Josh Allan shares his Jet Transition Program experience

Like thousands of pilots grinding through training pipelines across the U.S. and beyond, I’m just another career-changer chasing the left seat of an airliner.

After months - or years - of steep turns, short-field landings, and power-off 180s, it’s easy to forget the ultimate prize: flying a jet for a living. That’s where Acron Aviation’s two-day Jet Transition Program comes in.

When I heard Acron Aviation was offering a Jet Transition Program, I signed up immediately. I hoped it would bridge the gap between the piston singles and twins I’d been flying and the swept-wing jets I dream about. Two days, eight hours of ground school, eight hours in a Level-D A320 simulator - minimal disruption to my CFI-I training, maximum excitement.

Day one began with introductions to our Instructors (all current or former airline pilots) and our study jet: the Airbus A320-200. We received checklists, cockpit posters, and an immediate, no-nonsense lecture on procedural discipline. Nothing new there - Acron Aviation has drilled checklist usage and SOP compliance into me from lesson one. Then came the avionics firehose: MCDU programming, flight plan entry, and the mental shortcuts that make a complex flight deck manageable.

That evening we walked into the simulator bay in Orlando. These were the exact full-motion A320 simulators the airlines use for Type Ratings and recurrent training. While we trained, crews from major carriers were in the boxes next door doing their six-month recurrent training. Surreal.

Climbing into the right seat for the first time was intimidating, but the Instructors were right: don’t be overwhelmed. My simulator partner and I were both jet newbies, yet with good coaching and repetition, everything clicked faster than expected. Engine start, takeoff, basic automation, then hand-flown ILS approaches - we both greased our first landings on the first try, swapping pilot-flying and pilot-monitoring duties.

Day two followed the same rhythm: classroom in the morning, simulator that night. They threw engine failures at us - V1 cuts, single-engine departures, and single-engine CAT II ILS approaches down to 100 feet and a quarter mile. Again, we both hand-flew them successfully.

Walking away, two things stood out. First, the fundamentals I’ve been hammering in Skyhawks and Seminoles - pitch plus power equals performance, disciplined flows and checklists, clear CRM - translate directly to the jet. The A320 is bigger, faster, and far more complex, but it still flies on the same principles. That was incredibly reassuring.

Second, the gap between where I am now and the regional jet flight deck isn’t as wide as I feared. I still have hundreds of hours and several ratings to earn, but I’ve now seen the path clearly. The airmanship, discipline, and crew coordination I’m building every flight will carry me straight into that cockpit when the time comes.

Two days in an A320 simulator didn’t make me a jet pilot, but it did something more valuable: it reminded me exactly why I’m doing all those steep turns and power-off 180s in the first place. The dream is real, the path is proven, and the work I’m putting in today matters.

If you’re a piston pilot wondering what the jump to turbines feels like, do yourself a favor and find a Jet Transition Program. You’ll leave tired, a little humbled, and a lot more motivated.