Arna Harris, CRJ Captain and MPD Jet FTD Trainer

I am a First Officer with Mesa Air Group and have flown the CRJ 200, 700, and 900. I am currently based in Phoenix and have just less than a year and a half on line with about 950 hours in the jet.

I was 36 years old when I decided to leave law enforcement and pursue a career as an airline pilot. I did my research how best to accomplish that goal. I heard about MPD through a friend who worked for America West and knew pilots who were sending their kids to MPD. That confidence of pilots to send their children to MPD piqued my interest. I visited the school in Farmington and found the environment, equipment, and training to be of the quality I was willing to invest my future in.

I started MPD in May '02 and found the staff -- instructors, Chief Pilot, office personnel, and Program Director -- cared about me as a person. The syllabus and training are great and helped me progress through each stage, rating, and ultimately employment with Mesa Airlines.

The CRJ Systems class and jet sim prepared me for Mesa's ground school then sim training. Having already studied the systems at MPD made getting through ground school at Mesa much easier since I already knew the callouts, profiles, and limitations. MPD patterns their training after Mesa's which proved invaluable during ground school and sim training.

I can't say enough good things about MPD. They held up their end of the bargain providing me with the tools necessary to begin my career in the airline industry as a First Officer with Mesa Air Group.
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Becky Roman-Amador, CRJ First Officer

Becoming an airline pilot has always been a life-long dream.  If it wasn’t for the PACE program at San Juan, it is a dream I would not be realizing today.  After receiving all my ratings through CFI in 2000, and thinking that I was just a short time away from a regional airline, I was activated with the military to support the War on Terrorism.  Following a three year commitment with the Air Force, I figured that it was now too late for me to become an airline pilot without spending the next several years getting current and flight instructing again; several years I felt that I just didn’t have.  So, I believed that my dream of becoming an airline pilot just wasn’t going to happen.  That’s where I was wrong.  Through a close friend who was in ground school with several San Juan graduates, I learned of the PACE program and called the MAPD office immediately to check out what they had to offer.  Of course, the program sounded too good to be true and it took several conversations with current students and staff to convince me that the program delivered what it boasted.  I felt that leaving a good paying, full-time job to attend the San Juan program was going to be the biggest gamble of my life.  Well, I can assure you that there is no gamble in attending the San Juan program.  The program delivers what it offers!  It was, most definitely, the best decision I have made regarding my flight training and subsequent career!  Thanks MAPD for helping me realize my dream.

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