2011 CFI Grads
- Thread starter AeroT
- Start date
snOOp
Well-Known Member
Well I completed mine last year 2010. Its been about a year since it was early 2010. I guarantee nothing has changed from 2010-2011. So I'll give you my run down. I went to North Vegas. I'm sure Inverted will say somethings but I really enjoyed it out there. Location wise your in KVGT wishing you were in the Las Vegas because North Las vegas is definitely run down. The instructors at North vegas though were awesome. It's like a small brotherhood and everyone is helpful. Frank is a trip at first ,but he gets a lot better if you show up to class and give it your best. The big con down there is no more dispatching smoothness. What I mean by that is everything is written on the board. I was asked to do my spins endorsment after driving for 8 hours. Scheduling SUCKS!!! That's really the only bad part, but everything gets worked out. My only issue with the scheduling was I actually didn;t have an instructor for my MEI Initial. It was just who ever was avalabile but it was a blast. Examiner wise, oh . I'm pretty sure most of the examiners and inspectors were fair. There was one guy in our class who has this one inspector and Frank said " you're gonna fail on the first day" I can't remember this inspector's name. Can someone help me out on this. I think it started with a John something. The planes I used were pretty pristine and kept in nice shape, but there were only two Seminoles and two Cessna's. I passed my initial with an examiner which I think was 400 or 500 bucks. If you get an inspector its free. If you go to Las Vegas don't let anyone tell you the examiner is easier or more lenient. From my experience that's a crock full of ....
The Apartments are not in the best of shape but they are not the worst. Just a really bad neighborhood. The guys in the neighborhood know you are moving around and are a pilot at ATP. They hate it when we are waking them up in the mourning since the apartments are probably a block away from the runways. So pack your belongings in your car or leave them elsewhere than the apartments because my roommates where always leaving the door unlocked. Be very careful with your valuables. I can't stress this enough. Make sure you have a safe spot. I put my stuff in the trunk of my car.
Bro congrats on making to CFI school. PM me with any questions you have I would be more than happy to try and answer them.
Sincerely,
not snoop dogg ( i wish)
snoop
The Apartments are not in the best of shape but they are not the worst. Just a really bad neighborhood. The guys in the neighborhood know you are moving around and are a pilot at ATP. They hate it when we are waking them up in the mourning since the apartments are probably a block away from the runways. So pack your belongings in your car or leave them elsewhere than the apartments because my roommates where always leaving the door unlocked. Be very careful with your valuables. I can't stress this enough. Make sure you have a safe spot. I put my stuff in the trunk of my car.
Bro congrats on making to CFI school. PM me with any questions you have I would be more than happy to try and answer them.
Sincerely,
not snoop dogg ( i wish)
snoop
born2aviate
Well-Known Member
Frank is gone and they have a new guy named Marcus. Our apartment was broken into and laptops/ipods and even a logbook was stolen. I fortunately realized the quality of the neighborhood and kept my stuff with me. 2 weeks will feel like 2 months so be prepared. Took my initial with a FSDO guy named Anthony Roldin and he was more than fair. Out in VGT the feds have a higher pass rate than the DPEs so don't sweat the FSDO ride if you get it. Most of my class made it through with out a problem and I believe that it was because we stayed every single day after class and studied as a group untill 10 or 11 at night.
Btw I did the program in Sept so it is pretty up to date.
Best of luck out there!! Let us know how it goes.
Btw I did the program in Sept so it is pretty up to date.
Best of luck out there!! Let us know how it goes.
snOOp
Well-Known Member
Awwww Frank is gone. He was good. Roldin was awesome!!! Did he smell like smoke? I wish I could remember the inspector's name. The Inspector who I can't remember had a check ride with one of my classmates. 8 hour oral and at the end of it he said I didn't like the way you explained things. Hint got his training from ATP. His name is killing me I'll go look it up and see if I can find it.
Inverted
mmmmmm wine
ATP was a good experience. I would do it again and I would recommend it. Finishing in 14 days can be done, but you have to bring your A game, you have to be on the instructors butts, and the weather has to cooperate 100%. It is very difficult to make all those things line up.
Frank was an ass but he was a fanatic book of knowledge. And he was very good at providing the tools to get you through the checkrides. The scheduling was a big issue when I was there. A big part that contributed to me finishing in 15 days was that I bugged and bugged and bugged to be put on the schedule. Those that just waited for somebody to put their name on the board got left behind.
I didnt have and problems with the instructors I flew with. In fact I enjoyed them. There were a few in the class that did have issues and eventually left the course. Most of the DPE's were pretty similar in terms of how easy or hard. I remember hearing bad things about John...
Don't go party every night, study study study and keep a positive attitude. You will do just fine!
Frank was an ass but he was a fanatic book of knowledge. And he was very good at providing the tools to get you through the checkrides. The scheduling was a big issue when I was there. A big part that contributed to me finishing in 15 days was that I bugged and bugged and bugged to be put on the schedule. Those that just waited for somebody to put their name on the board got left behind.
I didnt have and problems with the instructors I flew with. In fact I enjoyed them. There were a few in the class that did have issues and eventually left the course. Most of the DPE's were pretty similar in terms of how easy or hard. I remember hearing bad things about John...
Don't go party every night, study study study and keep a positive attitude. You will do just fine!
snOOp
Well-Known Member
Hey bro congrats on Ameriflight!!!! I think I was in the class before you. It was crazy since they double booked us a week after each other if I remember right. That messed the whole scheduling up.
crfguy51
Well-Known Member
Did mine at VGT.
Some people get 0530 flights others 8. If you are non-career expect to fly at 0530 and then ground from 8-? (5-6)..we would stay till 7-8 PM every night as a group then study at the the apt 'till we went to sleep . Career guys only get 2 flights + spin, have your "s" together. We seemed to get scheduled when there was no ground with a 0800 start time. Non-career guys have their hands full, learning the ATP way+CFI stuff is a chore.
Marcus is gone, a new 2 year is on the way. DM did our sign-offs, he's very through in the airplane. I'd try and fly with him as much as possible, he picks up on everything and will prepare you well. Study VGT airspace and the diagram, it's easy to get tripped up there. Don't be un-aware and fly into or near the bravo..the instructor is looking at you're ability to be aware. Learn the practice area, landmarks, exc. 800AGL traffic pattern might be a little different, and don't expect to get much practice at it. It would be good to get the spin flight before the Seminole flights because you can learn layout and landmarks before burning your 4 hours. The signoff isn't easy to get, it's not just automatic. They will need to see you talk your way through every maneuver (memorize the drag demo and accelerated stall BEFORE your flight) and the instructor will literally go down a checklist. Try and get as much signed off on the first flight so you can just polish up a few maneuvers and do pattern work for the second flight. A few guys bombed the first flight and ended up not getting the sign off or doing an extra flight...don't sweat it if this happens. They just want to make sure you'll pass the test. Fly from the right seat before you get there, don't add learning the Seminole form the right to the list of new things you'll be experiencing.
I'd study FOI before I got to VGT, as well as PVT type stuff. The syllabus for the ground school was the PTS. Take notes right in your PTS, tab your FAR/AIM. Study the Vegas sectional, cloud clearances, AFD, Weather and WX services before you go. Very little if any time devoted to this during the class, know multi-engine aerodynamics fort to back. Be able to demonstrate it to "instructional knowledge" in front of an examiner for a good 20-30 mins. Big chunk of the CR.
Overall, most of my class ended up going home but everyone that stayed passed first time through for the initials at least. It's a long 10-14 days, but in the end if you devote every moment to studying you'll make it. A few guys just didn't feel ready or were out playing around all night and bailed. Hook on to the guys willing to study and work with them, it helps. I had BL for the checkride and he was through but fair, defiantly expects you to know your stuff...but likes to see how you'll preform under pressure.
Apartments are located in a rough hood, take valuables with you everywhere. The apartments themselves are in decent shape, ATP does a good job of keeping them somewhat clean and functional. You can get internet in 3022 by sitting at the kitchen table and connecting to the neighbors un-secured web.
Put in the work and you'll be be rewarded with the CFI... No handholding here, take it seriously and pay your bills/take care of outside stuff before you go, be able to devote your mind to this...otherwise it will end up costing you a bunch of money and headache. All the guys that made it were hard workers and good people, learned as much from them as I did from the class...
I was lucky to have some sharp guys to study with, would've been tough without it...made a few new friends too. Had a good time looking back on it, extremely rewarding.
Some people get 0530 flights others 8. If you are non-career expect to fly at 0530 and then ground from 8-? (5-6)..we would stay till 7-8 PM every night as a group then study at the the apt 'till we went to sleep . Career guys only get 2 flights + spin, have your "s" together. We seemed to get scheduled when there was no ground with a 0800 start time. Non-career guys have their hands full, learning the ATP way+CFI stuff is a chore.
Marcus is gone, a new 2 year is on the way. DM did our sign-offs, he's very through in the airplane. I'd try and fly with him as much as possible, he picks up on everything and will prepare you well. Study VGT airspace and the diagram, it's easy to get tripped up there. Don't be un-aware and fly into or near the bravo..the instructor is looking at you're ability to be aware. Learn the practice area, landmarks, exc. 800AGL traffic pattern might be a little different, and don't expect to get much practice at it. It would be good to get the spin flight before the Seminole flights because you can learn layout and landmarks before burning your 4 hours. The signoff isn't easy to get, it's not just automatic. They will need to see you talk your way through every maneuver (memorize the drag demo and accelerated stall BEFORE your flight) and the instructor will literally go down a checklist. Try and get as much signed off on the first flight so you can just polish up a few maneuvers and do pattern work for the second flight. A few guys bombed the first flight and ended up not getting the sign off or doing an extra flight...don't sweat it if this happens. They just want to make sure you'll pass the test. Fly from the right seat before you get there, don't add learning the Seminole form the right to the list of new things you'll be experiencing.
I'd study FOI before I got to VGT, as well as PVT type stuff. The syllabus for the ground school was the PTS. Take notes right in your PTS, tab your FAR/AIM. Study the Vegas sectional, cloud clearances, AFD, Weather and WX services before you go. Very little if any time devoted to this during the class, know multi-engine aerodynamics fort to back. Be able to demonstrate it to "instructional knowledge" in front of an examiner for a good 20-30 mins. Big chunk of the CR.
Overall, most of my class ended up going home but everyone that stayed passed first time through for the initials at least. It's a long 10-14 days, but in the end if you devote every moment to studying you'll make it. A few guys just didn't feel ready or were out playing around all night and bailed. Hook on to the guys willing to study and work with them, it helps. I had BL for the checkride and he was through but fair, defiantly expects you to know your stuff...but likes to see how you'll preform under pressure.
Apartments are located in a rough hood, take valuables with you everywhere. The apartments themselves are in decent shape, ATP does a good job of keeping them somewhat clean and functional. You can get internet in 3022 by sitting at the kitchen table and connecting to the neighbors un-secured web.
Put in the work and you'll be be rewarded with the CFI... No handholding here, take it seriously and pay your bills/take care of outside stuff before you go, be able to devote your mind to this...otherwise it will end up costing you a bunch of money and headache. All the guys that made it were hard workers and good people, learned as much from them as I did from the class...
I was lucky to have some sharp guys to study with, would've been tough without it...made a few new friends too. Had a good time looking back on it, extremely rewarding.
born2aviate
Well-Known Member
who replaced Marcus? He was a good guy...really knew his stuff and a good instructor.
crfguy51
Well-Known Member
Oh, another gotcha.
If you are a career guy make sure you have a current PTS. They sent me an outdated one, another guy was in the same boat. Make sure you have the one with changes 3, 4, and 5. You can borrow the page and staple it in and write the changes on the cover but make sure it's current. Same thing with anything that expires, he checked it all.
If you are a career guy make sure you have a current PTS. They sent me an outdated one, another guy was in the same boat. Make sure you have the one with changes 3, 4, and 5. You can borrow the page and staple it in and write the changes on the cover but make sure it's current. Same thing with anything that expires, he checked it all.