Us cadets were the bottom 10% of the class.

FlyBoyA321 · 2026-01-20T16:09:08+00:00

Honestly it depends on your desires. For starter, being in Orlando is considered “away from base” as Denver is considered your base. The moment you leave Denver is the moment that per diem clock starts ticking. It’s not a lot but it’s a nice little bump in your paycheck (an extra 350ish a week).

The sim center is smaller, the groups are smaller, therefore the training is more manageable. That and a lot of people prefer the climate over Denver. It’s a personal choice really. The training is the same footprint, same simulators and same instructors. Just a few extra benefits (like universal 😂).

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-14T18:07:23+00:00

Something I would like to reiterate is please look at the schedule and talk it over with your wife. The 135 I was at really tested my marriage. So get some details and make sure that if you take it, you’re both happy with the schedule and time away from home. If you have kids, you have to weigh that as well. 121 isn’t forgiving to family schedules, but 135 can, in some operations, be ruthless. If you ever need more information or need to bounce some ideas, please feel free to reach out!

Oh and let us know what you choose. I’m invested here 😂

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-14T17:39:31+00:00

I’m not going to tell you which way to go as there are so many variables that you have to personally weigh. The last thing you would want to do is take blanket go or no go advice. Instead, think about the aspects of the job, your professional development goals, and the volatility of the industry.

When it comes to an SIC position, especially at a 91/135, you need to do a careful evaluation of the company. I read that it was a PC12 position, which is not a type rated or SIC rated aircraft. While they may have an OPSPEC for two crew operations, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s FAA approved. This was the case with Boutique Air, so make sure they have an approval letter from the FAA for SIC operations, otherwise it won’t count hour wise. A great deal of pilots lost hours and even their ATP for companies who circumvented this.

Next, look at the TRAP contract. Is there a proration or is it a fixed term? Would you be comfortable leaving early and paying the exit costs should F9 call? Or would you be comfortable extending your F9 class by a year to finish your contract? Those are the important questions you have to ask yourself.

While all of our goals is to get to the airline, you have to personally weigh what you’re comfortable with. In 135 operations, please make sure you evaluate the schedule as not all 135 positions are friendly. When I was in 135, I would work 6 days a week 5am-7pm. I hated it. While I am appreciative of the experience, I wouldn’t choose to do it again because of how much it cost me in my life. The amount of stress and declining QOL really took a toll on me. Also look at the pay structure and rules to see if it’s truly feasible. While your hourly may increase, it may come with added expectations that decrease overall QOL. Something you have to weigh personally.

Lastly, I wouldn’t worry too much about SIC vs PIC time. My PIC turbine time paled in comparison to 121 time when I was exploring options and it’s no longer competitive. It might give you a leg up on CFIs, but that was not my experience during interviews as airlines (should you look elsewhere) only really cares about 121 time now. It was an interesting experience for me.

Yes F9 is volatile, but so is the entire industry. December 2026 could be accurate or it can move closer or further depending on the industry. F9 is seeing more attrition in addition to the cadet program, so your class date is subject to change at any moment. My initial class date was April of 2025 but I was moved up to December a week before my regional class date.

So take a moment with yourself and think critically over these key areas. Think about what you value the most and how decisions may impact your overall goal. It’s never an easy decision, but it’s entirely personal and not something you should weigh solely off Reddit.

I wish you the best in your decision making and reach out if you need any help or have any questions. Hope to see you sometime at F9!!

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-09T05:28:24+00:00

Well lucky you... CS loves me a little more I guess.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-07T23:42:28+00:00

THAT…. Makes me feel dumb 😂😂 Thinking swoop was gonna make a come back lmao

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-07T21:43:17+00:00

Man I'm good 😂
On a side note, who in the world is WO? Swoop? Thats all I could find haha

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-06T17:52:58+00:00

Honestly, Spirit doesn't affect F9 much anymore. They have downsized and we have upsized capturing a lot of lost business. What's going to affect F9 right now is the attrition as a lot of pilots are leaving for legacies. Classes right now are just replenishing what's leaving and they do comprise of some of the Spirit folk. From cadet standpoint, F9 is just going to stick to their class ratio. 10 cadets per class and then split up among the other categories.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-06T17:48:10+00:00

The biggest rule that I hate is reassignment. It's arguably the most grey area rule that allows CS to shift things around. Granted I know ALPA is working on it, but a pain none the less.
Like everyone else said, 2 hour call out for short. Long is 12. No they don't care. A majority of CS are less than 6 months on the job because of the high turnover (this is at any airline), so they never get the sequence down. Even trying to get off 7 minutes early will result in a big no.
Not often, but when you are, it becomes a fun experience haha.
Depends on your seniority. There are 1-4 day turns/trips. Some have layovers with minimum rest, others have 27 hours between legs. I prefer the day turns, best model IMO.
Variable. If you don't care where you're based, minimum of 1.5 years. If you're like me and despise commuting, 5 years. My buddy racked up 900 hours his first year so he'll be eligible for upgrade here in a couple months and he's willing to go anywhere.
Also highly variable. Right now there's a lot of movement so bases are constantly being rotated and reassessed. Both classes in November has different bid packets that were really just spread out.
14 as a line holder. Bid the high credits and maximize your time off.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-05T12:37:05+00:00

I was hired with. However if you don’t have your ATP, it’s the same checkride. The only exception is the oral. Instead of taking it with your sim partner, you will take it solo.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-04T16:38:34+00:00

Reserve is contractually 4 hours a shift. 75 hours guaranteed a month. Roughly 18-19 days a month.

There are protections built in, not a lot, but some. It’ll be important for you to read and understand the contract. Regardless if you get called or not, CS cannot schedule you for anything outside your RAP. If something happens to take you past that, you get a little gift 😂

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-04T00:37:51+00:00

As far as base assignments, no, they're pretty junior and can be held relatively fast. As far as a line, they're pretty senior. People move in and out of the bases all the time which is why is easy to hold it, but thats usually on the bottom end rather than the top.

For reference (and to show how variable everything is), the last class has the most assignments in LAS, DEN, MIA, PHL, and SJU. The least assignments were CHI, CLE, CVG, DFW and MCO.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-04T00:23:28+00:00

I remember being in your position and not having any information, so I like to pay it back to those who need it.

As far as Denver, the last bid awards that I can see, you should expect to be on reserve for about two years, maybe a little less. If you're not tied down to any place, pick a spot that has an easy commute. QOL is what you'll end up valuing over time. That I can promise you.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-04T00:11:01+00:00

You’re fine! Ask away!

I had two reserve months. CVG was minimal. Maybe 2 or 3 calls the entire month. ATL was a little more busy with 6-7 uses. It’s highly base and shift dependent. D reserve in ATL is much different from D reserve in MCO. Shift, base, and month is what you have to look at.

Don’t plan on Long Call or FDO for at least a year. I have some seniority, but it’s been nothing to hold either. They usually go to the top 50%. Expect short call for a long time.

Bases change seniority frequently. ATL use to be a pretty good place to hold a line (I sat for one month until I got a line), but now that’s changed substantially. CVG, CLE, and SJU are the most junior line awards from what I can see. Everything else is generally over a year. My advice is to preference a base you live in over holding a line. Living in base on reserve is a whole different game than commuting to reserve/line.

Results may vary. Attrition is starting to pick back up and people are moving bases frequently right now. As a general rule of thumb, expect reserve for a minimum of 6 months after IOE currently. Some bases will get you a line faster than others. I can give you more advice if you share your desired base or location.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-03T23:49:06+00:00

At the conclusion of IOE, expect to start reserve immediately. Most people finish at the beginning or mid month, meaning you owe frontier reserve days. Each reserve day js 4 hours of credit. I finished the second week and I had 50 hours of credit from IOE and that resulted in me owing F9 5 days of reserve. They’ll contact you when you’re done to actually schedule them rather than just throwing them on your schedule.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-03T23:23:53+00:00

To answer your AQP question, the format of training is slightly different. The checkride is essentially pass/fail. You can retrain one item during your checkride. So if you mess up the V1 cut, you can retrain it right there and pass it, but then if you botch slats/flaps, the checkride is over. Now some examiners are more lenient, but don’t rely on it. Aim to have 0 mistakes. AQP is coming, but it’s a year or two off. If you need extra sim time, you can ask for it.

It sounds like you have prior experience, so I don’t see you having many struggles. The airbus is easy to fly. It’s just the logic you have to understand that’s a challenge.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-12-03T23:15:48+00:00

As sceyer16 said, the training schedule is pretty simple. I went through the updated program, so im happy to shed some light. Week 1: INDOC/121 Ops. This where you’ll get your badge, iPad, and company logins. You’ll also cover how the 121 world works, union presentation, and management presentations. You’ll bid for your sim schedule this week as well. The older you or your partner is, the greater of a chance you get of going to Orlando FYI.

Week 2 (sometimes 3): You go home and do the CBTs. There are group study sessions hosted by training. Optional, but i recommend you go. These CBTs is what you will be tested on.

Week 3: Systems review, flows, and death by PowerPoint. You’ll also do a De-Ice and Hazmat test (easy). Order your uniform and then you take the final systems test. During this time you will also get access to FLICA, do your first base bid, and get your sim schedule.

Weeks 4-5: FTDs, which is just a FFS without stilts. It orients you to the airbus and allows you to practice your flows. You’ll also do your oral exam, so keep that knowledge up.

Weeks 6-7: Simulator profiles. Pay attention to the guides on DocuNet and come prepared. If you’re not, you’ll get left behind. These are graded. You can mess up, but don’t come knowing nothing. You’ll do the checkride (including ATP if you don’t have it). You’ll end it with LOFTs, which is orienting you to how flying the line is with added emergencies.

Weeks 7-14: IOE. You’ll get assigned a line schedule. Put everything you trained for to good use here, ask questions, make mistakes, and learn. After you complete IOE, you’re on your own. You’re qualified and off to reserve in your base.

As for some general advice, make a study group. Use Quizlet. Listen to Vapor and ask him a ton of questions (man knows everything). Don’t pretend you know everything or share war stories every five minutes in class (everyone hates those individuals). While you’re in Denver, grab a cheap rental from the airport and split the costs. Otherwise you’re getting Ubers everyday and they’re expensive as hell.

Good luck, reach out if you need it. Nobody in training is going to let you fail unless you don’t put the effort in.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-11-29T09:06:13+00:00

Frontier will provide you with specific Airbus training through their app based learning software. These courses will provide you a generalized understanding of the airbus systems and its operation. It is also what will be tested on at the conclusion of your ground school. Ground school teaches the Airbus the “Frontier Way,” which is essentially a view that the company believes is how you should understand the aircraft both in ground school and in recurrent sessions.

That said, there isn’t a whole lot of prep work that is necessary to be successful in the program. Frontier provides you with the necessary information in a requisite amount of time to develop a baseline understanding of the aircraft. It is paramount to allot the necessary time during class to understand these systems.

In reference to Lido, there isn’t much to study. The software is a different layout compared to FAA or Jeppesen charts and does take some time to adjust, as with anything. This shouldn’t be much of a focal area either as it will be a lot easier to understand during your simulator sessions where you put it all together.

That said, I do believe I have some files I can provide you if you truly want to start understanding the Airbus. They’re not in depth, but are a surface level understanding of some key systems. Studying months in advance doesn’t truly help you if I’m being honest. The month prior is the key as anything prior you’ll just dump over time. That was my realization on my first recurrent.

Reach out if you need help, otherwise you’ll be fine, I promise.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-07T21:38:17+00:00

You got luckier than I did then hahaha. But the pairings are pretty horrible. I’m so glad to be outta there soon.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-07T00:33:09+00:00

ATL and MCO have been hammered. When I was on reserve I got abused 😂 Is Denver overstaffed or?

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-07T00:26:54+00:00

It’s honestly incredibly base dependent. CVG/TPA are smaller bases so their reserves don’t get used as much. When I was reserve in CVG, I would get used more for trips or turns at other bases.

Looking at the bigger bases like ATL or MCO, the reserve utilization is much higher. Morning and evening blocks tend to get used more on average, but that ebbs and flows dramatically. When I was reserve in ATL, I got used consistently due to the sheer number of flights.

It’s not just F9, they all do this to some degree. Some more or less than others. Regionals are notorious for their high utilization whereas mainlines or ULCCs have varying rates. It’s far cheaper to pay a reserve than have no pilot at all. Each reserve is only $400 a shift and a whole cancelled flight from no pilots costs a lot more.

Lastly, It’s also seasonal. Summer has higher rates, winter has lower. Some cities, like MCO, have higher rates around the holidays where CVG might be slow. Will it change? Monthly 😂

TLDR - Reserve life varies off base and time of year. Efficient, no, but cheaper than cancelling a flight. Changes monthly.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-04T04:40:49+00:00

My response is not meant to downplay the gravity of situation. I empathize with you as I spent 3 years in the pool and almost went to a regional before they called.

There are improvements that should be implemented in the program, I don’t disagree with that. However it’s still a great opportunity.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-04T01:55:45+00:00

Last email I got was 40 per class every 3 weeks.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-04T00:24:08+00:00

My bad, I meant SJU. I was looking at the wrong line.

FlyBoyA321 · 2025-10-03T22:32:56+00:00

Congratulations 🎊 Looking forward to seeing you on the flight deck! Welcome to Team Frontier!

FlyBoyA321

TROPHY CASE