Academy after CTI Program

Best cti program


  • Total voters
    4

cardsfan05

Well-Known Member
For those of you that are controllers or are in the academy now...How difficult Is the FAA Training Academy in OKC, if you have a degree from one of the CTI- schools?

For those that went through a CTI program, how did you like the school's program?

Thanks in advance for anybody who responds
 
I put Beaver because that's where I went, but make no mistake, other than going to a third tier bottom feeder program it doesn't matter (also I don't know a thing about ASU, but the others are quality). CTI prepares you to pass the academy and the academy does not mirror reality and only gives you a chance to prove yourself in the real world. By way of example I was a TRACON hire and the HUGE thing in OKC was don't vector the overflight. They have marks of shame for that. I get it that the overflight was an obstacle to deal with, but now, yeah I'll vector an overflight all day every day, sooooo realistic.

The academy, depending on what facility type you're hired to is a completely different animal. I was TRACON as an EnRoute guy from Beaver. New sets of rules, they basically expected everyone to know approach rules and I didn't know them all because the 5 seconds they spent glancing over them went over my head at the time (divergence?). Doesn't hurt that the basics and habits I picked up at Beaver helped me though real world training and my time in OKC. Also, it was somewhat helpful that it is impossible to fail the TRACON PV. Not that I would have.

I went to school with people who are controllers at Centers, Towers, Approaches, many of whom worked busy hubs as their first facility. Not a single CCBC graduate I personally know washed out. I'm sure some I had contact with did, but the amount of level 10+ first facility certifications is astounding to me looking back with some real experience.
 
I voted for Beaver but I didn't go there. I only say that because in my OKC class, the one kid from Beaver was the only kid who had any idea what was actually going on in the beginning (The rest came from Minneapolis, ERAU, Vaughn, & MTSU). With that being said, I think CTI is a waste of money. I went to Vaughn which I will be the first to admit is ridiculously stupid and even more of a waste of money than other CTI schools. Regardless, OKC will teach you from the ground up which is just another reason why I think CTI is a waste of money.

OKC wasn't a joke -- at least not for en route. A class finished every single week. You eat lunch on the main level near the stairs. The basement is where the labs are. I remember seeing people come up those stairs crying every single week and we all knew what had happened -- they just washed out. It was a humbling experience and a weekly reminder that this job isn't for everyone. It was also a reminder that you're not there to party. That doesn't mean don't have a good time but it means to never forget what your priority is: leaving OKC with a job. It's a long drive home. I can only imagine how much longer it would be if you had to spend the whole drive thinking about what could have been.

I was there in the summer of 2011 and at the time, en route classes consisted of 12 people. There were generally 2-3 people that washed out of every class. In my class, we had 10. 1 washed out. I thought 3 people in my class were going to potentially wash out and the guy who actually did wash out wasn't one of them. I didn't remote many problems for him but from what I understand (& what I remembered from the few I did), he was fairly average maybe even slightly above average. Either way, he lost his nerves when PV's came. He just bombed all three of them. The other 3 made it, albeit barely. For the 9 of us that made it, I CPC'd this past summer and another two should be finishing early next year. I am not aware of anyone who is struggling but rather has just had (or still having) longer waits for classes. I was ridiculously lucky when it came to waiting for a D class and a R class which is why I certified so much faster than the rest of my OKC class. We went to Memphis, New York, Atlanta, and LA.

The academy, depending on what facility type you're hired to is a completely different animal. I was TRACON as an EnRoute guy from Beaver. New sets of rules, they basically expected everyone to know approach rules and I didn't know them all because the 5 seconds they spent glancing over them went over my head at the time (divergence?). Doesn't hurt that the basics and habits I picked up at Beaver helped me though real world training and my time in OKC. Also, it was somewhat helpful that it is impossible to fail the TRACON PV. Not that I would have.


Even though you can fail en route as opposed to RTF, like Genot said, the academy is still fantasy land and nothing they do there is realistic. You'll learn how to really work traffic when you start OJT.
 
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What percentage of CTI grads would you say wash out?
In my academy class 2, although one was an ex-mil controller as well. Outside of that though I haven't personally known any, but it certainly happens. Problem with a lot of CTI's is that for the 2-3 years after school they do absolutely didley so they show up to the academy on the same level as someone completely ots with no background in aviation, but the cti doesn't get the extra month of academics. This is why the cti vs ots argument can get a little scewed as you can also have an "ots" with vastly more experience than a cti.
 
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